Who Is Henry Jenkins?

New Media and Henry Jenkins





Webopedia defines New Media as a generic term for the many different forms of electronic communication that are made possible through the use of computer technology.[1] I became aware of the term “New Media” when I was employed as a Student Assistant at the computer lab at California State University- Long Beach. It was ironic that I found myself working in a computer lab since I had made a vow 10 years earlier to stay away from those ‘stupid idiot machines”

In 1984, as part of meeting my electives for my major, I enrolled in Computer Information Systems. We had to go to the lab and log onto a computer. I could not log on. My password would not work. I did not ask for any assistance. Needless to say, I dropped the class. Fast forward 1995.

The lab were I worked was for student use. There was also a lab that was available for CSULB faculty and staff use. I proceeded to spend time in the faculty lab and I enrolled in classes that were exclusively for the staff. The purpose of these classes was to introduce the use of the computer to enhance student learning using electronic media. This time I was able to log on to a computer. As a result, I began exploring the various software programs that I had access to. I was hooked, and I was fortunate to be connected to the beginning of New Media technology at CSULB.

Henry Jenkins can be considered as an early pioneer of New Media. Henry is director of MIT’s Comparative Media Department. Henry has described that Comparative Media is a major to consider if you do not know what to major in since we as individuals are exposed to different forms of media on a daily basis.

Henry is also the author of 9 books on the subject of media and popular culture. Mr. Jenkins is a proponent of computer and video games. He believes that video games can be used as educational resources. Jenkins supports the work of Project New Media Literacies whose goal is to make sure that every child in America has skills to participate in a networked society.

The video shows Jenkins speaking on New Media and education. Mr. Jenkins feels that there is unnecessary censorship in the schools. Many schools have blocking of sites which may contain certain key words. An example that Jenkins gives is the word “dick’. Students who are researching Moby Dick may not have access to sites where information relevant to the topic may be available. In a situation such as this, I would try to redirect the student to an alternative source or have other sources available. This is another situation where teachers need to be careful and they need to respect the rights of the parents especially when it concerns sexual content.
Another opinion of Jenkins is that he feels that students are restricted to using the latest technology in the classrooms. He is making reference in this instance to the use of I-Pods. I personally do not like the use of I-Pods in the class. I find that they are distracting. They are not allowed at Hesperia and Phelan schools. However, some teachers do allow them in the class, even though the district policies prohibit their use. I do not want to be responsible when an I-Pod is stolen or when a fight breaks out over an I-Pod. I have been a witness in both situations and it was not pleasant. It was a situation that could have been avoided if the I-Pods were not at school


1. http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/N/new_media.html
http://henryjenkins.org/aboutme.html
http://newmedialiteracies.org/