Listen UP! Youth America!

Talking Points # 10

After reading a friend’s blog, I just wanted to share that I have truly grown to appreciate our bloggisphere this semester! I have enjoyed reading and sharing stories. One thing that really stands out to me is how much I have in common with other people. The blogs have allowed me to learn what others have experienced, feel and believe. I have learned that it is only until we open our hearts and minds to others and share who we are as a person that we learn how similar we all are!

I know that throughout the semester we have talked about 'safe places' for teens to learn. Infact, Ferguson mentions how her studies proved that “social structure and personal agency”…“cultural and racial awareness” challenged the safety of African American students in the classroom weakening their beliefs about themselves and the world around them.

After watching several of the videos on Listen up! http://www.listenup.org/ I have a greater appreciation for the role of teachers as positive mentors to teens. This network of teachers and students builds a virtual classroom where teens feel ‘safe.’ With each video teens of all ages and backgrounds post comments critiquing the other teens video. Many teens share videos reaching to topics spanning from stereotypes, youth, war, smoking, sexuality, racism…and the great list continues.

One documentary that stood out to me was entitled, “Editing the Truth” which explores the misconceptions and stereotypes generated by the word “gangster.” A wide body of research and several interviews later these teens got together to hear just what other teens believed to be the “truth” behind the word. A teen viewer Zeba responded, “Omg this is awesome! It’s so true, you never know what the person really meant to say, it can be totally manipulated.” Another viewer responded, “Very good documentary, it definitely showed me some other perspectives compared to what I originally believed.”

This web exploration allowed me to understand how similar we all are. Teens everywhere use the tools of multimedia today to connect with other teens about issues that concern their lives, the ways in which they think, believe and feel. This post made me think about Prensky, “Digital Natives” and the media not as a negative influence but a real display of how technology can bring us together and unite us.

Doesn’t the Listen Up! Website remind you of our bloggisphere?! It’s really cool that we have created our own subculture and network of thinkers. Cool beans!