06-07-2021

WHAT IS NEW MEDIA?

New media is an ever evolving form of digital communication. We tend to think of new media in terms of sophisticated and computer-based technology. For me, new media consists of past ideas that inspire innovation. When I think of new media, I tend to think about it as a new way of thinking or an alternate way of doing.

“New media art” is a combination of digital communication and artistic expression. New media art can take on numerous visual, audio, and sensory forms. To teach in new media, teachers and students need to push the boundaries of digital and non digital tools. In a new media classroom, the distinction between teacher and student can get blurred because innovation is a melding of ideas. These ideas can be influenced by anything.

AI Image Experimentations with Deep Dream

Had lots of fun using the Deep Dream generator until I ran out of computer energy.

I took my MassArt student ID photo for the top 2 sets of photos and combined them with some of my repeat patterns.

For the bottom, I took a photo of my 4 yr old self and used one of the thin line filters.

FUN!

Processing and the CODE TRAIN

The CodeTrain tutorials does a great job of explaining all the intricacies of code line by line. In a classroom, I would take a similar approach to teaching the subject but I think some further introductory details may need to be added.

If I were to teach how to write code in a classroom, I think I would start of with some basic HTML. JavaScript takes HTML and makes it more robust. Diving into JavaScript might be intimidating to some students if they don’t know why you need parentheses, brackets, commas, and semicolons. An introduction to the smallest building blocks of syntax before diving into Javascript would help students understand code better and maybe eliminate some fear of coding. Also, I think it would be smart to let students know that code is just a language. All those punctuation marks are already used in math and in their language/writing classes. Code just combines math and language punctuation. This would give students a link to subject and topics that they already have and mastered in those classes.

There’s a lot of information in the Coding Train. I have learned a lot and plan on watching most of the tutorials. Daniel Schiffman combines energy, humor, and knowledge which keeps the viewer engaged. An easy going approach to code is smart because it would help students who are apprehensive when it comes to using coding.