1345962
Professor Michael Dezuanni
Faculty of Creative Industries, Education & Social Justice,
School of Communication
Biography
Professor Michael Dezuanni undertakes research about digital media, literacies and learning in home, school and community contexts. He is the Program Leader for Digital Inclusion and Participation for QUT's Digital Media Research Centre which produces world-leading research for a creative, inclusive and fair digital media environment. He is also a chief investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child. Michael has been a chief investigator on six ARC Linkage projects with a focus on digital literacy and learning at school, the use of digital games in the classroom, digital inclusion in regional and rural Australia and in low income families, and the use of screen content in formal and informal learning. Michael is the author of 'Peer Pedagogies on Digital Platforms - Learning with Minecraft Let's Play videos' (MIT Press 2020), he has edited three academic books, and is the author of over 45 journal articles and book chapters. Michael has served on advisory committees for the Australian Digital Inclusion Alliance, the Australian Media Literacy Alliance, national charity The Smith Family, the Australian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (ACARA), the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, and Facebook Asia Pacific.Personal details
Positions
- Professor
Faculty of Creative Industries, Education & Social Justice,
School of Communication
Keywords
Arts Education, Creativity, Digital Literacy, Education, Information And Communications Technologies, Literacy, Media, Media Arts, Media Education, Media Literacy
Research field
Curriculum and pedagogy, Communication and media studies, Cultural studies
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2020
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy (Queensland University of Technology)
- Master of Letters (Central Queensland University)
Teaching
From 2004 to 2017, Michael taught in film and media curriculum studies, preparing pre-service teachers to teach in schools in Queensland and around the world. He also taught undergraduate film and television studies. He currently supervises 8 Higher Degree Research students in the Creative Industries Faculty PhD and DCI programs and in the Faculty of Education Masters, PhD and EdD programs.
Experience
Michael's recent professional achievements include:
- 2016 - invited to be a member of national charity The Smith Family's Digital Futures for Families and Students Expert Advisory Group.
- 2016 - writer for the Queensland Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority's redevelopment of the Senior syllabus in Film, Television and New Media (used in 150 schools across Qld).
- 2015 - made an honorary life member of Australian Teachers of Media, Queensland in recognition of his service to the field.
- 2015 - invited by Microsoft to attend the Minecraft in Education Summit, Los Angeles.
- 2015 and 2016 - member of the expert panel for the New Media Consortium's Horizon Report, K-12.
- 2012-2016 - Deputy Director of the Children and Youth Research Centre, QUT.
- 2010 to 2013 - Expert Adviser for Media Arts for the Australian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (ACARA) for the development of the Australian National Curriculum in the Arts.
- 2011 - consultant for UNESCO, and co-authored UNESCO's 'Media and Information Literacy: Policy and Strategy Guidelines' as part of an international team of experts.
Publications
- Dezuanni, M., Hourigan, A. & Rodriguez, A. (2024). Principles for a better Children's Internet. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/249349
- Dezuanni, M., Reddan, B., Rutherford, L. & Schoonens, A. (2022). Selfies and shelfies on #bookstagram and #booktok - social media and the mediation of Australian teen reading. Learning, Media and Technology, 47(3), 355–372. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/230667
- Dezuanni, M., (2021). Re-visiting the Australian Media Arts curriculum for digital media literacy education. Australian Educational Researcher, 48(5), 873–887. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/212567
- Dezuanni, M., (2020). Peer Pedagogies on Digital Platforms: Learning with Minecraft Let's Play Videos. The MIT Press. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/134245
- Dezuanni, M., (2020). Minecraft 'worldness' in family life: children's digital play and socio-material literacy practices. In O. Erstad, R. Flewitt, IS. Pires Pereira & B. Kummerling-Meibauer (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of digital literacies in early childhood (Routledge International Handbooks of Education) (pp. 366–376). Routledge. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/123735
- Dezuanni, M., Foth, M., Mallan, K. & Hughes, H. (2018). Digital Participation through Social Living Labs: Valuing Local Knowledge, Enhancing Engagement. Chandos Publishing. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/215420
- Dezuanni, M., (2018). Minecraft and children's digital making: implications for media literacy education. Learning, Media and Technology, 43(3), 236–249. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/223755
- Dezuanni, M., Dooley, K., Gattenhof, S. & Knight, L. (2015). iPads in the early years: Developing literacy and creativity [Routledge Research in Early Childhood Education series]. Routledge. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/74380
- Dezuanni, M., O'Mara, J. & Beavis, C. (2015). 'Redstone is like electricity': Children's performative representations in and around Minecraft. E-Learning, 12(2), 147–163. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/70601
- Dezuanni, M., (2015). The building blocks of digital media literacy: socio-material participation and the production of media knowledge. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 47(3), 416–439. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/78384
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Michael, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Awards
- Type
- Advisor/Consultant for Industry
- Reference year
- 2019
- Details
- Invited member of the Australian Digital Inclusion Alliance governance and strategy committee (2019-2020). The is the peak Australian advocacy group for digital inclusion. Other members include industry representatives from Telstra, Google Australia, Australia Post, and non-profit sector, including organisations such as The Good Things Foundation, ACCAN, and Infoxchange. This appointment recognises my contributions towards digital inclusion research and its impact on the sector.
