Transcript Community media – a disruptive process?

Mediating community communication
ecologies
Dr Peter Day & Zanna
Dear
CMIS
University of Brighton
Introducing 3 modules
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Community project – level 3 under-grad
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Students often do related applied research dissertation
Community media (informatics) – level 2 under-grad
Developing community media – MA Creative Media
Community Media
Community owned and
controlled, giving access to
voices in the community &
encouraging diversity,
creativity & participation.
Community media provides
a vital counterbalance to the
increasing globalization &
commercialization of the
media.
(Community Media Association, 2008)
Based on service learning principles
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Working in partnership
with community partners
to solve real world
problems
Active, reflective &
challenging
Promotes citizenship,
collaboration & ‘deeper’
learning
Meaningful, positive &
dialogic
Community development
Helping local groups &
organizations to
achieve the objectives
they set themselves,
especially in
disadvantaged areas
or in sections of the
population at risk of
exclusion or facing
difficult conditions.
(CDF, 2008)
Community media – approach to
learning
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Initial contextualisation in
class
Fieldwork oriented
Active problem solving
Reader – online seminar
discussions & personal
blogs
Previous student projects
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West Hove News
(community
newspaper)
Community event
planning – summer
festival & spring fun day
Publicity & marketing
Community video
Photo stories
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Children’s painting
competitions
Participatory website
design & build
Photography workshop
Photoshop workshop –
posters, etc
Summer holiday
volunteering
LM 267 Community Informatics – A
Students View
LM 267 was a thoroughly enjoyable course.
It taught the complex relations of ‘community’
through lived experience of participation and
interaction, whilst demonstrating the
important role media can play in supporting,
and even creating, community networks.
LM 267 – A Students View
Good:
 Practice ‘in the field’ was grounded in, and
enhanced by, a high level of academic
connectivity.
 The experience of community interaction in
West Hove was extremely positive and
inspirational.
LM 267 – A Student’s View
Bad:
 The course was very full - not everybody was happy
with the availability of projects. Some students
expressed a desire for more media projects or more
substantial work on media projects in the West Hove
area.
 The Discussion Board Programming – The
discussions that were held were fun and engaging
but the programme used hindered the process near
constantly.
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Observations to date
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Very rewarding and great fun
Can have significant effects – student &
community learning (anecdotal)
Time & labour intensive
Requires institutional support & understanding
Words need to be backed by actions….can be
problematic
Contributing to communicative
ecologies
Community media as tools, spaces and processes – building social
capital (esp. bridging & linking)
Stimulates community learning
sharing of information
participation – e.g. in design of CCS
engaging in dialogue – re-establishing weak ties
networking – process and structure
critical reflection and analysis
Communities generate content suitable for the social and cultural
contexts they themselves generate
Community organisation, activities & action