Visual Literacy and the Internet in Classrooms

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Being able to understand visual information is becoming critical in today’s multimedia world. As anyone who has ever had to assemble a bookshelf or bicycle knows, most of the directions are pictures that the manufacturer hopes is understandable to as many consumers as possible.

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By the time children arrive at the school door they will have been exposed to innumerable multimedia images. The job of today’s classroom teacher is to tap into this background and teach students how to see and gain meaning from multimedia visuals, to critically consider the information and its source, and then apply the information to solve real problems. By using the Internet and social networking and media teachers can capture the attention of their students and engage them in the process of learning how to use these tools for learning.

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Students not only need to know how to interpret and respond to visual images but also how to search for the right image to convey their message. “A picture is worth a thousand words” could not be a more clear statement of the importance that visuals can add to student projects. I encourage my students to organize their thoughts visually as much as possible using Thinking Maps so they can see how their ideas flow one into the other and how they are connected. I also hope to include more assignments that offer students a choice between presenting their understanding through the written word or through a PowerPoint or video using images to convey their understanding.

 

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Using the Internet to access visuals to convey understanding will become an important skill for students to acquire. Each year the Internet has played a more and more important role in student learning. As time goes on I see it becoming an indispensable tool in the learning process. It will become ever more important for students to learn when and how to use the Internet appropriately especially when citing sources.