In my search for information about the connected self, I stumbled across an article that very nicely summed up the implications and practicalities of effectively using new technologies in the classroom and the responsibilities of the educator in not only teaching a new and valuable skill set but also in supporting and encouraging a positive culture of involvement and engagement in what has become a completely new classroom environment with the advent of new technologies.  In this very insightful article published by the MacArthur Foundation in Chicago, IL, Henry Jenkins, Director of the Comparative Media Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, discusses both the theoretical and practical applications of establishing a participatory culture in the classroom in relation to and as a result of new media.  In other words, “We are moving away from a world in which some produce and many consume media, toward one in which everyone has a more active stake in the culture that is produced” (p. 10).  Participatory culture is described as a culture:

1.With relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement
2.With strong support for creating and sharing one’s creations with others
3.With some type of informal mentorship whereby what is known by the most experienced is passed along to novices
4.Where members believe that their contributions matter
5.Where members feel some degree of social connection with one another (at the least they care what other people think about what they have created).

(Jenkins, p. 7)

This concept or ideal of a participatory culture relates directly to the cultural dimensions of the connected self.  As I see it, that is the self that feels connected to and valued by those they are connected to in the classroom community to which they belong and in which they meaningful participate.  Online participatory culture is the foundation of, inspiration for, practical reality of the connected self.

Jenkins, Henry. “Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21stCentury.” The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, n.d. Web. 4 July 2013. <http://fall2010compositions.pbworks.com/f/JENKINS_WHITE_PAPER.pdf>.