Many tools or medium are available for learners nowadays to represent the knowledge they have gained. For example, they can use the text, images, diagram, animation, simulation, dataset, video, audio and embedded web media to represent the artefact of their learning. This encompasses the concept “multimodal meaning making” introduced in this MOOC.

Media are middle-objects, conditions or technologies that facilitates human communication (Kalantzis and Cope, 2015). With the invention of the computer, every information such as data, text, photographs, audio or video can be digitized and transmitted through any medium of the internet. This is what is called the “new media”.

New media has also been defined in Wikipedia – “New media are forms of media that are native to computers, computational and relying on computers for distribution. Some examples of new media are websites, mobile apps, virtual worlds, multimedia, computer games, human-computer interface, computer animation and interactive computer installations.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_media

In this modern age the format for media is no longer confined to the print media (books, magazines, newspapers), but we have the television, movies, video games, and music. However, the internet has made it possible for any type of information or content to be delivered to anybody anywhere on this planet through computers, cell phones, various kinds of software.

https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/types-of-media/

The new media is graphically illustrated in this image:

Source: https://samosborne9.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/new-media1-1024x675.jpg

The Missouri State University in its website has defined “New Media” as communication technologies that enable or facilitate user-to-user interactivity and interactivity between user and information.

New media typically has at least one of the following characteristics:

Interactivity or "many-to-many" communication
Any individual with the appropriate technology can now produce his or her online media and include images, text, and sound about whatever he or she chooses.
Digitization
Convergence
Use of network/Internet technology

Please refer to this website for the formats and examples of new media:

https://www.missouristate.edu/newmediataskforce/examples.htm

How does new media improve students’ learning? It has been found that the use of technologies for example, the computer, has not improved students’ performance, but specific applications of computers can ((Kalantzis and Cope, 2015). Thus using specific affordances in the new media will change the pedagogy and result in improved learning among the students.

Singapore is a country in East Asia that is aware of the important role of new media in students’ learning. It has started its new media and media literacy education since the beginning of the 21st century. A large scale study was conducted recently to assess the media literacy skills among it school students. They found that Singaporean school students are well equipped with new media technical skills. All participants showed a high competency on the ‘consuming’ and ‘prosuming’ (consumes and produces a product) skills. The study too was able to determine the levels for different attributes of the skills and may be able to use this information for future policies on education in Singapore.

In conclusion, the new media has enabled learners in the 21st century to represent their acquired knowledge in different types of media, that are interactive and with the use of internet are able to communicate with as many people as they want. Students have to acquire specific new media literacy skills in order to keep abreast with the technology available.

Other links related to ‘New Media”

https://www.slideshare.net/adnanalomari12122/characteristics-of-new-media-73343285