Leading Together through Co-digitizing: The Creative Practices of Young People and their Teachers

Main Article Content

Juan Carlos Castro
Kit Grauer
Joanna Black
Michael Emme
Moniques Richard
Ching-Chiu Lin

Abstract

Recently, educational policymakers have responded to young people's digital media practices through increasingly restrictive bans and controls. Drawing on over forty years of collective research, we argue that art educators are positioned to lead through this moment of moral panic by co-digitizing, that is, participating with young people and their digital practices. We share how art educators have cultivated learning networks where knowledge is assembled through relations among people, tools, and contexts. As a result, we call for pedagogical leadership that reconnects schooling with young people's digital lives.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article Details

How to Cite
Castro, J. C., Grauer, K., Black, J., Emme, M., Richard, M., & Lin, C.-C. (2026). Leading Together through Co-digitizing: The Creative Practices of Young People and their Teachers. The Canadian Review of Art Education, 52(1), 134–156. https://doi.org/10.26443/crae.v52i1.2521
Section
Articles
Author Biographies

Juan Carlos Castro, Concordia University

Dr. Juan Carlos Castro is a Professor and Graduate Program Director in the Department of Art Education at Concordia University. His research examines how young people learn through digital media to support their creative practice. He has led multiple SSHRC-funded studies on the creative practices of youth in digital visual learning networks and is editor of Mobile Media in and outside of the Art Classroom: Attending to Identity, Spatiality, Movement, and Materiality (2019) and co-editor of Investigating the Creative Practices of Youth in Digital Visual Learning Networks (2025) with Dr. Joanna Black.

Kit Grauer, University of British Columbia

Dr. Kit Grauer is Professor Emerita in Art and Museum Education at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. She is actively involved in art education organizations at the local, national, and international levels with many presentations, awards and publications. Kit continues her research activities in retirement. Currently she serves on the UBC President’s Advisory committee, as Representative on the UBC College Emeritus, Gulf of Georgia National Historic site and does volunteer teaching at Elder College and local schools. With her partner Peter Scurr, she coordinates printmaking experiences for children and art teachers at their studio on Galiano Island. She is Nana to four of the best grandchildren known to human kind.

Joanna Black, University of Manitoba

Joanna Black is a Senior Scholar of Art Education in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. Her research interests are in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI), digital arts pedagogy, and social media usage in art education. For over forty years, she has worked as an art educator, art director, museum educator, curator, art consultant, and K-12 teacher in formal and informal settings in Canada and the United States. Recently, she co-edited a book, along with Juan Carlos Castro, entitled Navigating the Online Networks of Young Creators: An Investigation of Digital Visual Learning, published by Springer (2025). Dr. Black has received awards from the Centre for Human Rights Research at the University of Manitoba, and the Provincial Affiliate Art Educator Award from the Canadian Society for Education through Art, and the Art Education Technology Outstanding Research (AET) Award from the National Art Education Association (NAEA).

Michael Emme, University of Victoria

Dr. Michael Emme is an Associate Professor Emeritus of Art Education with the University of Victoria, Victoria, BC Canada. As an active artist, academic and educator Dr. Michael J. Emme’s creative and research interests have explored the links between lens media, sequential art forms, polylingual communication and learning. Publications have focused on the fotonovela as a vehicle for collaborative research into school and community life with immigrant children and youth. His exhibitions include work on the spectrum between printmaking, analog and digital photography, cartooning and digital design. Focused on both encouraging critical inquiry and the visual dimensions of research, Emme is a past editor and art director of both the Journal of Social Theory in Art Education and the Canadian Art Teacher.

Moniques Richard, Université du Québec à Montréal

Dr. Moniques Richard is Associate Professor at the School of Visual and Media Arts at the Université du Québec à Montréal in Québec, Canada, where she retired after almost thirty years as tenured professor. She specializes in multimodal project-based pedagogy, fostering inclusive and emancipatory strategies informed by contemporary art, hybrid technologies and youth’s cultural practices. She leads the AmalGAME. Genres in Art and Media for Education research collective with the Multimodal Media Literacy research team. She currently works on cabinets of curiosities with a teaching community of practice, and on extended realities with the Lab 1P1. Her work is presented in national and international conferences and publications.

Ching-Chiu Lin, Simon Fraser University

Dr. Ching-Chiu Lin is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University. Her scholarship invests in arts-based educational research, digital storytelling, community arts education, and visual research methodologies.

References

Baker, B. (1998). “Childhood” in the emergence and spread of U.S. public schools. In T. S. Popkewitz & M. Brennan (Eds.), Foucault’s challenge: Discourse, knowledge, and power in education (pp. 117-143). Teachers College Press.

