David Buckingham: School’s Out?
12.20.07 | The title of our journal, and of the wider MacArthur initiative, focuses on “learning”. This reflects a recognition that learning takes many different forms, and happens in a wide range of sites - and that media and technology are increasingly important here. But what about “education”? Do schools, for example, still have a role to play?
As editors of the journal, we are really keen to hear from teachers and education practitioners who are coming to terms with the changing nature and purpose of schooling. Some people have argued that digital media will ensure the eventual demise of the school. They see the more playful, democratic forms of learning offered by games or online communities as infinitely preferable to the traditional, authoritarian approach of schools. My feeling is that these criticisms are over-generalized, and rather naïve. They ignore the downsides of digital media, and effectively write off the potential of the school. Of course, many people have argued that schools are all about disciplining, ranking and controlling young people. There’s obviously some truth in that, but if that was all that schools were about, then we might as well give up hope now. In the age of digital media, schools have a different, but perhaps even more important role to play - as Henry Jenkins’ MacArthur White Paper makes clear. They can address the continuing inequalities in access to media - which are not just about access to equipment, but also to the skills and competencies that people need in order to use it. They provide an important social context that can motivate young people’s creative work with media. And they can make available new knowledge that young people would not necessarily encounter elsewhere - including the kinds of critical and theoretical knowledge that are essential for survival in the digital age. All of this involves discipline and work, and it isn’t always fun. Whether or not the promise of these media is realized depends very much on the social and pedagogical settings in which they are used. In my view, schools are absolutely central to that; and the journal would particularly like to hear from educators who are trying to address the challenges of digital media with young people.
Editor’s note:This post is part of a three-part series from the journal’s co-editors. See here and here for additional posts.
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June (University of Southern California)
12/20/07
2:37pm
Mr. Buckingham, as a doctoral student and (hopefully) future education researcher, I very much agree with your post. The notion that digital media will somehow do away with “traditional” schools ignores how ingrained the school institution is within the fabric of our society.
A second point… I encourage scholars in other fields to examine the research on learning and media in the Education literature… many will be surprised and disheartened, but I believe that this current time in history is ripe for new thinkers to clearly define the importance of digital media in the learning process.
I write more on my own blog, and welcome any thoughts!
Karen Moffat (EdD student, University of Bath)
1/13/08
5:44am
I have no doubt that we are on the cusp of a significant change in schooling and education. The invasion is well under way already. As a thigh school teacher, I see the students bringing more and more sophisticated mobile digital devices into school with them and I am conscious that there is an urgent need for schools and teachers to start getting to know and use these electronic media that structure the world of our students.
I believe that schools will continue to have a socialising and child-minding function and to be a social space for young people but there is gathering evidence that the nature of schooling is being radically transformed by the ubiquitous connectivity of digital technology. Undoubtedly, these changes that subtly beginning to transform some aspects of schooling, will change and diversify the very core of the role of teachers in education.
I am very interested in the research that is being done about this brave new world for schools and teachers and I look forward to future issues of this journal.