Michele Knobel | Montclair State University (original) (raw)

Books by Michele Knobel

A New Literacies Sampler, 2007

Chapter from book "A New Literacies Sampler". Reports a study of some early online memes from the... more Chapter from book "A New Literacies Sampler". Reports a study of some early online memes from the period 2001-2005. Uses prompt questions to analyze memes data from a functional language perspective, drawing loosely on linguistic functions derived from the work of Michael Halliday: ideational system, interpersonal system, ideological system. On the basis of the analysis a provisional typology of some early internet memes is advanced.

Data Analysis, Interpretation and Theory, 2020

This research guide addresses the difficulties novice and early career researchers often have wit... more This research guide addresses the difficulties novice and early career researchers often have with understanding how theory, data analysis and interpretation of findings "hang together" in a well-designed and theorized qualitative research investigation, as well as learning how to draw on such understanding to conduct rigorous data analysis and interpretation of their analytic results. Books that describe data analysis approaches and methods often fail to address the question of how to decide which ones are most appropriate for a particular kind of study, and why they are the best options. This book seeks to clarify these issues in a distinctive way. Chapter authors draw on a successful study they have undertaken and spell out their "problem area," research questions, and theoretical framing, carefully explaining their choices and decisions. They then show in detail how they analyzed their data, and why they took this approach. Finally, they demonstrate how they "translated" or interpreted the results of their analysis, to make them meaningful in research terms. Approaches include interactional sociolinguistics, microethnographic discourse analysis, multimodal analysis, iterative coding, conversation analysis, and multimediated discourse analysis, among others. This book will appeal to beginning researchers and to literacy researchers responsible for teaching qualitative literacy studies research design at undergraduate and graduate levels.

The handbook of research in new literacies explores an increasingly urgent question for education... more The handbook of research in new literacies explores an increasingly urgent question for educational research: How do the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICTs) alter the nature of literacy? The answers are likely to provide some of the most important insights about our literacy lives that we may acquire during this century. The answers will also be some of the hardest to obtain, largely because we currently lack adequate theories , constructs, and methods to match the complexity of the question. This volume begins the important work required to integrate the many insights found in multiple lines of research so that we might explore this question in all of the richness and complexity that it deserves. We seek to advance the study of new literacies by bringing together, for the first time, research taking place around the world in widely diverse disciplines , with even more diverse theoretical frameworks and still more diverse ER56528_Book.indb 1 1/18/08 10:37:48 AM

Introductory chapter to "New Literacies and Teacher Learning: Professional Development and the Di... more Introductory chapter to "New Literacies and Teacher Learning: Professional Development and the Digital Turn' (edited by Michele Knobel and Judy Kalman)

Lankshear, C., Knobel, M. and Curran, C. (2013). Conceptualizing and researching “new literacies”... more Lankshear, C., Knobel, M. and Curran, C. (2013). Conceptualizing and researching “new literacies”. The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics, ed. Chapelle, C.A. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

Schools remain notorious for co-opting digital technologies to business as usual approaches to te... more Schools remain notorious for co-opting digital technologies to business as usual approaches to teaching new literacies. DIY Media addresses this issue head-on, and describes expansive and creative practices of digital literacy that are increasingly influential and popular in contexts beyond the school, and whose educational potential is not yet being tapped to any significant degree in classrooms. This book is very much concerned with engaging students in do-it-yourself digitally mediated meaning-making practices. As such, it is organized around three broad areas of digital media: moving media, still media, and audio media. Specific DIY media practices addressed in the chapters include machinima, anime music videos, digital photography, podcasting, and music remixing. Each chapter opens with an overview of a specific DIY media practice, includes a practical how-to tutorial section, and closes with suggested applications for classroom settings. This collection will appeal not only to educators, but to anyone invested in better understandingand perhaps participating inthe significant shift towards everyday people producing their own digital media.

This book brings together a group of internationally-reputed authors in the field of digital lite... more This book brings together a group of internationally-reputed authors in the field of digital literacy. Their essays explore a diverse range of the concepts, policies and practices of digital literacy, and discuss how digital literacy is related to similar ideas: information literacy, computer literacy, media literacy, functional literacy and digital competence. It is argued that in light of this diversity and complexity, it is useful to think of digital literaciesthe plural as well the singular. The first part of the book presents a rich mix of conceptual and policy perspectives; in the second part contributors explore social practices of digital remixing, blogging, online trading and social networking, and consider some legal issues associated with digital media.