Barad, K. (2007). Meeting the universe halfway: Quantum physics and the entanglement of matter and meaning. Duke University Press.

Bertrand, M., Brooks, M. D., & Domínguez, A. D. (2023). Challenging adultism: Centering youth as educational decision makers. Urban Education, 58(10), 2570-2597. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085920959135

Bettencourt, G. M. (2020). Embracing problems, processes, and contact zones: Using youth participatory action research to challenge adultism. Action Research, 18(2), 153-170. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476750318789475

Black, J. (1993, Spring/Summer). A special arts program for at-risk students. The Artspaper, 3(2), 3.

Black, J. (2002). Topsy-turvy teacher-student relationships: An examination of digital multimedia teaching and learning [Doctoral dissertation, University of Toronto]. Dissertation Abstracts International, 63, 06.

Black, J. (2006). Displacing student-teacher equilibrium in virtual learning environments. In J. Weiss, J. Nolan, & P. Trifonas (Eds.), The international handbook of virtual learning environments: (Vol. 1) (pp. 497-524). Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Black, J. (2014). Overcoming problems integrating digital technologies in contemporary Art Education practice: Ten suggestions. The International Journal of Arts Education, 8(2), 1-14. https://cgscholar.com/bookstore/works/overcoming-problems-integrating-digital-technologies-in-contemporary-art-education-practice

Black, J. (2022). digiART—Teaching and learning about human rights, trauma, and digital technologies in art education. Canadian Art Teacher, 18(2), 38-53. https://csea-scea.ca/canadian-art-teacher-enseigner-les-arts-au-canada-vol-18-no-2-2022/

Black, J. (2023). Past, present and tackling the future of artificial intelligence (AI) in education: Maintaining agency and establishing AI laws. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 11(7), 442-464. https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=1267

Black, J., Castro, J. C., & Lin, C.-C. (Eds.). (2015). Youth practices in digital arts and new media: Learning in formal and informal settings. Palgrave Macmillan.

Black, J. & Chaput, T. (2024). A discussion of artificial intelligence in visual arts education. Journal of Computer and Communications, 12, 71-85. 10.4236/jcc.2024.125005. https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=133307

Black, J. & Fullerton, C. (2020). Digital deceit: Fake news, Artificial intelligence, and censorship in educational research. Open Journal of Social Sciences (JSS),8 (7), DOI: 10.4236/jss.2020.87007. Accessed at https://www.scirp.org/journal /paperinformation?paperid=101420

Black, J. & Fullerton, C. (2022). Navigating and combating “digital information minefields” in our era of digital deceit.Advances in Social Sciences Research, 9(10), 4-20. Retrieved from https://journals.scholarpublishing.org/index.php/ ASSRJ/article/view/13238

Blanchet, P.-A., Lavoie, C., Legault, A., Edward, K. & Lepage, J. (2024). Marcher vers l’humilité culturelle pédagogique à travers un cours sur les perspectives autochtones en éducation au Québec, Canada. Revista Educación, Política Y Sociedad, 9(2), 14–50. https://doi.org/10.15366/reps2024.9.2.001

Boehm, B. W. (1988). A spiral model of software development and enhancement. Computer, 21(5), 61–72.

Boehm, B. W. (2000). Spiral development: Experience, principles, and refinements (Special Report CMU/SEI-2000-SR-008). Carnegie Mellon University. http://www.sei.cmu.edu/reports/00sr008.pdf

Bruner, J. S. (1960). The Process of Education. Harvard University Press.

Campbell, M., Edwards, E. J., Pennell, D., Poed, S., Lister, V., Gillett-Swan, J., Kelly, A., Zec, D., & Nguyen, T.-A. (2024). Evidence for and against banning mobile phones in schools: A scoping review. Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools, 34(3), 242–265. https://doi.org/10.1177/20556365241270394

Castro, J. C., & Black, J. (Eds.). (2025). Navigating the online networks of young creators: An investigation of digital visual learning. Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-83541-4

Castro, J. C. (2025). How Young Creators Learn Online: Assembling and Utilizing Digital Visual Networks. In J. C. Castro & J. Black (Eds.), Navigating the Online Networks of Young Creators (pp. 23–42). Springer Nature.

Castro, J. C. (Ed.). (2019). Mobile media in and outside of the art classroom: Attending to identity, spatiality, and materiality. Palgrave Macmillan.

Castro, J. C., Lalonde, M., & Pariser, D. (2016). Understanding the (im)mobilities of engaging at-risk youth through art and mobile media. Studies in Art Education, 57(3), 238–251.

