portantly, our usage of the term, “participatory politics,” does not derive from the tradition of its political uses, although that history o%ers some analytically useful conceptual resources. The most recent resurgence of the idea of “participatory politics” can be dated to Benjamin Barber in the book, Strong Democracy: Participatory Politics for a New Age (1984). Critiquing representative democracy, Barber identi!ed it with “thin democracy,” which in his view “yields neither the pleasures of participation nor the fellowship of civic association, neither the autonomy and self-governance of continuous political activity nor the enlarging mutuality of shared public goods of mutual deliberation, decision and work” (p. 24). To replace “thin democracy” with “strong democracy,” Barber argues for a reorientation toward more direct democracy and direct participation in the institutions of politics and government

Online interest-driven activities promoted higher levels of both civic and political engagement as well as commitments to future engagement, even when controlling for prior levels of civic and political interests and activities.#Thus, networked engagement with a participatory culture may well be expanding youth opportunities to develop their civic and political identities and capacities. Gaining a better understanding of how these pathways develop and support youth civic engagement will be key for helping educators, mentors and youth allies design educational settings in ways that learn from and acknowledge these new pathways. Strengthening and building on these pathways will be critical to cultivating future forms of citizenship that can counterbalance governmental, corporate, and !nancial powe

The curricula of schooling’s civic priorities arise from textbooks, socialization to consumerism, and preparation for social productivity (Willis 1977). Schooling’s civic pathways are also bounded; from student government to mandated community service, such engagement too frequently becomes an impoverished exercise in search of authenticity.

sword and sorcery action role-playing game, is set in a rugged, Scandinavian-inspired wilderness that echoes Norway’s natural landscapes. Staaby leverages this connection to teachNorwegian romantic nationalism, a 19thcentury independence movement that set out to document uniquely Norwegian cultural elements and natural settings to affirm their national identity. Like their historic predecessors, students explore the wilds ofSkyrimin search of features and landscapes that aligned with the aesthetics of romantic nationalism. “Video games do not give you the answers up front. You have to look for traces of national romanticism inSkyrim. It does not come by itself,” explained Staaby, identifying a video game’s potential for an active and participatory approach to learning.

Overcoming Obstacles For Using Digital Gamesin the Classroom

Gamesin

Researchonpeoplewhoself-identifyasgamerssuggeststhatprolongedparticipationingameculturesmayleadtoamoreactive,problem-solv-ingorientationtolearning.BeckandWade(2004)surveyed2,000employeesoflargecompaniesandfoundthatgamersweremorelikelythannongamerstobelievethatchallengesweresolvable,weremoredri-ventoaccomplishgoals,weremoreconfidentintheirabilities,caredmoredeeplyabouttheirorganizations,preferredtobepaidbyperfor-manceratherthanbytitleorsalary,reportedagreaterneedforhumanrelationships,believedthatconnectingwiththerightpeople“gotthejobdonemorequickly,”andpreferredcollaborativedecision-makingtoindependentproblem-solving.BeckandWadewentontoarguethatevenifeverymemberofthemillennialgenerationisnotagamer(justaseverybabyboomerwasnotatWoodstock),thesebasicvaluesarecom-montothegenerationandareamongthosethatdefinethem.

person,” a way of taking on a certain sort of identity. In that sense, each of ushas multiple identities. Even a priest can read the Bible “as a priest,”“as a lit-erary critic,”“as a historian,” even “as a male” or “ as an African American”(priest, literary critic, historian, or ethnic group member)

From a learning perspective, what is important about video games is not interactivity per se, but thefact that in many games players come to feel a sense of agency or ownership.. . . In good games, playersfeel that their actions and decisions—and not just the designers’ actions and decisions—cocreate theworld they are in and shape the experiences they are having. Their choices matter. What they do matters.

The students borrowed heavily from their own gaming experiences, as well as their experi-ences as protesters and ethnographers to produce a game that focused on key events, issues, people, and perspectives surrounding the protests.

Those that can use technology in more advanced ways have typically been deeply supported by parents, peers, or teachers that have expertise. For example, in a study of technologically sophisticated youth in Silicon Valley, (Barron, Martin, Takeuchi, & Fithian, 2009 ) , w e f o u n d t h a t p a r e n t s a d v a n c e d t h e i r c h i l d r e n ’ s l e a r n i n g w h e n they collaborated with them, learned from them, brokered outside learning opportu-nities for them, provided nontechnical support to them, or hired them to do technical work. Parents also played instrumental roles when they shared their technical expertise through informal teaching processes or provided their children with learning resources such as books or new media tools