The study of new literacies is quickly emerging as a major research field. This book "samples" wo... more The study of new literacies is quickly emerging as a major research field. This book "samples" work in the broad area of new literacies research along two dimensions. First, it samples some typical examples of new literacies—video gaming, fan fiction writing, weblogging, role play gaming, using websites to participate in affinity practices, memes, and other social activities involving mobile technologies. Second, the studies collectively sample from a wide range of approaches potentially available for researching and studying new literacies from a sociocultural perspective. Readers will come away with a rich sense of what new literacies are, and a generous appreciation of how they are being researched.

Papers by Michele Knobel

This paper describes the potential importance of teacher research for the role and status of teac... more This paper describes the potential importance of teacher research for the role and status of teachers as professionals within contexts where a democratic ideal of education is under attack from technical standards and standardized curriculum. It describes two 'founding concepts' of teacher research from the 1970s. The authors argue that much current teacher research does not achieve the ideals of

Communication and Media Studies, 2019

This article maps some key patterns associated with how internet memes are conceived and how onli... more This article maps some key patterns associated with how internet memes are conceived and how online meme practices have evolved and morphed during the period from 2000 to the present. We document the rise of internet memes during their early years as a broadly communitarian cultural engagement, mostly characterized by goodwill, humor, and an often “nerdish” sense of shared cultural identity. With the massification of internet access and participation in online social practices employing Web 2.0 and mobile computing capacities, changes occurred in how internet memes were conceived and created (e.g., image macro-generators). Since around 2012, many online meme practices have become intensely politicized and increasingly used for socially divisive and, often, cruel purposes. We explore some of these shifts and argue that what we call “second wave” online memes have been used as weapons in personal, political, and social-cultural wars. We conclude that internet memes scholarship would benefit from revisiting the original conception and theory of memes advanced by Richard Dawkins, and attending closely to what motivated Dawkins in this work.

Communication and Media Studies , 2019

This article maps some key patterns associated with how internet memes are conceived and how onli... more This article maps some key patterns associated with how internet memes are conceived and how online meme practices have evolved and morphed during the period from 2000 to the present. We document the rise of internet memes during their early years as a broadly communitarian cultural engagement, mostly characterized by goodwill, humor, and an often “nerdish” sense of shared cultural identity. With the massification of internet access and participation in online social practices employing Web 2.0 and mobile computing capacities, changes occurred in how internet memes were conceived and created (e.g., image macro-generators). Since around 2012, many online meme practices have become intensely politicized and increasingly used for socially divisive and, often, cruel purposes. We explore some of these shifts and argue that what we call “second wave” online memes have been used as weapons in personal, political, and socialcultural wars. We conclude that internet memes scholarship would benefit from revisiting the original conception and theory of memes advanced by Richard Dawkins, and attending closely to what motivated Dawkins in this work.

As we move well into the 21st century, it is timely to revisit what 'new' might now mean and how ... more As we move well into the 21st century, it is timely to revisit what 'new' might now mean and how such re-imagining should influence schooling. The authors argue that new literacy practices reflect a state of being rather than a curriculum as such. Through the shared or affinity spaces opened up with digital technologies, young people participate with like-minded others across a vast range of creative and purposeful activities. This embedded and deeply social approach to learning offers learners richly resourced knowledge and expertise. Considering four dimensions of an educational ideal, the authors then ask how schools can respond within a new literacies context. One shift is to move from the individual to collaborative approaches in the production of knowledge, working across disciplines and seeking expertise beyond school. The authors then describe three middle years' projects exemplifying how young people might negotiate challenging problems in engaged, ethical and critical ways.

This article describes our approach to supporting teachers enrolled in a Masters of Literacy prog... more This article describes our approach to
supporting teachers enrolled in a Masters
of Literacy program in acquiring some
basics of becoming competent (novice)
producers of qualitative research in the
area of ‘new literacies’. Download entire journal issue from: https://www.e-tas.ch/journal/issues/summer-2018

