DIY Media in the Classroom

This book shows teachers how to bring students’ Do-It-Yourself media practices into the classroom (Grades 6–12). In one accessible resource, the authors explain DIY media, identify their appealing features for content area instruction, and describe the literacy skills and strategies they promote. To help you successfully use DIY media in your classroom, this book:

Addresses both print-based and digital DIY media.
Provides teaching strategies for using DIY media across the curriculum, including English/language arts, math, social studies, science, art, and music.
Offers multiple perspectives, including a classroom teacher who reflects on her own challenges and successes with DIY media in a high school class.
Links to a blog for teacher study groups and frequent updates on adolescent media practices: adolescentsdiy.blogspot.com.

Barbara Guzzetti is a Professor in the division of Learning, Technology and Psychology in the Mary Lou Fulton Research Institute and Graduate School of Education at Arizona State University. Kate Elliott is a graduate student in nonprofit studies at Arizona State University.  Diana Welsch is a Library Assistant in a large urban public library where she develops and implements art, music, and gaming programs for teens.

“I remember the first time I tried this approach. What transpired was truly magical. My students were electrified, and the excitement that rippled throughout the classroom touched even those students who seemed to have checked out long ago…. What better way could there be to incorporate the spirit of honoring the individual in teaching than through DIY media?”

—From the Foreword by Shannon Decker, high school teacher

“This book offers an extensive and much-needed examination of contemporary youth’s digital media practices and the potential these practices offer for enhancing classroom learning across content areas.”

—Rebecca Black, University of California, Irvine

“DIY Media in the Classroom is a long-overdue resource for educators who want practical ideas for integrating various media into the classroom learning environment. Cutting edge in scope and content, this book offers descriptions, examples, and critiques of media that range from blogging to video game designing.”

—Linda D. Labbo, University of Georgia