The Class

Principal Investigators:

Associated Researchers and Staff:

Associated Projects

This research project examined the emerging mix of on- and offline experiences in teenagers’ daily learning lives. We focused on the fluctuating web of peer-to-peer networks that may cut across institutional boundaries, adult values and established practices of learning and leisure. Key research questions included:

  • How do social relationships shape forms of learning in and out of school? And how do forms of learning shape social relationships?
  • How do young people use digital technologies within their daily activities within and beyond the classroom, as part of their ‘learning lives’, and under what conditions is this constructive, enabling or impeding?
  • How is youthful engagement with digital technologies shaped by the formal or informal practices, opportunities or risks, empowerment or constraints of the institutions and spaces in which learning occurs?
  • Insofar as these technological mediations enable or complement learning, can this be harnessed constructively to develop future recommendations?

Working with an ordinary London school, we followed the networks within and beyond a single class of 13-14-year-olds at home, school and elsewhere over the course of an academic year – observing social interactions in and between lessons; conducting interviews with children, parents, teachers and relevant others; and mapped out-of-school engagements with digital networking technologies to reveal both patterns of use and the quality and meaning of such engagements as they shape the learning opportunities of young people.

We are presently completing a book about The Class:

Livingstone, S., and Sefton-Green, J. (forthcoming, 2015). The Class: Connections and disconnections in the digital age. New York: NYU Press.

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Researching The Class: A multi-sited ethnographic exploration

School How can researchers study children’s digital and social lives? Our study of The class began at school, an institution that plays a defining role in young people’s lives. We soon realised that how they made sense of their classroom experiences and school life was largely unaffected by the fierce discursive struggle going on above their heads among governments, pedagogues, technologists and pundits seeking to redefine the purposes and practices of education in the digital, networked age. But schoo

The Class: living and learning in the digital age

What goes on at school, in today’s classroom or in the lunch break? What do kids get up to on the way home from school? Is everyone staring at a screen all day, whether at the front of the class or under the desk? For parents, children’s experiences at school are often unknown, hidden behind the stock answer “nothing much”, when asked: “what happened at school today?” Image credit: V. Donoso In my contributions to this blog, I have often drawn on insights, findings and arguments of The Cla

Meet ‘The Class’

We first met the class at the end of a sunny afternoon in July in the quiet of a London suburb. We found ourselves addressing a blur of teenage faces turned expectantly towards us. We explained that we wanted to find out how they lived their lives at school, at home and online, about their friendships and their learning. We quickly got a conversation going. Who, we asked, used Facebook, and who had a mobile phone? Most hands shot up, although one boy made a point of saying “no” to Facebook. Some faces w

Introducing new book series: ‘Connected youth and digital futures’

Building on research supported by the MacArthur Foundation’s Digital Media and Learning initiative, a new series “Connected Youth and Digital Futures,” is debuting its first two books — By Any Media Necessary: The New Activism of American Youth and The Class: Living and Learning in the Digital Age. This series offers books that describe the ways that the day-to-day lives and futures of young people are being reconfigured at the intersection of civil and political reform, transformation in employment

As ever younger kids go online, how is the family responding?

Tablets beat all other devices in terms of popularity amongst small children. Sonia Livingstone discusses her recent research on uses, skills and the family context of technology users who are yet too young to read or write. Sonia is Professor of Social Psychology at LSE’s Department of Media and Communications and has more than 25 years of experience in media research with a particular focus on children and young people. She is the lead investigator of the Parenting for a Digital Future rese

Are social networking sites doing enough to keep children safe?

Guest blogger Julia Fossi, Senior Analyst in the Child Safety Online Team at the NSPCC, explores whether the numerous stakeholders involved in child protection are doing enough to keep children safe in the online world. She introduces a new asset to help parents stay up to date with the latest sites, apps and games, Net Aware. Julia’s work focuses on social networking sites, peer-on-peer abuse online, and inappropriate and violent material.  Every child should have the right to explore the world an

How parents make the future

Alicia Blum-Ross looks at children’s digital ‘future’, and the ‘intense anxiety’ experienced by some parents in finding a balance between maximising their children’s opportunities and future prospects, and limiting, for example, their ‘screen time’. Alicia is a researcher at the LSE’s Department of Media and Communications. She is interested in youth media production and is part of the Parenting for a Digital Future research project. What does the future hold? That abstract destination

Young juries want a fair internet: deliberating over digital rights

Sonia Livingstone recently had the chance to listen to young people deliberate their online rights. Young people, just like adults, are trying to work out the digital environment for themselves and Sonia discusses some of their suggestions, anxieties and frustrations. Sonia is Professor of Social Psychology at LSE’s Department of Media and Communications and has more than 25 years of experience in media research with a particular focus on children and young people. She is the lead investigator o

‘Barbie’: the smart choice of toy?

