Realisations

So, is this about digital media or is it about the assimilation of any new innovation? How has this happened in the past? Or is it that the landscape of digital media  is something that we've never had to assimilate before in the profession? 

To bring this assignment together, it's about finding a conclusion based on the problem focus, and maybe that's around a number of parts?

Using arguments or research from formal education may not be so helpful because as always in youth work, the element of choice is in operation, Youth workers choose. They decide their programmes and responses with young people and they can also choose NOT to work in a certain way. They can choose not to engage young people in blogging, in campaigning, in collaborating, in researching,  in making relationships with young people from across the world. They can choose to use arguments like young people about young people not wanting them in their world, or young people not needing to be skilled up but aren't they missing the point?

This 'significant and subtle shift' in learning  is the key. My son (11) is now doing his homework in a laptop, being creative when he can't draw, preparing powerpoint presentations to show his peers about our sponsored family in Kenya, editing videos and photos..... This is sophisticated stuff compared to my first year at secondary school!

It goes back to my thoughts about those BA students.....why collages on bits of paper in this day and age??

Howard Rheingold - the way forward?? Let's have a look...

Still struggling..

The new paradigm... I know that I don't have to solve anything at this point. Perhaps all I need to do is to propose some models that can be developed? DK's ideas about playing and pushing buttons are key to building confidence - maybe this is at the heart - the informal educator educating the informal educators! Trial and error, pushing buttons,  - let's see what happens and try to make some meaning that can be taken further.

My thoughts for the Digital Youth Worker were as follows :

Digital Natives Digital Immigrants: Adapting to the Needs of Young People

Ludites

Communicating/Communication with Young People

The Network Society: Young People

Big Society and Being Empowered

Research/Crap Detection: Working with Young People to be Discerning

Having Fun

Social Networks

Community of Learning

Keeping Safe

Digital Story-telling – Youtube, blogging

...and actually they're all still relevant - and not out there!

A new paradigm...

I'm starting to think that this initial process is leading to the development of some kind of new paradigm for youth work that includes the concept of digital media and learning, even though one might assume that youth work would naturally incorporate any new tools

Theories around the generation gap and how older generations assimilate or not to new developments are interesting, but even more interesting when applied to the managers and the academics who are also not pushing this agenda.

Thinking back to a presentation that I saw in the summer, where 1st year degree students on a  BA youth work were assessed on presentations of issues that were presented as collages on large sheets of paper, took me back to the 80's. Educators perpetuating their own experiences and not broadening perceptions to include all the innovation that we have around us today.  'Bright young things' wanting to explore youth work through the digital world would probably have been told 'no' in favour of sticking bits of magazine onto paper.

The moral panics of today - Facebook as a dangerous place - to play need to be unpacked in favour of the positive benefits. This is where a new paradigm is needed. Work in progress....