Creative Digital Media

Attainment

The twentieth century brought with it a host of new media and the adaptation of others to fit mass-marketing and commercialization and the commodification of our culture. Digital media have proliferated since the 1990s and developed these new media even further. Magazines are often consumed online, and even if in print format, their whole production has become digitalized. Through a close examination of various media products and how they work as well as producing their own product, after having responded to a commission and put together a pre-production portfolio, students gain a detailed knowledge of the mechanics of the subject as well as coming into closer touch with different cultures and their preoccupations. To produce effective digital media, students must be able to think themselves into others – you cannot produce a captivating game without empathy and knowing what others appreciate. The analytical part of the course helps students gain important skills in discerning implied messages and how media manipulate audiences. We encourage students to be critical and reflective thinkers, to have an enquiring mind and to justify their ideas with clarity and fluency. An important part of the course is their independent work on a media product, which encourages students to take responsibility for their learning beyond the classroom, and be ready and willing to engage with digital media.

Reflection

A vital aspect of analysis is reflection as only a view within can change the view without and, conversely, what we see outside in the world is a mirror of what we have inside us. By looking at a range of digital media that play an important role in our society students gain a detailed and broad view of the world and how technology shapes it. Group discussions of examples are key, as by listening to other students’ thoughts, students can enrich their own inner life and gain empathy – a core skill of creative digital media, as already noted above. The independent project is a central point that allows the pupils time and space to reflect on how to use conventions and possible adapt them for their own purposes.

Appreciation

Digital media are all around us (we carry their enablers in our hand most days) and looking behind the exterior to see how they work, how they try to manipulate us, which aspects achieve which goal, is sure to heighten students’ appreciation of the (digital) world around them. As a place with (theoretically) no barriers, the digital world invites students to enrich their own lives and experiences and become more culturally, emotionally, socially and spiritually intelligent members of society. Creative Digital Media is an important course to aid students understand the diversity of the world they live in and how precious it is – that they must care for it – as well as how to find their own place in it, working with love and hope in all aspects of their lives.