Loovust on hakatud pidama riikide majanduskasvu võtmeteguriks, mis tagab ühiskonnas toimetuleku j... more Loovust on hakatud pidama riikide majanduskasvu võtmeteguriks, mis tagab ühiskonnas toimetuleku ja mille abil tagatakse isiklik või ühiskondlik heaolu. Seda silmas pidades on mõistlik süveneda loovuse käsitusse ja praktilisse olemusse ning uurida nende seostamise võimalusi hariduse kontekstis. Olukord koolides on mahukate uurimistulemuste põhjal koolivälise tegelikkusega teravas vastuolus, sest vähe võetakse arvesse inimeste loomingulisust ja suurt kujutlusvõimet tähenduste loomisel, mille üks väljendusvorme on remiksimine. Artikli eesmärk on anda ülevaade olemasolevatest ingliskeelsetest uurimustest, milles käsitletakse digitaalset remiksimist ja kirjaoskust, ning selgitada välja mustrid, mis näitavad, kuidas tavalised inimesed on ennast loominguliselt väljendanud. Analüütilise ülevaate koostamisel uuriti viimase kahe kümnendi jooksul inglise keeles ilmunud empiirilisi publikatsioone ning koostati ülevaade avaldatud teadusartiklitest koolivälise remiksimise ja kirjaoskuse kohta. Uurimise käigus selgitati välja need loominguliste püüdluste ja tähenduste loomise viisid, millest koolipedagoogika saaks midagi kasulikku õppida. Ühtlasi vaadeldi, kuidas digitaalset remiksimist ja kirjaoskust on uuritud. Kõigis 36 analüüsitud uurimuses rõhutati, et lähenemine loovusele kui sügavalt sotsiaalsele nähtusele aitab vastu seista kasulikkust taga ajavatele lähenemisviisidele. Uurimustes vaatluse all olnud remiksitud tööd näitavad teadlikku loovuse arendamise püüdlust, mis võib aidata inimestel loominguliselt hakkama saada või reageerida kiiretele muutustele ning ühiskondlikele, riiklikele ja keskkondlikele probleemidele praegu ja tulevikus, luues ja säilitades samal ajal suhteid suurte vahemaade ja erinevuste kiuste.

Creativity is often identified as a key factor contributing to national economic growth and as an... more Creativity is often identified as a key factor contributing to national economic growth and as an important life skill for personal and group wellbeing. Therefore, it is worth taking a close look at "creativity" as a concept and a practice, and to examine what might be at stake when grouping them together, especially in relation to schooling. The situation at schools is in marked contrast to a sizeable body of out-of-school research which shows how people are being creative and imaginative in their meaning making practices, especially within remix practices. The purpose of the paper is to survey existing English language research on digital remix and literacy with a view to identifying patterns across these studies that speak of the ways in which ordinary, everyday people have been practicing creativity. In the course of conducting this analytic review empirical publications published in English over the past two decades were examined and an overview of scientific literature on remix and literacy in out-of-school spaces was drawn up, identifying interesting patterns regarding creative endeavor and meaning making that might usefully inform classroom pedagogy. A related aim was to identify patterns concerning how digital remix and literacy have been studied to date. All of the 36 reviewed studies emphasise how approaching creativity as a thoroughly social phenomenon helps to confront instrumental approaches. The remix work documented in these studies show how committed people are to deliberately work at "being creative" and how that may help people to creatively engage with, or respond to, the rapid pace of change, with existing and emerging social, governmental and environmental problems, as well as to establish and maintain relationships across distance and differences.

Available from: Estonian Journal of Education (open access) http://ojs.utlib.ee/index.php/EHA/article/view/eha.2017.5.2.02b

A New Literacies Sampler, 2007

Data Analysis, Interpretation and Theory, 2020

Communication and Media Studies, 2019

Communication and Media Studies , 2019

This article maps some key patterns associated with how internet memes are conceived and how onli... more This article maps some key patterns associated with how internet memes are conceived and how online meme practices have evolved and morphed during the period from 2000 to the present. We document the rise of internet memes during their early years as a broadly communitarian cultural engagement, mostly characterized by goodwill, humor, and an often “nerdish” sense of shared cultural identity. With the massification of internet access and participation in online social practices employing Web 2.0 and mobile computing capacities, changes occurred in how internet memes were conceived and created (e.g., image macro-generators). Since around 2012, many online meme practices have become intensely politicized and increasingly used for socially divisive and, often, cruel purposes. We explore some of these shifts and argue that what we call “second wave” online memes have been used as weapons in personal, political, and socialcultural wars. We conclude that internet memes scholarship would benefit from revisiting the original conception and theory of memes advanced by Richard Dawkins, and attending closely to what motivated Dawkins in this work.