- Type
- Advisor/Consultant for Industry
- Reference year
- 2018
- Details
- Invited to be a member of the advisory committee for national foundation, the Alannah & Madeline Foundation, for the development of their Media Literacy Lab project, to be made available to all schools in Australia. The committee consists of representation from Google Australia, other technology companies, universities, and the education sector.
- Type
- Advisor/Consultant for Industry
- Reference year
- 2017
- Details
- Selected to be lead writer for the Queensland report for the Australian Digital Inclusion Index, 2017
- Type
- Advisor/Consultant for Industry
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- Invited member of National Charity The Smith Family's Digital Futures for Families and Students Expert Advisory Group (2016-2020). This group advises the charity on issues related to low income families, education and technology. Other members include technology industry representatives, researchers, government representatives and parents. This appointment recognises my contributions towards technology learning and digital media literacies research.
- Type
- Advisor/Consultant for Industry
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- Invited to the highly selective Minecraft in Education Summit in 2015 and 2016 to provide the Minecraft in Education Team with advice about the use of the digital game in education.
- Type
- Appointment to State/National/International Reference Group or Government Committees
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- Selected to become a member of the Expert Advisory group for the redevelopment of the State Senior Film, Television and New Media Syllabus to be used in Senior Secondary Schools across Queensland.
- Type
- Appointment to State/National/International Reference Group or Government Committees
- Reference year
- 2011
- Details
- Contributed as a member of an international team of experts to the development of UNESCO¿s "Guidelines on Developing National/Regional Media and Information Literacy Policies and Strategies". I led the writing on one chapter of the document. This publication provides guidance to national governments about implementing media literacy at all levels of society.
- Type
- Appointment to State/National/International Reference Group or Government Committees
- Reference year
- 2010
- Details
- Appointed by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) to be the expert advisor / lead writer for the development of Media Arts for the Australian National Curriculum (2010-2015). I was invited to this role by ACARA in recognition of my curriculum development expertise, and my standing in the Australian media teaching community. This curriculum is now mandatory for all Australian students for pre-school to year six, and s an option for year seven to 10, with tens of thousands of students benefiting from work I was able to lead.
Selected research projects
- Title
- Addressing Misinformation with Media Literacy through Cultural Institutions
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- LP220100208
- Start year
- 2023
- Keywords
- Title
- ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child (ACDC)
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- CE200100022
- Start year
- 2021
- Keywords
- early childhhood; longitudinal study; digital engagement; professional development; digital practice
- Title
- Advancing Digital Inclusion in Low Income Australian Families
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- LP190100677
- Start year
- 2021
- Keywords
- Title
- Discovering a 'Good Read': Pathways to Reading for Australian Teens
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- LP180100258
- Start year
- 2020
- Keywords
- Title
- Australian screen content in primary, secondary and tertiary education: uses and potential
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- LP130100031
- Start year
- 2014
- Keywords
- Meida Studies; Australian Curriculum; Australian Screen Content
- Title
- Fostering digital participation through Living Labs in regional and rural Australian communities
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- LP130100469
- Start year
- 2014
- Keywords
- digital citizenship; rural & regional; digital literacy
- Title
- Serious Play: Using Digital Games in School to Promote Literacy and Learning in the Twenty First Century
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- LP110200309
- Start year
- 2011
- Keywords
- New Literacies; Literacy; Digital Games; Pedagogy; New Media
- Title
- Digital Learning and Print Literacy: A Design Experiment for the Reform of Low Socio-economic, Culturally Diverse Schools.
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- LP0990289
- Start year
- 2009
- Keywords
- Literacy; Digital Literacies; Pedagogy; Media Arts; Primary Education
Projects listed above are funded by Australian Competitive Grants. Projects funded from other sources are not listed due to confidentiality agreements.
Supervision
Current supervisions
- Exploring Digital Culture among Bangladeshi Diasporic Children in Australia
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Kim Osman - Developing media literacy pedagogies in early childhood education
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Annette Woods, Dr Amanda Levido - A critical investigation of Australian children's algorithmic literacies and their streaming platform use
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Aleesha Rodriguez - The role of digital play in the development of children's moral self-concept
MPhil, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Daniel Johnson
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- Constructing contemporary parenthood in digital spaces: Infant feeding and baby tracking applications and the mediation of Australian parenthood (2024)
- Exploring digital media ecologies of young adult fiction: Teen readers and online participatory culture (2024)
- Challenging the coloniality of 'digital inclusion for international development' through fa'asamoa (2023)
- Rohingya diaspora and everyday digital media practices: (Im)mobility, identity and integration (2023)
- Understanding African migrants' and refugees' experiences of digital health technologies in south east Queensland, Australia (2022)
- The Implementation of Media Arts in Australian Primary Schools (2021)
- Un-Boxing Toy Unboxing: Analysing YouTube's Toy Unboxing Creator Culture (2021)
- Teaching and Learning with Cloud Platforms in the Primary School Classroom (2020)
- Teachers' Use of Multiplatform Educational Screen Content: The Case of Australia's SBS (2017)
Completed supervisions (Masters by Research)
Supervision topics
The supervisions listed above are only a selection.