Defining a Common Vocabulary

When I first began blogging about transmedia and education, I found the terminology I used to be irrelevant at first instance. My initial objective was to draw attention to and get people to embrace this powerful way of teaching and learning. Gradually, I have seen writing about transmedia and learning increase significantly. I feel enough is out there at this point that we now need to define a common vocabulary. These terms, although most likely more familiar to those in the transmedia community, are probably less familiar to educators. A common vocabulary amongst all is important to help us understand the core principals of transmedia and learning and to continue to build upon them as a foundation. In no way am I suggesting that mine is a comprehensive list. These are just the top ten terms I feel have been most significant to me in my research and writing and have helped me envision a transmedia learning environment.

• Pervasive: connects content and spreads and extends learning into real life by allowing learning to occur in any environment anytime and anywhere.

• Ubiquitous: learning becomes so pervasive that it is fully integrated and embedded into learners’ lives.

• Interactive: brings learning to life by maximizing engagement and stimulating learners' minds through proactive participation allowing learning to grow organically.

• Transparent: learning by being able to watch others learn and by capturing them by being upfront and clear about what it is you are doing.  Connecting learners directly to the storytellers allows for powerful opportunities for co-creation.  

• Immersive: full-sensory learning experiences that break limits and boundaries between teacher and student, therefore leveraging the distribution and proliferation of knowledge.

• Authentic: meaningful, genuine narratives engage learners through their intent and enhance the depth of knowledge students will attain.

• Fluid: through multiple modes of communication and participation, learners and content flow naturally from one platform to the next.

• Empowering: learners share, contribute, and create by making discoveries through their own interpretations, which encourages passion and responsibility for their own learning.

• Engaging: through direct participation, learners connect with content and have a deeper understanding allowing them to make meaning from their learning.

• Interconnectedness: the connection of platforms and content fosters a dialogue, which connects learners with learners and learners with teachers all around the globe. This global interconnectivity allows for the collaborative sharing and proliferation of knowledge.