Resistance is futile: “reaccenting” the present to create classroom dialogues

The paper will discuss the radical changes to the socio-cultural and psychological landscape of young people over the last few years and how these impact on classroom praxis. It will examine the increase in personal technologies; sophistication and demand for multimedia; the pervasiveness of the visual; and, most importantly, the ubiquitous influence of popular culture and its capacity to seduce, challenge and shape young people today. It will also discuss the ways in which teachers can intervene in and, through the use of Bakhtin's dialogic communication, use these influences to their own and their students' advantage. It will explore how the heteroglossia of popular culture and new media technologies can be used as innovative and meaningful educational tools that can teach young people to lead others and themselves into a positive future.