School in the Cultural Discourse of Real Virtuality

Objectives of the research: The purpose of the theoretical research is to understand the importance of school in the culture of real virtuality and to point out the challenges that this phenomenon poses to pedagogy, especially school pedagogy. The research question is as follows: Does understanding the nature of the relationship between contemporary media and the partners of school dialogue help us better understand the changing educational reality which relies heavily on modern technologies and enable more accurate planning of pedagogical interactions? Research methods: The study used the desk research method, which involves compiling, analyzing and processing data from existing sources, and then formulating conclusions based on them regarding the problem under study. A meta-analysis of the concepts and categories comprising the title research problem was performed using interdisciplinary sources and selected international reports. Brief description of the context of the issue: The article presents a discourse analysis of the place of school in the culture of virtual reality (VR). The basic features of this culture are described within the paradigm of informationism, in which modern digital technology enables the integration of all modes of communication. Attention is paid to the interactive nature of hypermedia and its specific logic of flow beyond time and historical context. The role of the recipient of the message in the communication chain is highlighted as the one who ultimately gives it meaning in accordance with their own perception and experience of reality. The dialogical nature of communication in virtual space and polyphony leading to the creation of hypertexts that combine multiple narratives is emphasized. Research findings: The results show the importance of the links between the school’s implementation of basic educational and teaching functions and the tools offered by modern digital technologies. The special role of the teacher in the process of preparing students to discuss media messages and discover their polemical nature is revealed. Conclusions and/or recommendations: The analysis made it possible to formulate the tasks facing contemporary schools in terms of preparing young people to consciously and actively engage in the multimedia system of communication according to its logic, language and methods of encoding meanings. The importance of a dialogical, open and creative attitude of the teacher in the process of forming empowered participants of communication in the culture of real virtuality is emphasized.