Is ‘data literacy’ a useful response to the datafication of contemporary life – not least of education itself? It all depends, not only on how it’s defined but also on how it is practically implemented.
Author Archives: dbuckingham2015
A suburban scene: youth and music in sixties London
In the late 1950s and 1960s, the south-west London suburbs of Richmond and Twickenham were a hotbed for innovation in popular music. What can the history of this very local music scene tell us about youth culture more broadly?
When is a children’s comic subversive?
The Beano, the UK’s longest-running children’s comic, is often celebrated as ‘subversive’. But what does such a claim really mean?
Airbrushing the Street: re-telling the story of how we got to Sesame Street
A new documentary glosses over some awkward questions about the origins of America’s most celebrated children’s television show.
Wizz for Molesworth: British private schools and the making of ‘character’
How might a series of children’s books published in the 1950s provide insights into the character of today’s privately educated political leaders?
Media literacy policy: the reduced version
The UK government is developing new policies on media literacy. But what does it mean by media literacy – and where is education in its plans?
Citizenship and media education in contested times: an interview with Shakuntala Banaji
In the second of two posts looking at citizenship and media education, this is an interview with one of the most interesting thinkers and researchers in this area, Professor Shakuntala Banaji.
Citizenship and media education: lost connections?
The first of two posts revisiting the idea of citizenship education, and its relationship with media education.
Adult fans, children’s culture: the curious case of My Little Pony
What’s going on for adult fans of children’s culture? Some thoughts about the bronies, and other adult fans of My Little Pony.
Deschooling society? Revisiting Ivan Illich after lockdown
‘All over the world, the school has an anti-educational effect on society.’ Fifty years ago, Ivan Illich’s book Deschooling Society offered a radical challenge to the very institution of the school. How far might it be relevant to the world after lockdown?
