The building blocks of digital media literacy: socio-material participation and the production of media knowledge

Abstract

This article outlines the knowledge and skills students develop when they engage in digital media production and analysis in school settings. The metaphor of ‘digital building blocks’ is used to describe the material practices, conceptual understandings and production of knowledge that lead to the development of digital media literacy. The article argues that the two established approaches to media literacy education, critical reading and media production, do not adequately explain how students develop media knowledge. It suggests there has been too little focus on material practices and how these relate to the development of conceptual understanding in media learning. The article explores empirical evidence from a four-year investigation in a primary school in Queensland, Australia using actor–network theory to explore ‘moments of translation’ as students deploy technologies and concepts to materially participate in digital culture. A generative model of media learning is presented with four categories of building blocks that isolate the specific skills and knowledge that can be taught and learnt to promote participation in digital media contexts: digital materials, conceptual understandings, media production and media analysis. The final section of the article makes initial comments on how the model might become the basis for curriculum development in schools and argues that further empirical research needs to occur to confirm the model’s utility.

Keywords:

• media literacy
• media education
• practical arts
• technology uses in education

Acknowledgement

This chapter reports data collected as part of an Australian Research Council funded research project. We thank the teachers, administrators and students who are our research partners on this project and acknowledge the partnership of the School, the Queensland Teachers Union, and the Indigenous community of the school, along with the support of the Australian Research Council.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Michael Dezuanni

Michael Dezuanni is a Senior Lecturer of Film and Media Curriculum in the Faculty of Education and Creative Industries Faculty at Queensland University of Technology, L142 Victoria Park Road, Kelvin Grove, 4059, Australia. His interests centre on individual’s creative and critical uses of digital media technologies.