New Dimensions for New Media

In their article "New Media, New Learning", Bill Cope and Mary Kalantzis (both from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), propose four "dimensions" to use as lenses with which to view learning in the digital era.  Many of these dimensions resonated for me, both personally and professionally.

Agency - Essentially, new media provides almost endless opportunities for choice.  My selection of the Marlboro College Graduate program is a perfect example. I chose this program for a number of reasons, many of which were made possible by new media. I can adapt the program to my own schedule and the variety of learning methods suits my eclectic learning style.  Most of all, I can embed this program deeply in my own professional practice, which was not an option I would have in many graduate programs.

Divergence - No, not a popular novel (now movie) for teenagers, but rather the way in which new media provides a variety of pathways for agency.  New media has provided me with a number of ways to access information about brain-based learning (particularly as it relates to learning styles) as well as new interactive methods to evaluate an individual learning style.  New media also provides me with a way to explore framing my work with a social justice lens, particularly within an educational environment.

Multimodality - New media presents a variety of opportunities to express ourselves multimodally.  This blog is a great example.  I can express myself in text form, I can link to videos, embed photographs, PDFs - all kind of blocks to use to build understanding.  LMSs have a similar multimodal functionality, with the addition of more ways to evaluate and assess learning and understanding.

Conceptionalism - This was initially a difficult transition point for me, and I see others continuing to struggle to get their head around the new social and technical architecture of new media.  It functions differently from traditional media and information.  I see some teachers struggling to understand the power of digital media that one accesses when they conquer their fear.  I see students struggling to find their balance in a world that is increasingly designed to trigger addictive responses.  I see parents who struggle to adapt their own learning styles and expectations (that developed in a "pre-digital" world) to a new world in which it is a struggle to balance digital media, technology and the physical and tangible connection between people.

These dimensions have given me a framework with which to understand my own understanding of our current world of new media.  I look forward to bringing forward these ideas in my own work with teachers.