Available from: Estonian Journal of Education (open access) http://ojs.utlib.ee/index.php/EHA/article/view/eha.2017.5.2.02b

This circumscribed review analyzes recent sociocultural, qualitative research in digital lit-erac... more This circumscribed review analyzes recent sociocultural, qualitative research in digital lit-eracies within pre-service teacher education. It focuses on what teacher educators are doing with respect to working with pre-service teacher education students and digital lit-eracies conceived more in terms of social practices than as proficiency in using education technology tools. Analysis suggests digital literacies within pre-service teacher education are typically linked to out-of-school practices in order to help facilitate student teachers' take-up of digital literacies in their own classrooms. The studies also suggest that projects that encourage and support collaboration are well received by pre-service teachers and seem to result in fruitful learning. INTRODUCTION Digital literacies and teacher preparation—or, in this paper, pre-service teacher education— programmes in universities are receiving increased attention from policy-makers, curriculum writers and academic researchers. Faculties in universities are being called on to combine literacy and digital technologies in teacher education students' coursework in ways that are meaningful and that will transfer effectively into innovative teaching and learning practices in school classrooms. Indeed, international policy pronouncements and guidelines , such as UNESCO's ICT Competency Standards for Teachers (2008), point to large-scale expectations that teacher education fall into step with digital technology developments and uses in the wider world. The competency standards in this UNESCO document were to

Right now, " improving teachers " is a trending topic internationally. Interestingly, the last ti... more Right now, " improving teachers " is a trending topic internationally. Interestingly, the last time teachers were so fixed in the cross hairs of national policy makers, international cooperation agencies, and initiative funders was the 1970s. This was a time when education pundits around the world called for the " rationalization of teaching and learning " (Novoa 2008: 49) and teachers were " trained " to teach by developing lesson plans based on very specific learning objectives. Then, during the 1980s, the epicenter of attention shifted away from teachers to focus on curricular reform, while in the 1990s, school (re)organization became the priority (Novoa 2008). Organizations such as the World Bank, the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), among others, persuaded national governments to invest time and resources in curriculum reform and school reorganization efforts. While teachers were asked—if not required—to put many of these organizations' specific guidelines and directives into action, teachers themselves were not leading players during this period. It seemed government bodies and other organizations alike assumed that changing the curriculum or organizing schools differently would necessarily result

American Educational Research Association, …, 2006

In current work we are theorising the idea of 'new' literacies along ontological lines ... more In current work we are theorising the idea of 'new' literacies along ontological lines (Lankshear and Knobel 2006 forthcoming). We argue that certain literacies can be identified as 'new' in a historically significant sense to the extent that they are constituted by what we call 'new ...

L1-educational studies in language and literature, 2003

This article is based on aproject aimed at generating practicalsuggestions based on research find... more This article is based on aproject aimed at generating practicalsuggestions based on research findings abouthow new technologies might be used to enhanceL1 literacy attainment in disadvantagedsettings. The project involved designing, implementing and researching an innovativeapproach to curriculum and pedagogy using newdigital technologies in language and literacyeducation within classroom settings involvingsmall groups of``disadvantaged''learners. Thepaper reports activity and findings from one offour ...

Schools remain notorious for co-opting digital technologies to Ğbusiness as usualğ approaches to ... more Schools remain notorious for co-opting digital technologies to Ğbusiness as usualğ approaches to teaching new literacies. DIY Media addresses this issue head-on, and describes expansive and creative practices of digital literacy that are increasingly influential and popular in contexts beyond the school, and whose educational potential is not yet being tapped to any significant degree in classrooms. This book is very much concerned with engaging students in do-it-yourself digitally mediated meaning-making practices. As such, ...

Resumen Para muchos jóvenes, escribir con textos es sólo una forma de expresar ideas. Poco a poco... more Resumen Para muchos jóvenes, escribir con textos es sólo una forma de expresar ideas. Poco a poco están descubriendo que escribir con una mezcla de imágenes digitales, sonido y video es mucho más interesante y atractivo. Este tipo de remezcla digital es un proceso que implica tomar artefactos culturales y manipularlos y combinarlos en nuevos tipos de mezclas creativas. Este artículo describe cómo la remezcla en sí es un elemento clave en cualquier cultura sólida y democrática. También explora el estatus de la ...

Perfiles Educativos, 2000

Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 2014

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Presentation notes for: Imagining Beyond the Domesticated “New”: Creative remixings of literaci... more Presentation notes for:

Imagining Beyond the Domesticated “New”:
Creative remixings of literacies, community, and place.
Literacy Research Association Conference Symposium, Dec. 4, 2015

Powerpoint that accompanied talk.

Paper presented to the NJEDge Annual Conference “Connected Community”, Plainsboro, NJ, Nov. 21, 2014

To appear in Portuguese in: Knobel, M. and Lankshear, C. (forthcoming). Memes online, afinidades ... more To appear in Portuguese in: Knobel, M. and Lankshear, C. (forthcoming). Memes online, afinidades e produção cultural (2007 – 2018). In Chagas, Viktor (ed.). Estudos sobre Memes: história, política e novas experiências de letramento. 2019.