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My browser is overcrowded with tabs of information I want to share here. Instead of focusing on a single example, I want to briefly reflect on three different aspects of the shifting nature of culture in participatory media: community, copyright, and civic engagement. By looking at all three of these, educators can get a quick & robust snapshot of what is on the horizon for pedagogical implications vis-\u00e0-vis all of this \u201cnew media stuff.\u201d \u00a0The examples below speak to three different ways that media and culture are changing the ways young people are learning, interacting, and acting upon the world. For teachers, all three of these bring up significant ways that pedagogy needs to shift. (I’ve called this, previously, Beautiful Dark Twisted Pedagogy<\/a>.)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How to Have the Number One Book on Amazon Without Actually Finishing It<\/strong><\/p>\n When it comes to YA literature, John Green<\/a>\u2019s works are not only a personal favorite<\/a>, but also a consistent hit with my students. During the final days of June, John Green went live on YouTube to his legion of fans and (over the course of nearly two hours) announced the title of his new book, answered questions being sent in real time, and read a chapter from the unreleased work. He also announced he was going to sign every<\/em> copy of the first edition of the book. As a result, The Fault in Our Stars<\/a><\/em> shot to number one on Amazon and Barnes and Noble websites & Green\u2019s work was profiled in the Wall Street Journal<\/a>, and media sites are pointing to the phenomenon of the sudden sales. What\u2019s important to notice here is specifically how this happened. Green didn\u2019t go online overnight and simply announce the book title (as mainstream media like WSJ signals). Instead, this has been a sustained relationship with readers that has developed trust and identity. John announced that the title came from someone within his online community. Fans have created tons of covers for the book<\/a>. John\u2019s hosting an online book club<\/a> that\u2019s reading the Great Gatsby. He has a series of video exchanges with his brother<\/a>. He interacts with readers through twitter<\/a> constantly. If anything, part of the fun of being a \u201cfan\u201d of John Green is being able to interact & engage with other readers, the author, and other artifacts<\/a> in varying degrees of intensity. Spending some time meandering across his official site, his tumblr, his various twitter accounts, and fan pages is a great way for educators to think about ways to collaborate and share the learning experience with young people.<\/p>\n