Teaching Civics in the Digital Age: The Use of Traditional and Innovative Pedagogies (original) (raw)
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In September 2014, pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong mobilized to bypass online government censorships, connecting through their Smartphones using the FireChat app. In 2013, four Saskatchewan women used Facebook chat to speak out against the proposed Federal Bill-45, initiating the IdleNoMore movement. In each of these cases, digital technologies were used to bypass the “official” channels of civic engagement. In this way, digital technologies can provide spaces within which non-dominant social groups can network around – and mobilize against – the entrenched interests embedded in traditional media. At the same time, however, digital technologies can become obstacles to civic engagement. In the 2016 US election, for example, Facebook was at the centre of controversies over fake news and “digital echo chambers.” As citizenship educators, therefore how can we engage with digital technologies in a positive way, in order to create decentred spaces for civic engagement within the diversity of 21st century classrooms? In what follows, we first review existing research within the scholarly and policy contexts of civic engagement in urban schools and 21st century learning skills. We then present the conceptualization of digital citizenship that guides our project, with particular emphasis on the different spaces in which urban youth can be (and are) civically engaged. Finally, we discuss the context of our project, present some initial findings, and reflect on some of the obstacles we have encountered so far. In particular, we discuss our attempt to develop faculty/school partnership model as a way making the curriculum more locally relevant and meaningful to learners.
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The media are "a prerequisite for shaping the democratic character of a society" (Dahlgren, 2009: 2) as they are the extension of political communication beyond face-to-face settings. Media provide citizens with news and information about public affairs, political leaders, and events. They also offer a forum for debate, foster a vital public sphere, and contribute to the creation of a democratic culture. Studies indicate that people who follow politics through media, especially newspapers and online news sources, have greater knowledge of government and political affairs, attain higher levels of political efficacy, and are more inclined to participate (Delli Carpini and Keeter, 1996; Eveland and Scheufele, 2000; Kenski and Stroud, 2006). Further, media use can facilitate civic engagement, and provide an impetus for community building (Pasek, et al., 2006). Digital technology can facilitate both traditional and innovative forms of political participation. It allows participants to assert greater agency in circulating and consuming information, shaping messages, setting agendas, negotiating and creating networks, mobilizing forces, and influencing leaders and electoral outcomes. The dynamics of digital engagement are peer based, interactive, and nonhierarchical, which contrasts with the elite-driven, unidirectional characteristics of much traditional media (Jenkins, 2009; Cohen, et al., 2012). Digital communication technology has become increasingly integral to people's daily lives, opening new portals for political engagement. Yet many citizens, including young people who are open to innovation, do not make the connection between digital media use and politics (Milner, 2010; Kahne, Lee, and Feezell, 2012). Most citizens engage political media modestly at best. The media environment that is integral to citizen participation is multifaceted. Traditional media maintain a formidable presence even as constantly evolving new media take hold. Digital media have altered radically how people live and, as an extension, how they
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Can media literacy education promote and improve youth engagement in civic and political life? Unfortunately, to date, there have been almost no quantitative assessments of the frequency of media literacy education, nor of any possible subsequent impacts. This study draws on a unique panel data set of a diverse group of youths in high school and college settings. It finds that exposure to media literacy education is not strongly related to demographic variables. In addition, with controls for prior levels of online political activities, for political interest, and for a broad range of demographic variables, this study also finds that digital media literacy education is associated with increased online political engagement and increased exposure to diverse perspectives.
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This chapter explores the role of pedagogy in preparing young people for active and inclusive participation in civic life. It argues for a need to insert more explicit attention to civic voice—the dispositions and modalities of expression that young people use to participation in daily civic life—In media and digital literacy pedagogies that can support both formal and informal spaces of learning. Exploring examples and theories that support media literacies and connected learning reinforce the need to centralize participatory culture in teaching and learning about media’s role in civic life. Young people are using media for information and knowledge transfer, but also as tools for advocacy, participation, and engagement in daily life. Adults should acknowledge these uses accordingly and integrate them into the core of a civics education.