Media Literacy Goes to School

Henry Jenkins III

We've wired our classrooms. Now what? Media Literacy education is needed, kindergarten through college. The question is what kind.

Several years ago, I told a sixth-grade class that I often consulted with games companies and asked what they would like to tell the people who developed their favorite games. All around the room hands shot up. The kids asked hard questions about the influence of game violence, the impact of technological developments, how and why games tell stories, the nature of interactive entertainment, and the economic motives shaping the games industry. The girls challenged the boys to explain why so few games appealed to girls. The students spoke with confidence and passion; they made compelling arguments; they supported their positions. The astonished teachers told me that the most articulate kids here had not opened their mouths all term.

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