Robots are already far more pervasive than most people realise, from smart TVs to self-driving cars. As the introduction of ‘Smart Barbies’ could now also be invading our children’s privacy, Wendy M. Grossman explores the impact of such smart technology, and how we must not underestimate its risks. Wendy writes about the border wars between cyberspace and real life. She is the 2013 winner of the Enigma Award. Her website has an extensive archive of her books, articles, and music. The arrival of ‘Sm

What foster and adoptive parents need to know about digital media PART 2: The risks

In this second blog looking at digital opportunities and challenges for looked-after children and young people, Alicia Blum-Ross discusses how digitisation may exacerbate existing vulnerabilities, increase the risk of private information becoming more accessible, and challenge the responsibility to make sure children and young people feel protected, secure and that they belong. Alicia is a researcher at the LSE’s Department of Media and Communications. She is interested in youth media production and is pa

Playing games together or hiding the tablet in the cupboard: What works when managing kids’ media use?

Alicia Blum-Ross is a researcher at the LSE’s Department of Media and Communications. She is interested in youth media production and is part of theParenting for a Digital Future research project. Alicia presents five parental strategies to manage children’s media use. She discusses what works, deconstructs some common myths and highlights that there is no perfect answer to family’s questions around media use. As technology changes, and families’ attention has shifted away from one big screen t

Five tips for doing research with schools, charities and NGOs

Conducting research on children, young people and learning often requires access to and help from schools, charities or NGOs. Alicia Blum-Ross draws on both struggles and success from previous projects with learning institutions and presents five key strategies to build meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships. Alicia is a researcher at the LSE’s Department of Media and Communications. She is interested in youth media production and is part of the Parenting for a Digital Future research p

What foster and adoptive parents need to know about digital media PART 1: The benefits

Looked after children are particularly vulnerable and Alicia Blum-Ross discusses some of the opportunities of digital media for foster and adoptive children. She finds that these can help young people to hold on to precious memories and relationships, to seek support and community, and to enjoy and learn. Alicia is a researcher at the LSE’s Department of Media and Communications. She is interested in youth media production and is part of the Parenting for a Digital Future research project. Childr

How do parents influence their children’s attitudes to life?

In December 2014, the government’s Horizon Scanning Programme published a report on the Social Attitudes of Young People. Svenja Ottovordemgentschenfelde takes a closer look and shares insights into the significant roles that parents play in shaping their children’s take on life. Svenja is a doctoral researcher at LSE’s Department of Media and Communications and contributes to the Parenting for a Digital Future research project. From the moment a child is born, parents wonder (and worry)

Not just playing games: Moving on from hobbies to digital jobs

Julian Sefton-Green shares insights from his research on young people’s interest in digital technologies and how their formal and informal learning journeys helped them transformed their passions into genuine creative and digital opportunities. Julian is an independent scholar working in education and the cultural and creative industries. He is currently principal research fellow at the Department of Media & Communication, LSE, a research associate at the University of Oslo and visiting professor

iRights – advocating for children’s rights online

Sonia Livingstone thinks that promoting children’s rights in the digital age is an idea whose time has come. She discusses why it is difficult to tell who is a child online, how these and other issues can be addressed, and how the iRights initiative and its five simple claims attempt to deliver children’s rights online. Sonia is Professor of Social Psychology at LSE’s Department of Media and Communications and has more than 25 years of experience in media research with a particular focus on

Now that kids are diversifying away from Facebook, how can parents keep up?

  As kids seem to be leaving Facebook, they turn to a range of other social media platforms. Sonia Livingstone discusses the latest research findings on which sites are safe and what more can be done to make them safe. She urges parents to talk to their children, but says it is time that policy makers keep an eye out for families. Sonia is Professor of Social Psychology at LSE’s Department of Media and Communications and has more than 25 years of experience in media research with a particu

“The Parent App” is the anxious parent’s dream

Sonia Livingstone reflects on Lynn Clark Schofield’s recent book, “The Parent App: Understanding Families in a Digital Age“, and reminds us of the messy realities of family life. Sonia thinks that parents will find stimulation and guidance in the book how to navigate these messy realities. She is Professor of Social Psychology at LSE’s Department of Media and Communications and has more than 25 years of experience in media research with a particular focus on children and young people. She

