AFFINITY SPACES
I recently read an excerpt from Henry Jenkins’ book Convergence Culture which focused on the idea of “affinity spaces”. These are nontraditional learning spaces within education that allow better participation and engage by students using media and sometimes pop culture. While he focuses on the pop culture aspect, creating these connections via popular franchise Harry Potter, I’d like to focus on the media side of this discussion.
New media is being brought into the classroom consistently over time.
When I was a child in public school we were amazed by the idea of smart boards, which were large chalkboard-like plastic screens. Students could write and interact with the board using a stylus shaped and sized like a large marker. Using this piece of technology was always a highlight in my educational experience.
Now the addition of technology is progressing, as my youngest niece (a five year old) told me the other day that her class was going to get more iPads. (Not some iPads, more). This was amazing to me, that children were going to use such current and expensive technology at such a young age. (I was also proud, as we encourage technology introduction at a young age within my family, that my niece received highest grades on her ability to use the tools in class).
Introducing your child to new media early can be beneficial, not just so they can become fluid in their functionality, but so they understand right and wrong when utilizing these tools.
The Social Media Monthly provides some great ideas on how affinity spaces can be integrated into the classroom experience. They mention the use of polls via social media for engagement and online group discussions about class topics outside of class. I also loved the idea of allowing them to use new media for projects. The article describes:
“…If you assign 30 poster board presentations to 30 students, you are likely to get 30 near identical presentations. Let your students choose their own adventure and digest the materials their own way. Aside from a set of guidelines to demonstrate their proficiency, students should be encouraged to explore different mediums. Perhaps he or she wants to produce a video presentation or a mock gameshow. Or perhaps you have a student that is more analytical and would rather write a paper than stand in front of the class. Embrace the diversity of personalities and learning styles in your classroom.”
Affinity spaces are a great way to encourage students to become more interested in education as it allows them to interact in a way they are comfortable with. Daily Mail stated that nearly half of children within the United Kingdom use social media by age 10, and even more within the United States.
If this many children are already online, schools should take advantage of this and create learning environments similar to how they interact.
article sources: http://thesocialmediamonthly.com/engaging-students-technology/
image source: http://www.i21education.com/what-we-do/teachers-using-technology-in-the-classroom/