Engaged Youth » PSO overall learning goals

PSO overall learning goals

October 22nd, 2007 at 12:46pm Chris Tugwell Permalink

I’ve (toby) started this learning goals document that we can use to articulate the learning goals we have for youth involved in the PSO project over the years to come. Please reply to this with any comments or additions.

I would like to urge you all to think conceptually about these goals; this is not a template for curriculum. It’s a way for us to step back and clarify all of the learning goals we have for youth who get involved in the PSO in any way (outside the YMCA program as well as within it) in the years to come. So, don’t worry about the nitty gritty of curriculum construction yet when it comes to these ideas. Let’s just make sure we are all on board with a set of learning goals first. We can get into the nitty gritty of curriculum construction based on these goals after we’ve done this conceptual work; hopefully this will make that step easier down the road.

1. media literacy

Political Economy of the media (in other words, an analysis of the way media is shaped by economic and political forces - ownership, for example)
Importance of independent and community media

2. youth voice

What is it? Why important? How can we cultivate it thru PSO?
How do you present your voice effectively

3. blogging

What is it?
Threaded discussions via comments - how they work
Etiquette
How to blog
How to manage content and online discussions

4. Video

How to contribute to youth voice through video
How to make videos

5. Citizen journalism basics

Why is this kind of journalism important?
How to do citizen journalism - issues reporting

6. Content Management (editorial curriculum)

Principles - leadership, content policy

7. Civic Engagement and Organizing

What is civic engagement
How can youth get engaged
Organizing tools workshop

8. Social Networking, Digital Media

How can these tools be used to bring youth together around topics and issues

Entry Filed under: civic learning goals

3 Comments Add your own

1. Deen Freelon | October 23rd, 2007 at 1:56 am

Hey, looks great so far. I would add something on the relationship between youth media agency (creating blogs, video, discussing issues online in general, etc.) and actual social change. I don’t think the connection between addressing issues on the Internet and what goes on in the real world is necessarily going to be obvious to everyone, so it might be worthwhile to talk a bit about that. This component could include elements like the value of civic/political deliberation and the role of engaged citizens in social persuasion (see the Levine chapter in Lance’s edited volume on digital citizenship). The only problem is what to call this unit . . . I’ll think about it if others think it’s worthwhile to pursue.
2. Chris Wells | October 26th, 2007 at 5:10 pm

This is a great start to a working document. Another piece that might fit under Media Literacy is giving youth a context for understanding the media environment they are participating in via the internet. This would include security issues (what kind of information should you enter into a website? How public are the things you write online?) and etiquette issues.
3. Chris Tugwell | October 30th, 2007 at 12:09 pm

Chris W -
We talked about creating a safety policiy or video to address what you’re talking about and placing it on PSO.
I also like the idea of adding it to the curriculum and exposing the young people that pass through our programs to security issues. A more active approach to the issue.