New Media, New Media literacy, new methods in education

The rapid proliferation of the concept of New Media and the attendant frequently controversial interpretations and research results motivate a scholarly overview of the possibilities of implementing the respective achievements in the teacher training process. Consequently, several issues have to be addressed: why is the respective term New Media written differently (it can appear either as a compound word, or as two separate words) in the Hungarian language? Why is the ICT term frequently substituting the professional vocabulary of instruction technology considered inappropriate? In light of the availability of such terms as Web 2.0 and community media why do we need the adjective: “New?” Hungarian research efforts into the theoretical and technological background of education have not yet provided a definite answer concerning the role of this fashionable, yet polysemic concept carrying several meanings. The present essay aims to outline an approach incorporating content arrangement considerations in addition to the prevalent technological perspective. While the New Media phenomenon has impacted several disciplinary fields and due to innovation efforts e-books or tablet machines enjoy a gradually increasing educational use, it has not yet fully been recognized in the daily routine of the teaching process. Despite the relatively limited presence of such equipment in schools the new generation of students demand the use of hi-tech electronic devices and new media tools they are accustomed to at home in the classroom as well. Although the fast proliferation of the concept and the relevant device system in educational institutions is far from certain, it is beyond doubt that in addition to digital (ICT) competences teachers will be required to have additional skills exceeding contemporary computer literacy requirements. New Media interpreted as technology mostly entails devices and tools facilitating digital, network-based connections promoting interactivity and creativity via tablet machines, smart phones, smart community TVs in addition to the Internet and the Web 2.0 applications. Yet, Manovich's view¹ emphasizing the new forms of content arrangement especially a data base oriented approach complementing and superseding the narrative-oriented perspective is rarely taken into consideration. While this theory regarding content as the compilation of unique components into a data base could trigger the broadening of scholarly perspectives, it is yet to be fully accepted by the professional community. Consequently, for Manovich New Media is not seen as new devices, or the world of networks and the related communities, but as a data base culture operating via Human Computer Interface. Thus the concept of New Media cannot solely be interpreted in a technological manner as it includes components related to content arrangement. Consequently, the primary focus is not on the methodological aspects of device application, as the inquiry is concerned with the logic behind digital data base oriented content arrangement complementing the traditional, linear narrative of the conventional instruction process. Thus New Media, as a sort of dramaturgy, can trigger the development of new narrative technologies significantly improving the methodological arsenal of teachers as the structure of a given lesson is elaborated according to a specific organisational principle determining the respective steps and phases of the class in other words, the dramaturgy of the lesson. Consequently, my presentation focuses on the application and methodology of the tangible and network-based aspects of New Media along with the exploration of novel forms of content arrangement.