We are living in the middle of a paradigm shift that is challenging our definition of what it means to be literate. The new media revolution is different from other technology revolutions with respect to the speed with which it is infiltrating all aspects of our personal and work lives and the degree to which it is affecting how and with whom we communicate (Jenkins, 2006; Gee, 2004). We now have affordable and usable technologies that have seeded the possibilities for the creation of spaces—at home, in the community, and online—where individuals work alone or collaboratively with family and local and global peers around topics of collective interest.
Through a mix of during school, afterschool, and online spaces, DYN provides youth opportunities to develop and apply new media literacy in ways that are personally and academically meaningful to them. Guided by more experienced student peers and professional adult artists/mentors trained in elements of pedagogy, students produce digital artifacts, share their products, and demonstrate new media skills and understandings. The DYN Learning Model is specifically organized to allow students to share, showcase, and critique media projects within the DYN community. Interactions between the learner, his or her peers, and adult mentors result in an environment in which the possession and demonstration of one’s new media literacy increases status and social capital.
In this talk we will present the DYN model, provide examples of implementation in formal and informal contexts, and provide evidence of the longitudinal impact of participation in DYN on students' development as literate citizens.
