Pedagogy of the connected: New media landscapes and the challenges of journalism education

This article proposes a dialogical teaching paradigm based on Paulo Freire’s conception of critical pedagogy. It argues that Web 2.0 technologies are uniquely suitable for such an approach. It moves from theory to prescription. It begins with a survey of the current media landscape and state of journalism. In the light of these, it makes a case for an approach to journalism education in which civic function is complemented by technical proficiency. Based on extant scholarship and the author’s experience as a new media practitioner and educator, the article notes the distinctive features of Web 2.0 technologies that make it particularly amenable to such an approach. It focuses on two specific ones – blogs and wikis – to suggest ways in which the learning experience can be enhanced. But it emphasizes that absent the awareness of journalism’s civic function, technical skills may enhance employability, but they won’t bring professional respect. To compete in a saturated field, journalists will have to show both technical facility and civic responsibility.