Connecting technoloy, expression, and activism: How can technology empower under-represented groups?

Corriero, J. (2011, February 11). Adobe youth voices: Empowering youth through technology. Retrieved from http://edtechdigest.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/adobe-youth-voices-empowering-youth-through-technology/

Summary:

This article examines a non-profit group through the Adobe Foundation called Adobe Youth Voices. During its pilot cycle, Adobe Youth Voices has partnered with 24 organizations in 6 different countries, and has included 48 teachers and over 1,000 youth. The group uses Adobe Elements software to facilitate workshops and create artwork with a focus on critical inquiry into global issues. The program is best summarized in the article, “. Adobe Youth Voices provides access to tools, resources, and platforms for youth to creatively share their perspectives, ideas and experiences and to assert themselves as agents of change.”

Response:

I really love the mission of this program, to make technology more accessible to under-served youth with to share their experiences. But I think the underlying idea of linking technology with creative expression, and creative expression with activism, is the truly brilliant part of this model. Youth understand the world through social media. Facebook, youtube, twitter, these are the venues for youth communication and this is where youth go to get their news. I think we need to start taking these venues seriously, and to help students see the potential in it, to zone out of the seemingly self-centered media and see how it connects us globally. I think this shift in perspective should empower students, to show that they have a voice in a global community, and that they can use that voice to express themselves and engage in larger issues. To me, this all falls under the category of “media literacy”, which has its place in the Language Arts classroom.