Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Visual Literacy and the Internet



Visual literacy draws on the very basics of learning.  There is a saying that children read the world before they read the word and visual literacy is the first stage of learning that a child goes through.  They see objects and through repetition, learn to name and apply practical uses of the various things that they see. 

Visuals in the classroom can be used as a means of scaffolding and stimulating prior knowledge.  Images from the Internet can get students to recall about what they already know about a topic.  I will use brainstorming techniques, KWLs or classroom discussions to engage student interest. With the introduction of content vocabulary that explains and describes visual artifacts, maps, films, virtual fieldtrips and documentaries, teachers will help students connect what they already know so that they can make sense of academic concepts.  Using tools such as blogging, podcast, videos and multimedia, students can verbalize, write, and create visuals to apply what they have learned to solve real world problems.



The role that I want the Internet to play in my classroom is that of a tool to stimulate thought, discussion and mastery of  the subject-matter; as a visual and audio travel tool to take students on virtual journeys beyond the walls of the classroom.  The Internet can help students to research information, develop ideas and present them in a way that they can see themselves and hear their own voices in the multimedia created by them in the process of learning the subject matter content. 

No comments:

Post a Comment