"Imagine Better": Participatory Culture and Literary-Inspired Activism

Link to Session

Your Name and Title: Cris Crissman, PhD

School or Organization Name: North Carolina State University

Co-Presenter Name(s):

Area of the World from Which You Will Present: Raleigh, North Carolina

Language in Which You Will Present: English

Target Audience(s): Anyone interested in Young Adult Literature

Short Session Description (one line): Imagine youth activism inspired by literature and digital storytelling.

Full Session Description (as long as you would like):

"We do not need magic to change the world; we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better." -- J. K. Rowling

Henry Jenkins in his TEDxNYED presentation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFCLKa0XRlw ) asks "if we think this [participatory culture] works on an organizational level to mobilize citizenship, shouldn't we bring it into our classrooms?" We should and we can by encouraging teenagers to engage with important issues and events through well-crafted literary experiences with a strong digital storytelling component. We'll also take a look at literary-inspired youth activists groups like the Freedom Writers, the Nerdfighters, and the Harry Potter Alliance. These groups are global phenomena that those of us who teach with literature can learn from to create projects that reach across geography and time zones to focus on vital issues and real-world problems that confront all of us.

We imagine educators and students becoming co-learners and social activists and collaborating with others representing a diversity of cultures. We "imagine better" . . .

Websites / URLs Associated with Your Session:

http://www.scoop.it/t/cultivating-empathy

http://bookhenge2011.wikispaces.com/

Thanks for your submission to present at the 2011 Global Education Conference. Your proposal looks promising, but could benefit from some additional language that ties your work to the conference theme of global collaboration. Your proposed session may imply global collaborations and connections, but we need to see more explanation of how your work ties into our mission. The conference seeks to present ideas, examples and initiatives related to connecting educators and classrooms around the world with an emphasis on promoting global awareness and instilling global competency in students. This is not a general education conference nor a technology conference. Please review your submission and adjust accordingly, so that participants clearly understand how your work fits into the mission of the conference.

Replies

Gayle Berthiaume November 1, 2011 at 12:28am

Thanks for your submission to present at the 2011 Global Education Conference. Your proposal looks promising, but could benefit from some additional language that ties your work to the conference theme of global collaboration. Your proposed session may imply global collaborations and connections, but we need to see more explanation of how your work ties into our mission. The conference seeks to present ideas, examples and initiatives related to connecting educators and classrooms around the world with an emphasis on promoting global awareness and instilling global competency in students. This is not a general education conference nor a technology conference. Please review your submission and adjust accordingly, so that participants clearly understand how your work fits into the mission of the conference.

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