DIY Media: A contextual background and some contemporary themes

[Extract] This book aims to introduce do-it-yourself — DIY—media to educators and caregivers who are aware that young people are doing a lot of "digital media" work on a day-by-day basis and who would like to know more about what this work involves. Its audience includes teacher educators, in-service teachers and teachers in training, educators involved in professional development and after-school programs, librarians, parents, and other caregivers who want a better understanding than they currently have of what many young people are doing with digital media. The following chapters explore what is involved in creating media—and learning how to create media—from the standpoint of participating in a range of DIY media practices, such as podcasting, music remixing, creating flash animations, making machinima movies, and so on