The 21st Century Classroom: Visual Literacy and the Internet

How visual literacy impacts the teaching process:

Picture Courtesy of Google Image

In the world today, oodles of media and visual stimulus bombard us. Really… stop and think about how many pictures, graphics, video clips, commercials and advertisements you see in a day. Oodles!!! So logically, most educators have come to the conclusion that students need to be able to figure out what these visual messages mean (decode messages) and also how to compose visual messages themselves (encode messages). This mastery of decoding and encoding visual messages, is called “visual literacy”.

Ok, so how does this impact the teaching process? Well, let’s start with the fact that this generation of students encounter more visual stimulus (via various media) than they encounter complex reading material (like books).

(Before you object… think about the visual messages that little kids receive through the television every day. Even before children are reading, they see commercials for cereal, toys, clothes, movies and etc. Before you know it… you can’t walk down the cereal isle without hearing a child crying out for Fruity Frosted Pebbles. A child doesn’t necessarily understand the complexities of commercials and marketing. They only know that the box is fun, that the cereal is colorful, the kids on the commercial were cool and the box shows the cool toys that could be hiding at the bottom of the box.

Picture Courtesy of Google Image

Fast forward a few years. Think of teens and their obsession with fashion and gadgets. With the visual messages that they see, teens learn to attach wealth and social status with brands and the best and newest “thing”. Now do all of these advertisements require a lot of complex and heavy reading… NO. Why, because the PICTURE is worth a THOUSAND words.)

Now… Back to the original question. How does visual literacy impact the teaching process?

First of all, teachers actually have to consider visual literacy. We can’t just assume that the interpretation is obvious to our students. We can’t assume that students know WHY they interpret visual messages the way they do (i.e. the little kids and the cereal commercials). Second, we have to model the thought process behind visual message interpretation and then give them practice at decoding and encoding.

How visual literacy impacts the learning process:

Because students are accustomed to being constantly stimulated visually… most students have come to rely heavily on visual learning strategies. While this is good to know and use to our own advantage by employing more visuals during instruction time… it is also important that teachers encourage students to foster their other learning options like auditory, verbal/linguistic and kinesthetic. The key is to combine two or three learning intelligences in your learning activities when possible.

How using the Internet impacts the teaching and learning processes:

Teachers can use the Internet as a teaching tool for creating authentic, real-world learning experiences in the classroom, and also as a networking tool in the classroom to create community.  In a nutshell, fully integrating the web into the classroom has the potential to provide greater breadth to instruction and greater depth to student learning. Teachers have more resources at their disposal with the Internet and therefore have the ability to provide better quality learning materials. In a classroom where the Internet has become an integral part of the course, the student takes the lead in her/his own learning experiences through exploration and inquiry. The teacher acts as both a facilitator and a fellow learner.

What are some visual thinking strategies you like to use in your classroom?

These are my favorite visual thinking strategies. I use them in my English courses.

Table courtesy of Visual-Literacy.org
http-//www.visual-literacy.org/periodic_table/periodic_table.html

Cartoon

Decision Tree

Flow Chart

Learning Map

Mind Map

Strategy Map

Venn Diagram

Please take a look at this “Periodic Table of Visualization Methods” to find great ideas for visuals to use in your class. I am so excited that I found this. It is an excellent resource!!! The link provides examples and explanations for all the visuals.

What role do you want the Internet to play in your classroom?

I personally like the idea of having a learning management system (LMS)/classroom website. With all of the 2.0 (and upcoming 3.0) wonders available, the classroom shouldn’t be bogged down by textbooks, piles of paperwork and volatile learning materials (meaning one-use materials like workbooks and skill drill worksheets). If you do the same old thing, you have to expect the same old results.

I want my classroom to extend beyond the boundaries of a set time and space. I want students to have access to the classroom and their peers whenever and wherever they have Internet access. I want the Internet to be the nervous system of our learning community.

Video Courtesy of YouTube

"Visual Literacy Across the Curriculum"