Growing the New Technopolis

Some wonderful work being done halfway between our respective institutions, down in beautiful Asheville, NC. The Media Arts Project has developed a conceptual plan for building what it calls “creative clusters” by way of A Community-Based Media Development Center. (this links to a PDF)

This idea is not unlike the one we’re putting forward: the creation of what we’re calling DMACs, or digital media arts centers, in historically underprivileged neighborhoods. The DMAC model could serve as a powerful multidisciplinary service-learning project that results in all kinds of action research, civic engagement, and social entrepreneurship. The key is to build strong partnerships at the local, state, and even national level to foster such projects along and grow the model out.

I can’t believe I hadn’t come across his work until earlier this week, but Henry Jenkins is someone who is way out in front on the whole digital literacy advocacy front. He’s currently the Director of the MIT Comparative Media Studies Program and the Peter de Florez Professor of Humanities. Yeah, basically a super genius. Seriously, his work is well worth your time, and his very active blog is a fine place to start.

We need a new model for engaging students of the 21st century, one that meets these so-called digital natives on their own ground, using the tools and technologies familiar to them but doing so in creative and meaningful ways. Today’s young learners want to be creators of content & knowledge, not just passive receivers of either. But the traditional constructivist theory of learning needs a facelift (I won’t say Facebook lift!). By that I mean technology can and should play a leading role in allowing learners to develop the critical thinking skills and associated problem solving abilities necessary to succeed in our complex, information-centric world.

In this context, integrating information & communication technologies (ICT) into our K-16 curricula makes perfect sense on several levels.

• It engages students as active participants in the knowledge creation process
• It encourages scholarship through self-critique, peer review, and collaboration
• It fosters a sense of pride and ownership through production of digital artifacts
• It lends itself to contextually-based, real world scenarios that result in deeper critical thinking
• It inspires entrepreneurial spirit and sparks creativity
• It connects learners to the surrounding community in exciting ways that result in a stronger sense of civic duty

This blog will serve as a forum for strategizing, sharing ideas, and recommending best practices for those of us interested in developing a dynamic, multi-tiered framework for growing the new technopolis beyond the walls of schools and academia. Our mission is to change fundamentally the concept of “technology integration” by using ICT, new media, and the emerging Web 2.0 to cultivate real scholarship; reach out to community partners & foster civic engagement; and inspire creative social entrepreneurship among both students & underserved populations.

Ambitious? Yes! So let’s get started….