Disney Junior announced that Provost’s Professor of Communication, Journalism and Cinematic Arts Henry Jenkins will be part of its newly formed council of academic advisers.
"We are thrilled to have assembled this prominent group of leading academics, the best in their fields, who will share with us their research, innovation, trends and knowledge in childhood education," said Nancy Kanter, Senior Vice President, Original Programming and General Manager, Disney Junior Worldwide. "Storytelling and character engagement is the key component in Disney Junior programming, and emerging technological advancements allow us to extend the television experience and deepen our viewers' engagement via a multitude of platforms. Our advisory board will offer valuable insight into how we can best translate our series from television to online, games, apps and other extension experiences."
As one of the first media scholars to chart the changing role of the audience in an environment of increasingly pervasive digital content, Jenkins has been at the forefront of understanding the effects of participatory media on society, politics and culture. His research gives key insights to the success of social-networking websites, networked computer games, online fan communities and other advocacy organizations, and emerging news media outlets.
He joined USC from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was Peter de Florez Professor in the Humanities. He directed MIT’s Comparative Media Studies graduate degree program from 1993-2009, setting an innovative research agenda during a time of fundamental change in communication, journalism and entertainment.
The other board members are:
Kevin Clark, Ph.D., the Founder and Director of George Mason University's Center for Digital Media Innovation and Diversity, will advise on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) research as it relates to preschoolers as well as innovations and trends in media technology and issues of diversity. Clark is currently an associate professor of Instructional Technology and conducts research on the role of video games and interactive media in education, particularly diverse and traditionally underserved populations. His recent scholarly activities focus on the use of video game design to increase interest in STEM careers.
Drew Davidson, Director of the Entertainment Technology Center – Pittsburgh at Carnegie Mellon University and Editor of ETC Press, will consult on digital game development and design trends using storytelling attributes across media. His background spans academic, industry and professional worlds with a focus on stories across texts, comics, games and other media. He is the lead on several MacArthur Digital Media and Learning Initiative grants and has written and edited books, journals, articles and essays on narratives across media, serious games, analyzing gameplay, and cross-media communication.
Ines Dussell, Educational Director of Sangari Argentina, will advise on classroom trends as they relate to learning initiatives and media use, and will broaden the board's perspective into Latino educational priorities. Dussell is also principal researcher at Flacso/Argentina, a center for research and graduate teaching in the social sciences. She's currently researching the intersections between schooling, new media and visual culture, and is producing materials for classroom teaching.
Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Director of the Infant Language Laboratory at Temple University, will advise on current trends in early education, specifically in language development, and consult on the opportunities to expand access to learning tools through community outreach. Hirsh-Pasek is currently the Stanley and Debra Lefkowitz Professor in the Department of Psychology at Temple University. Her research in the areas of early language development has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health and Human Development resulting in 11 books and over 100 publications.
Linda Labbo, Professor Emerita in the Department of Reading Education at the University of Georgia, will advise on fast-moving trends in digital literacy as a learning tool among young children and how they affect language learning. Labbo has served as a primary investigator on National Reading Research Center studies designed to investigate young children's computer-related literacy development.
Robert L. Selman, Harvard Medical School's Roy Edward Larsen Professor of Education and Human Development Professor of Psychology, Psychiatry Department, will advise on the development of emotional learning, especially as it relates to resilience and social skills in a group context. Selman also serves as senior associate at the Judge Baker Children's Center and at the Department of Psychiatry at Children's Hospital Boston. He has engaged in research and practice focused on how to help children develop social awareness and engagement competencies as a way to reduce risks to their health and to promote their social relationships as well as their academic performance. His current work on the promotion of children's understanding of ways to get along with others from different backgrounds is conducted in the context of literacy and language arts curricula.
Catherine Snow, the Henry Lee Shattuck Professor of Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education, will advise on literacy development in young children. Snow is an expert on language and literacy development in children, focusing on how oral language skills are acquired and how they relate to literacy outcomes.
Maria Tatar, chair of Harvard University's program in Folklore and Mythology, will advise on the historical context of the role of storytelling, fairytales and folklore as it relates to children's experiences. Tatar is the John L. Loeb Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures at Harvard, teaching courses in Folklore and Children's literature.
Yuuko Uchikoshi, an expert in the field of bilingual education, language development and socialization and literacy development, will advise on bilingual language development and represent a non-western viewpoint on learning and skills acquisition among young children. Uchikoshi is an assistant professor at University of California at Davis, and his credentials include Harvard Graduate School of Education Action for Children's Television Fellowship and the Harvard Graduate School of Education Advanced Doctoral Grant.
