Beyond the Gutenberg Parenthesis: Exploring New Paradigms in Media and Learning

Abstract

There are those who agree with Tom Pettitt that we are entering into a period where text based literacy is no longer the only measure of intelligence, nor is it the only form of valuable communications and knowledge acquisition for today's media-centric children.  As Prensky states, today's youth speak 'digital' as their primary language. While his comments may be tempered by the fact that they are based on personal observation and correspondence with others, Prensky does make a point. In order to reach these children and stimulate their interest in reading and writing, it may be better to being by teaching to their strengths and if digital is the basis of those skills, then starting with digital media has considerable merit. This paper presents the some of the foundations behind Jenkins' premise that remixing and appropriation of previously created works is a valid first step in the learning process. The authors suggest that mixing media with story invention creates a learning environment of considerable power. The paper also discusses a series of related studies in which these hypotheses were investigated and a few words about the ramifications these results may have on future studies in this area. Read and discuss this article on the JMLE blog.