Explaining the Research of Connected Learning

The idea of “connected learning” encompasses a way of theorising and describing the kinds of learning that take place against the grain, as it were, in places where we might not usually expect to find it, in communities where traditionally it is not always recognised, and amongst individuals who frequently appear to be on parallel tracks to those customarily valued by the mainstream. It describes communities of practice that have sprung up in virtual and informal spaces inhabited by young people and aro

Changing the World with Media Literacy: the UNESCO Forum and Declaration

Researchers, educators and a broad range of stakeholders met in Paris at the first UNESCO Media and Information Literacy (MIL) forum on this week (May 27-28) to agree on and adopt a declaration with ambitious and far reaching aims – to create a ‘future proof’ strategy for MIL, towards a more civically responsible networked media landscape in twenty years’ time. By Sonia Livingstone and Julian McDougall Read more

Media Literacy in 2014: Forthcoming Research and Call to Action

In December, Sonia Livingstone and Monica Bulger pooled the insights of 25 media literacy experts from academia, policy, and regulatory institutions to clarify the current state of play and identify future directions for media literacy research and policy in Europe. Their report, “Media literacy research and policy in Europe”, finds a genuine political consensus in favour of promoting media literacy among the European Commission, the Council of Europe, and other national and international organisat

Media and Information Education in the UK: Recommendations to the European Union

Responding to a call from the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) programme and the French National Research Agency,  Sonia Livingstone and Julian Sefton-Green from LSE, and I have produced an audit of media and information education in the UK. Although the report will by published along with those from other countries in spring next year, we recently presented our finding to EU Member States representatives and so I can give you a preview of our findings.[1] Read more

What Counts As Learning?

I have recently contributed to a new issue of the Bank Street occasional papers. The issue is called “The Other 17 Hours: Valuing Out of School Time” and explores recent attention to the meaning and nature of learning during the time not spent at school. My essay describes some of the research I am involved with as part of the Connected Learning Research Network and examines how learning is constructed and enacted in six different kinds of families in London. By showing that who defines learning in d

The Latest on Children’s Media Literacy: New Trend Policymakers & Parents must Watch

Ofcom just published its 2013 Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report. As usual this is a wealth of information on how children are using the internet, their attitudes towards it, and their understanding of how it works and what the risks to them online might be. The data shows a decline in skills associated with online safety and signals several other unfolding trends on children’s media literacy that those interested in protection children online should pay close attention to…

Towards the Value, Purpose, and Sustainability of Out-of-School Learning

On the basis of the truism about life/success/genius being 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration it is strange that so many initiatives in education – particularly those aimed at engaging youth who may be disenchanted with mainstream schooling or excluded from society for socio-economic reasons – pay so much attention to the initial moments of engagement rather than the long-term problem of consolidation and sustaining growth. This is a challenge for the digital media and learning field and the host of al

The Case for European Level Action on Child Safety Online

In advance of publication this week of a major new EU-Funded Research Report on EU Kids Online, Project Director Professor Sonia Livingstone reviews the case for EU action. In the UK there has been considerable activity to promote child safety and empowerment online, with key achievements coordinated by the UK Council of Child Internet Safety, informed by its Evidence Group. These achievements include the pioneering work of the Internet Watch Foundation, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centr

‘Making’ and Education Reform: Learning to Ride the Wave

At this moment in time, on both sides of the Atlantic, digital making and the maker movement is enjoying its time in the sun. A combination of policy concerns, technological developments, learning theories, social opportunities and articulate enthusiasts have come together and, although the maker movement is a bit of a minority sport, it seems to have broken through into the mainstream. In the UK, for example, there is a terrific program of support offering a range of activities from maker-faires to hacking

Media Literacy Update: What’s Changed and Why?

On 23 April Ofcom published its 2013 Adults’ Media Use and Attitudes Report. The report reveals some – but only some – grounds for optimism in media literacy compared with our recent assessment based on Ofcom surveys from 2005 to 2011. And it raises some pressing questions about how media literacy can be further improved. By Yin-Han Wang and Sonia Livingstone Read more

National Curriculum Needs more Attention to Digital Skills

A consultation is currently underway on England’s National Curriculum and LSE’s Sonia Livingstone has looked at the proposed framework and found it severely lacks appropriate coverage of digital skills. She argues that it also mistakenly continues to treat them solely as technological, disregarding important social aspects of online communication. The consultation framework document for England’s National Curriculum admirable includes among the aims for computing that of of ensuring that all pu

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