Visual Literacy
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| Image from: https://www.fineart.pub/american-landscape-painters/ |
Teaching with images can be an engaging approach that promotes creativity and critical thinking. We already know the benefits behind incorporating visual elements to support our teaching, but encouraging students to develop images to support their thoughts can be even more enrichening. One benefit of having students develop images is enhancing their communication skills. Students will be able to communicate complex concepts, emotions, and their ideas through images. It can also enhance their ability to express themselves and engage with their audience more effectively. Another benefit of having students develop images is fostering their creativity. Creating images allows students to tap into their creative potential. It encourages them to think imaginatively, experiment with different visual elements, and explore various artistic techniques.
I like that there are so many different apps that can support visual literacy. My favorite app to use is Canva. I started using Canva when I was in undergrad and had to make posters for my floor events in housing. Canva is so easy to use and there are so many templates and tools to use when designing materials. I like that I can use it on my computer or my iPad or phone. I haven't had students explore with it yet, but they just came out with an Education version of Canva that I am signed up for. The app that I explored from the text was Doodle Buddy. I liked how simple it was. I think this would be an easy integration for students. I liked the idea of having them use it to visualize what they just learned.
Hi Katelyn,
ReplyDeleteI like how you used a painting as your image. This would be a great opportunity to introduce the meaning of different colors and textures in art. I like the point you made about visuals helping students become more critical thinkers through not only their own learning visual, but thinking critically about visuals so that they aren't easily persuaded by a visual without any facts. With social media and the Internet, it seems like so many individuals just look quickly at a picture and make up their mind on the topic. Therefore, it's our job to help teach students these skills about how to critically think and evaluate images.
Hi Katelyn!
ReplyDeleteI love how you talk about teaching students the technical terms of picture elements and leading students in a visual analysis of the photo. When you talked about focusing on the deeper meaning of the photos I nodded my head. I always have students who see a photo and immediately have a comment. They aren't looking deeper into the photo, but forming an opinion on the first aspect that they noticed. It is definitely so important to have students slow down and really take in the entire picture and the deeper meaning!
Hi Katelyn,
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool idea to imagine a painting as the visual reference! This reminds me of my students this year and the movies that we watched. Before breaks and for a few special days we watched a movie, and I tried to incorporate somthing educational into the viewing experience by explaining some of the meanings behind the scary scenes always happening at night, or during a storm, and how the ends of happy movies are in the sunshine (light and dark). Your post reminds me that this is just an example of visual learning! Thanks for sharing!