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January 30, 2024
MEDIA ARTS CAN MAKE EDUCATION MULTIMODAL!
Dain Olsen
President & CEO, NAMAE
Author: Media Arts Education, Routledge (forthcoming)
Human cognition Is Multimodal
Not ‘text-based’!
Sound familiar?
That’s because AI is now ‘multimodal’, and moving beyond text-based!
AI is now trained on multimedia: images, text, video, speech, graphics, etc.
'Multimodality' has caused a quantum leap in AI’s ability to mimic human thinking,
Resulting in greater capacities for empathy, generative multimedia, and generalizing intelligence.
Similar to the 'old' AI, our educational system is text and language-based, not multimodal.
Students learn indirectly, through the code of academic language, and book study,
Which makes the learning less interesting and engaging, and more abstract and hard to understand.
Because our cognition is multimodal, all students learn better through multimodality.
Media Arts Education (MAE)
Is highly multimodal, multisensory, direct, interactive, and embodied
Across all of these forms: photo, video, sound, animation, graphics, web design, social media, 3D design,
AI supported, game design, e-journalism, interactive and virtual design
Which makes MAE creatively unlimited!
Students can produce, construct, and design anything imaginable!
Furthermore, MAE is 'transparent' to all contents, across both arts and academics.
Which means, MAE can use these forms to translate, represent, and simulate text-based content in multimodal projects
Therefore, MAE can make all learning more multimodal, engaging, interactive, and understandable!
APPLIED TO MATHEMATICS, STUDENTS OF MAE CAN PRODUCE:
photos of math in the world: clock, sign, schedule, geometric shapes, money, etc.
Graphic designs for sales showing discounts
Cooking shows, measuring ingredients
Short dramatic videos enacting word problems
Digital game designs that exercise mathematics skills
Stock market analysis webcasts with percentages, graphs and analysis using algebra
3D physics animations using algebra to explain and predict angles of a thrown ball
3D bridge designs and engineering using geometry and calculus
3D animations showing space travel simulations of trajectories using calculus and trigonometry
Algebra and calculus in programming algorithms and UI design for app design
TRANSDISCIPLINARY EXAMPLES:
Video game designs that exercise programming, mathematics, design thinking, engineering, marketing, etc.
Interactive 3D animated models that exhibit understanding of scientific or historical concepts
Interdisciplinary projects that combine all arts and academic disciplines in live and multimedia presentations
This leads to a new MAE-centered model of education,
which is more student-centered, engaging, flexible, inclusive and effective.
NAMAE is seeking to create a network of associated members and organizations who support the inclusion of media arts as a core component of 21st century education for the benefit of all students.
Please join us! Please support us!