Transmedia literacy in the classroom

Tensions between school logic and youth practices

Abstract

As new technologies break into the classroom, social actors are significantly changing their practices. Educational institutions are not an exception to this trend. For some time now, there have been ongoing discussions regarding how best to implement new technologies in educational processes. And these discussions have only revealed the mismatch between how these technologies are used in social spaces and how they are integrated into educational contexts (Martín-Barbero, 2009). In this sense, transmedia literacy focuses on the uses and practices of digital technology that young students are developing on a daily basis — uses and practices that can be leveraged in a classroom setting. Through various informal learning strategies, students acquire the transmedia competences that they use to participate in digital environments. This exploratory investigation seeks to analyze the learning strategies employed by fifth-year students at the Dr. Arturo Oñativia High School in the city of Salta, Argentina. Through surveys, production workshops, and in-depth interviews, we looked at the uses and practices of digital technology that students carried out during their daily lives and in the classroom. Our results reveal the gap that exists between school logic and youth practices. In particular, we found that smartphones and informal learning strategies were underutilized in school activities. We conclude that it is necessary to promote spaces for digital production and participation within a school context, so students can develop and make use of the transmedia competences they already have.