[iDC] New Media Pedagogy

[geoffrey thomas]

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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