Cellan-Jones, R. (2014, December 2). Stephen Hawking warns artificial intelligence could end mankind. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30290540

Chappel, L. (2011). Collaborations in Modern and Postmodern Visual Art: An Overview. COLLOQUY text theory critique. 22, 30-33. Monash University.

Chaput, T., & Black, J. (2025). Artificial intelligence regarding art students’ visual online social media usage. In J. C. Castro & J. Black (Eds.), Navigating the online networks of young creators: An investigation of digital visual learning (pp. 157-180). Palgrave Macmillan.

Conseil supérieur de l’éducation (2020). Éduquer au numérique. Rapport sur l’état et les besoins de l’éducation 2018-2020. Québec, Le Conseil.

Crabapple, M. (2026). Vampire Slop. Critical AI, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1215/2834703X-12347627

Cramer, F. (2015). What is ‘post-digital’? In D. M. Berry & M. Dieter (Eds.), Postdigital aesthetics: Art, computation and design (pp. 12-26). Palgrave Macmillan.

Cunningham, F., Lin, C., & Grauer, K. (2014). Who I (really) am: An exploration of urban

Aboriginal identity through short films. Canadian Art Teacher, 12(2), 29-38.

de Bernard, M., Comunian, R., & Gross, J. (2022). Cultural and creative ecosystems: a review of theories and methods, towards a new research agenda. Cultural Trends, 31(4), 332–353. https://doi.org/10.1080/09548963.2021.2004073

Edwards, B. (2025, September 12). Education report calling for ethical AI use contains over 15 fake sources. Arts Technica. https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/09/education-report-calling -for- ethical-ai-use- contains-over-15-fake-sources/

Emme, M. (1988).The meaning(s) of ‘Lens meaning.’ The Journal of Social Theory in Art Education. (9), 10-18.

Emme, M. (2007). Art-based research/research-based art: On wonder and rigour. Canadian Review of Art Education. 34(1) 1-7.

Emme, M. (2015). Feeling beyond the frame: Photography as an empathetic performance. Canadian Review of Art Education Research and Issues. 42(1),198-207.

Emme, M., & Bergland, D. (2010) Unfinished: Internet aesthetics, interactive digital environments and your art classroom. In C. Mullen and J. Rahn (Eds.) View Finding: Perspectives on New Media Curriculum in the Arts. New York: Peter Lang

Fawns, T. (2022). An entangled pedagogy: Looking beyond the pedagogy—Technology dichotomy. Postdigital Science and Education, 4(3), 711–728. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-022-00302-7

Fenwick, T., Edwards, R., & Sawchuck, P. (2011). Emerging approaches to educational research: Tracing the sociomaterial. Routledge.

Flüsser, V. (2000). Towards a philosophy of photography. Reaktion.

Foucault, Michel. (1972). The archaeology of knowledge and the discourse on language. Pantheon Books pp. 215-238.

Freedman, K. (2011). Leadership in Art Education: Taking Action in Schools and Communities. Art Education, 64(2), 40–45. https://doi.org/10.1080/00043125.2011.11519119

Gentile, A. (2025, August 24). Phones away as Quebec schools start new year with full ban. CityNews Montreal. https://montreal.citynews.ca/2025/08/24/cellphones-ban-quebec-school/

Government of British Columbia. (2025, December 18). Personal digital device (cell phone) restrictions in schools. Province of British Columbia. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/administration/legislation-policy/public-schools/personal-digital-device-restrictions-in-schools

Grauer, K., & Castro, J. C. (2025). Teaching as Participating in the Digital Visual Networks of Young Creators. In J. C. Castro & J. Black (Eds.), Navigating the Online Networks of Young Creators: An Investigation of Digital Visual Learning (pp. 43–56). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-83541-4_3

Grauer, K., Castro, J., & Lin, C. (2012). Encounters with difference: Community-based new media programs and practices. Studies in Art Education, 52(2), 139-152.

Grauer, K., R. Irwin, A. de Cosson, & S. Wilson. (2001). 'Images for Understanding: Snapshots of Learning through the Arts'. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 2(9).

Hayles, K. (1999). How we became posthuman. Virtual bodies in cybernetics, literature, and informatics. The University of Chicago Press.

Kaye, B., & Jose, R. (2025, December 10). Australia begins enforcing world-first teen social media ban. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/australia-social-media-ban-takes-effect-world-first-2025-12-09/

Kirova, A. (2010). Children’s representations of cultural scripts in play: Facilitating transition from home to preschool in an intercultural early learning program for refugee children. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, 4(2), 74–91. https://doi.org/10.1080/15595691003635765

Kirova, A. & Emme, M. (2008). Fotonovela as a Research Tool in Image-Based Participatory Research with Immigrant Children. International Journal for Qualitative Methodologies, 7(2), 35-57.

