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Children, Youth and Digital Media
Scholar Year: 2021/2022 - 2S
| Code: |
SIESE12 |
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Acronym: |
CYDM |
Courses
| Acronym |
N. of students |
Study Plan |
Curricular year |
ECTS |
Contact hours |
Total Time |
| SIESE |
12 |
Study_Plan_2016 |
1º |
5,0 |
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Teaching language
English
Intended learning outcomes (Knowledges, skills and competencies to be developed by the students)
The digital media shapes contemporary social life, influencing how children and young people learn, interact, and perceive themselves and one another. Taking into account the lack of cognitive, social, emotional, and physical maturity, children and youths are considered more vulnerable to risks and harm in the digital environment. However, as early and intense users of new technologies, they usually find new opportunities in engaging to the digital sphere such as constructing identities, building social capital, learning technological skills or engaging in civic movements. So, being active and participating in the digital world is a right of children and crucial to them to become participative citizens in our digital society.
In this context of hyperconnectivity of childhood, digital literacy has become central in the development of children. Thus, schools (together with other socialization institutions) play a pivotal role to form full citizens of a digital society promoting the children’s 3 Cs rights: protection from digital risks, participation in the digital world, and provision of capacities to act consciously, critically and autonomously in such environment.
The aim of this curricular unit is to provide students with a better understanding of contemporary childhoods and youths and their omnipresent digital cultures. Considering the political-economy background of the Internet platformization, it aims to bring together the communication and education approaches in order to better promote digital literacies in schools and informal contexts.
In this sense, at the end of the course, the students should be able to:
• Understand the central role of digital cultures in contemporary childhood and youth.
• Comprehend children’s (digital) rights.
• Recognize the political and economic dimensions of the platform societies.
• Critically analyse children and youths’ digital socialization.
• Critically examine social media features.
• Promote digital literacies among children and youths in schools and in informal learning contexts.
Syllabus
(Digital) childhoods: contemporary debates
• Children’s (digital) rights.
• Inequalities in accessing the digital: race, gender and social-economic status.
• Children as social actors in the public sphere and youths’ civic engagement.
• Children and consumption in times of hyperconnectivity.
Childhood and youth digital cultures in the era of platformization
• Children and youths in algorithmic, datafied and platform societies: risks vs. opportunities.
• Children and youths’ digital socialization: identity construction and the celebrified self.
• Social media: from the participatory model to the digital influencer model.
• Emerging trends on social media: YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
Digital literacies
• What is digital literacy.
• School’s challenges: privacy vs. participation, cyberbullying, hate speech, trustworthy sources vs. disinformation, consumer culture, resilience and well-being online.
• Promoting digital literacy in school and in informal learning contexts.
• Educational tools for promoting digital literacies in the classroom and in informal learning contexts.
Demonstration of the syllabus coherence with the UC intended learning outcomes
The syllabus is coherent with the learning outcomes since it includes debates on contemporary childhoods and youths with a special focus on of digital cultures. The approach to digital cultures is deepened to include their role in children and youths’ identity construction and socialization in the context of social media’s omnipresence, celebritization process and internet platformization. The syllabus also includes application of knowledge to promote children and youths’ digital literacies on formal and informal learning contexts.
Teaching methodologies
The course is taught based on the balance between theoretical, expository and participatory classes. The methodology is inspired by the Problem Based Learning approach, using case studies and requiring presentations and reflections by the students (individual or in groups) as a way to promote an interactive learning process.
Demonstration of the teaching methodologies coherence with the curricular unit's intended learning outcomes
Inspired by the Problem-Based Learning method, teaching methodologies use case studies to debate the central role of digital technologies in contemporary childhood and youth, while at the same time taking into account the political and economic dimensions of the platforms societies and strategies and tools to promote digital literacy. This approach allows an applied understanding of the intersection of the digital environment and children's rights conducting to the development of projects to promote digital literacy in schools and in informal learning contexts.
Assessment methodologies and evidences
It will be taken into consideration the students’ participation in the classroom and in the proposed activities and also the quality of the work they will develop.
The final score will be distributed as follows:
• Participation (activities in the classroom): 40%.
• Academic essay and presentation of a chosen topic on children, youths and digital media: 60%.
Bibliography
Buckingham, D. (2019). The Media Education Manifesto. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Cortesi, S.; Hasse, A.; Lombana, A.; Kim, S. & Gasser, U. (2020). Youth and digital citizenship+ (Plus). Understanding skills for a digital world. Berkman Klein Center Research for Internet & Society. Available at: https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/42638976/2020-03_YouthAndDigitalCitizenship%2b%28Plus%29.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y~
Green, L.; Holloway, D.; Stevenson, K.; Leaver, T.; Haddon, Leslie (2020). The Routledge Companion to Digital Media and Children. New York and London: Routledge.
Lemish, D.; Jordan, A.: Rideout, V. (2018). Children, Adolescents, and Media: The future of research and action. New York and London: Routledge.
Livingstone, S. & Blum-Ross, A. (2020). Parenting for a Digital Future: How Hopes and Fears about Technology Shape Children's Lives. New York: Oxford University Press.
Livingstone, S.; Sefton-Green, J. (2016). The Class: Living and Learning in the Digital Age. New York: New York University Press.
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