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. 

Describe the importance of the using a variety of instructional strategies and the value they add to education of students in the 21st century. Evaluate the role technology plays in the implementation of various instructional strategies. How will this affect your teaching of students?

  

In the 21^st Century, students enter the classroom with diverse learning styles, languages, skill levels,  resources and prior knowledge.  To meet these diverse challenges, teachers will take on the role of coach or facilitator and develop a database of technological instructional strategies designed to meet the needs of the students.   When students understand how the learning activities relate to their real life situations, it adds value and importance to the classroom instruction.

Just as coaches develop strategic plays around the strengths and weaknesses of the players, I will utilize strategies from my database that address individual, small group and whole group strategic instruction utilizing computer technology and tutorials to explain, develop, practice and reinforce skills that students need in order to address real world situations.

The use of technology in the 21st Century classroom will affect my teaching by allowing me to use it as the primary tool incorporated into the learning projects that allow students to:

• collaborate
• conduct research
• analyze and present information creatively
• create and publish projects and ideas
•  participate in virtual travel, simulations and games 
  
• improve writing and communication skills 
• learn to use a variety of technology applications

 Follow this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqepSNNjowU#at=14 to view differentiated instructional strategies at work.

With the compact size and mobility of electronic devices, students are able to get closer to nature and explore the real world around them through nature hikes, dialog walks, and exploration tours With the help of technology students see, interact  and document using videography, photography and podcasts of nature sounds.  

Students can suffer from nature deficit disorder (Louv, 2005) “which is the human costs of being alienated from nature.”