This paper addresses the role of digital media for teaching and learning in a formal educational context. Therefore, it seeks to answer the question how the potentials that are attributed to the social web and especially to social web applications or social software contribute to a participatory way of learning and teaching in classrooms. The discourse on an altered way of teaching with digital media in the context of a constructivist-oriented understanding of the acquisition of knowledge obtained significant momentum by the development of the long known internet towards the phenomenon called Web 2.0 (O’Reilly, 2005) or the Social Web. Tags such as allowing increased exchange, active participation of all potential users by producing their own content as well as increased cooperation and interaction between all users are dominating the discourse (e.g. Ebersbach, Glaser & Heigl, 2011). The opportunity for increased participation is a central keyword but also a challenge for media pedagogy and teacher education. Accordingly, the school as one part of the formal educational context is currently under a process of changing the teaching and learning culture, distinguished by subject orientation and individualization. As a consequence, the opportunities for participation of students designing their learning environments at school increase. Looking at today’s students you can assume a high affinity to the use of the social web and digital media. On the other side teachers are currently asked to teach with a view on competence orientation, individualization and lifelong learning. If the ability of participation is seen as an overarching goal of school education and the integration of digital media could potentially increase the opportunity for students’ participation during the lessons, the use of social software (social web applications) becomes relevant to teaching and suggests challenges concerning teacher education nowadays. Those assumptions will be presented in two steps. First, the paper takes a conceptual point of view discussing the main elements of participatory learning in formal contexts finished by the presentation of a phased model (Mayberberger, 2012). In general, the definition of the term participation is a form of participation of individuals or groups in certain decisions or decision processes, only rarely it is the participation in results. Therefore participation generally concerns the relation of actors as an individual or a group towards each other and the distribution of power between them. According to Urban (2005) the actual distribution of the power of taking decisions only shows during a state of disagreement when certain processes have to be discussed and decisions must be taken. An important work concerning the identification of the context of participation is the phased model “A ladder of citizen participation” by Arnstein (1969). Arnstein equates participation with the participation of the power of decision-making. Following up on Arnstein and phased models referring to the participation in decision-making of children and teenagers as far as work at schools and beyond school is concerned (e.g. Hart, 1992; Schröder, 1995) an extended phased model was developed for the explorative study “PaLerMe” showing forms of participation in formal learning environments. Concerning the explorative study, the following leading questions were aimed to be answered: What forms of participatory learning with digital media can be implemented on any level in school? And: What (media) didactic skills asset to teachers in order to enable participatory learning with digital media.? In a second step the explorative study and its main findings will be presented, followed by conclusions for participatory learning, methodical proceedings in classrooms and teacher education. Finally, an outlook for possible following studies on teacher education will be presented.

Arnstein, S. R. (1969). “A Ladder of Citizen Participation”. Journal of the American Institute of Planers. 4, 216-224. Ebersbach, A., Glaser, M. & Heigl, R. (2011). Social Web. (2. Aufl.) Konstanz: UVK Edelstein, W. & Fauser, P. (2001). Demokratie lernen und leben. Gutachten für ein Modellprogramm der BLK. Bonn: Bund-Länder-Kommission für Bildungsplanung und Forschungsförderung (BLK) Eikel, A. (2006). „Demokratische Partizipation in der Schule. Beiträge zur Partizipationsförderung in der Schule“. BLK-Programm „Demokratie lernen & leben“. Retrieved from: http://blk-demokratie.de/getfile.php?f=fileadmin/public/partizipationsfoerderung/01_Demokr._Partizipation_in_der_Schule.pdf. Hart, R. (1992). Children’s Participation. From tokenism to citizenship. Florence: UNICEF International Child Development Centre. Mayrberger, K. (2012). Partizipatives Lernen mit dem Social Web gestalten: Zum Widerspruch einer ,verordneten Partizipation‘. Medienpädagogik. 21. Retrieved from: http://www.medienpaed.com/Documents/medienpaed/21/mayrberger1201.pdf. O’Reilly, T (2005). What is the Web 2.0? Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software. Retrieved from:http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html. Strauß, A. & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: grounded theory procedures and techniques. Michigan: SAGE. Urban, U. (2005). Partizipation. Demokratie-Baustein „Partizipation“. BLK-Programm „Demokratie lernen & leben“. Retrieved from: http://blk-demokratie.de/fileadmin/public/dokumente/Bausteine/bausteine_komplett/partizipation_baustein.pdf.