[iDC] New Media Pedagogy
geoffrey thomas
zmaxm at hotmail.com
Tue Jan 23 22:53:26 EST 2007
Hello all,
I've experienced new media pedagogy through a variety of disciplinary
filters. First at UT Austin in an Art Department where I enrolled in courses
listed as Transmedia. At CalArts I participated in a school-wide Integrated
Media program while studying experimental animation. I also taught new media
courses in design and communication programs. Currently I'm pursuing a PhD
in Digital Media at Georgia Tech. Generally departmental history and focus
determine the scope and direction of new media pedagogy; something that can
be productive as well as challenging. The department at Georgia Tech is
unusual in that all faculty members are involved in digital media
theoretical and/or creative research. In other institutions, new media
courses and faculty were often few and far between.
In my own classes I've tried to combine conceptual/theoretical explorations
with visual design and technological instruction. These three areas,
discourse, design and technology, may not be the best way to describe the
mixed skill set required of digital media practitioners, but they've helped
me conceptualize a pedagogical approach. The idea is to gradually develop
sophistication in conceptual and creative skills; continually making
connections between the three areas of inquiry.
I class I'm currently taking, Ali Mazalek's Experimental Media, may speak to
issue of collaboration. The class is building a single (though
multi-segmented) project around the theme of "garden as performance space."
The final tangible installation will interact with a Second Life interface
created by students in Ken Perlin's class at NYU. Students are divided into
working groups based on existing skill sets. These groups roughly break down
into the following categories: physical/sculptural forms, hardware (sensors)
and software (sensor software and network software). Not all classes at Tech
are so collaborative in structure, most courses focus on individual
projects. My own history, too, tends to be oriented to solo work. For now,
though, I'm looking forward to the framework of the course. By the end of
the semester I'll have a better sense of how the class' collaborative
process develops.
Just some thoughts,
Geoffrey Thomas
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