Kwon, S. A. (2013). Uncivil youth: Race, activism, and affirmative governmentality. Duke University Press.

Lacelle, N., & Lalonde, M. (2023). Design-based research into the co-creation of teaching activities for the theoretical refinement of a multimodal media literacy competency model. In P. Fastrez & N. Landry (Eds.) Media Literacy and Media Education Research Methods. (pp.168-180) Routledge https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003045366

Leonard, N. (2020). Entanglement Art Education: Factoring ARTificial Intelligence and nonhumans into future art curricula. Art Education, 73(4), 22-28.

Lin, C., Grauer, K. & Castro, J. C. (2011). “There is nothing else to do but make films”: Urban youth participation at a film and television school. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 12(SI 1.8). http://www.ijea.org/v12si1/

Lin, C. (2024). Artful community inquiry: Envisioning democracy through youth media art practice. Schools: Studies in Education, 21(1), 70-90. https://doi.org/10.1086/729547

Lupinacci, L. (2022). Phenomenal algorhythms: The sensorial orchestration of “real-time” in the social media manifold. New Media & Society, 26(7), 4078-4098. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448221109952

Overstreet, M., Carbonel, C. & Akhmedjanova, D. (2023). The “multimodal spiral”: Rethinking the communication curriculum at an English as a medium of instruction institution. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, 54(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/00472816231187358

Parliament of Canada. (2026). Bill C-34: An Act to enact the Digital Safety Act and the Digital Safety Commission of Canada Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts (First reading). House of Commons of Canada. https://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/45-1/bill/C-34/first-reading

Priest, E. (2018). Earworms, daydreams, and cognitive capitalism. Theory, Culture & Society, 35(1), 141–162. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263276416667200

Richard, M. (2005a). La culture populaire chez les jeunes. Entre projets artistiques et projets pédagogiques. Presses de l’Université du Québec.

Richard, M. (2010). Body and technological fictions. For a renewed art pedagogy through new media narratives. In C. Mullen & J. Rahn (Eds.). View finding: Curriculum perspectives and practices for teaching art and new media. Peter Lang, p. 183-203.

Richard, M. (2015). Le projet AmalGAME et son dispositif multimodal. Création et transposition de pratiques par de futurs enseignants en arts plastiques. Revue de recherches en littératie médiatique multimodale, 1. https://doi.org/10.7202/1047802ar

Richard, M. & N. Lacelle (Eds.). (2020). Croiser littératie, art et culture des jeunes. Impacts sur l’enseignement des arts et des langues. Presses de l’Université du Québec.

Richard, M. & Lalonde, M. (Eds.). (2025). Amalgame(s) de genres, modes et pratiques de la création et de la recherche en art et en éducation. Multimodalité(s). Revue de recherches en littératie médiatique multimodale, 21. https://doi.org/10.7202/1120089ar

Ryoo, A., Lin, C., & Grauer, K. (2014). “Don’t judge me. What would you do?” Dialogue through a youth-made film. Journal of Cultural Research in Art Education, 31(1), 128-134.

Samokhina, V., Kuznietsova, O., & Pasynok, V. (2022). Polycode essence of postmodern comic literary text. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 12(9), 1711–1717.

Scheinert, D., & Kwan, D. (2022). Everything everywhere all at once [Film]. A24.

Schnell, R. (1977). "The most ordered of rescues”: A reinterpretation of childhood history and the common school. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest History of Education Society, Chicago.

Sennitt, A. (2013). Kindergarten Merzbau. The Canadian Art Teacher, 13(1), 6-11.

Serriere, S. C., & Riley, T. (2024). Heavy on the solidarity, light on the adultism: Adult supports for youth activism. Democracy & Education, 32(1), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.65214/2164-7992.1624

Veldman, F. (1991). Haptonomie. Science de l’affectivité. Presses Universitaires de France.

Thompson, J. (2022). Care aesthetics: For artful care and careful art. Routledge.

Thomas, E. (posted 2012). In search of lost art: Kurt Schwitters’s Merzbau. Retrieved from: https://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/author/ethomas/ January 13, 2026.

Tratnik, P. (2025). Flüsser on artificial intelligence Flüsser Studies 40 https://www.flusserstudies.net/current-issue

Tronto, J. C. (1993). Moral boundaries: A political argument for an ethic of care. Routledge.