Digital Media and Learner Identity

Drawing on research into autobiographical video production by young learners to present a theory of curatorship and new media, this work explores facets of literacy and identity theory which provided the initial frames for examining the work and shows how 'curatorship' works as a metaphor for new cultural and literacy practices.

"John Potter is an expert guide, navigating us across some of the great divides in this area: between media education and the new literacy studies, between multimodal and cultural theory, between media practices at home and at school, and, most crucially, between high theory and lived experience. His notion of 'curatorship of the self' takes thinking in media and multiliteracy education a significant step forward."

- Mark Reid, Head of Education, British Film Institute, UK

"John Potter shows how learners' creative engagements with new media form part of the ongoing 'identity work' of their everyday lives. His central metaphor of curatorship provides a thought-provoking means of exploring the broader implications of new media for personal identity. Unlike the utopian fantasies of some digital enthusiasts, this book provides a valuable source of critical reflection and creative inspiration for researchers, educators, and all who work with young people."

- David Buckingham, Loughborough University, UK

"This is an important contribution to our emerging understanding of what young people are actually doing with digital media, and with what consequences. By focusing on the experiences of young people and developing the thesis of 'new curatorship,' Potter is able to move a number of debates forward in the fields of media literacy and educational technology."

- Neil Selwyn, Monash University, Australia

"This book reflects two of the many strengths of John Potter's work in the field of media education. The research is rooted in his experience as an educator of children, young people, and teachers and has an authority in practice. It also challenges us to think differently about our understandings of identity, digital media, and curatorship and encourages us to engage actively with new concepts of literacy in a digital age."

- Avril Loveless, School of Education, University of Brighton, UK

"This authoritative new study cuts through the current confusions about young people, new media and learning. Potter's clarity of thought and innovative use of the metaphor of curatorship produces valuable insights into the ways in which children use digital media to negotiate culture, identity and social roles. Rooted in long experience of classrooms and in detailed empirical research, it is an essential read for researchers, students and practitioners in the fields of literacy, new media, and childhood studies."

- Andrew Burn, DARE (Digital/Arts/Research/Education), Institute of Education, University of London

"In this superb contribution to ideas about learning in the twenty-first century, John Potter artfully sidesteps the polarizing extremes of both technological determinism and its more reductive opposition to provide us with a research-based account of 'the new curatorship.' For academics, researchers and most crucially teachers seeking an intelligent and inclusive framework for bridging the widening gap between education and 'lifeworld' learning and between scales of access and new forms of digital 'capital,' this is exactly what we've been waiting for. Curatorship of identity and self through digital and social media is cultural, not merely technical, and Potter goes beyond observing this to map out a convincing strategy for our response."

- Julian McDougall, University of Wolverhampton, UK and Editor, Media Education Research Journal

"This book makes an original and important contribution to scholarship in new media. Based on a study of children's autobiographical film-making, John Potter vividly illustrates the explanatory power of the metaphor of curatorship. This is essential reading for those interested in new literacies and media studies."

- Guy Merchant, Sheffield Hallam University, UK

John Potter is a Senior Lecturer in Education and New Media in the Department of Culture, Communication and Media at the Institute of Education, University of London, UK.