Welcome to my NEW BLOG + intro to Visual Literacy Part A

Hi Everyone! I’m Michelle and I’m a dog lover plus I love baking! Currently I have just graduated from UBC in the spring and I’m taking a couple courses that interest me during my gap year. I also am first and foremost an avid learner and reading is one of my passions. 


Hi Everyone! I’m Michelle and I’m a dog lover plus I love baking! Currently I have just graduated from UBC in the spring and I’m taking a couple courses that interest me during my gap year. I also am first and foremost an avid learner and reading is one of my passions. 








One of the courses being LIBE 477B which is a course that is super cool because every week I get to post about a new topic or a continuation of a topic. Come with me on my journey through taking LIBE 477B during my gap year! 

Visual Literacy 

In terms of issues, interests or opportunities arising for visual literacy, there are quite a few. Firstly, the impact of the digital age has made visual communication crucial. Students constantly view visual content daily, whether from social media, advertisements, storefront posters or books! Adapting critical thinking and effective communication is essential as this allows students to view visually sound and interpret vital messages. As educators, it is our job and in our interest to adapt and learn about multimedia platforms to create the best visual literacy possible for the students. Multimedia platforms could be graphic design software such as Adobe. Canva is also a popular poster design website for simple yet professional posters. Without visual literacy, there are issues with the use of digital technologies because, at times, there could be dense information and needing to drive home a crucial point can be challenging without good visuals as everyone is often busy going about their days, including other Teachers and Administrators hence it is essential to invest in practical tools. These tools will help educators to navigate potential faults such as misinformation or manipulation of visual images. 

A curriculum that has visual literacy involves aligning existing frameworks that have been set. This could include effective contrast in colouring font sizes and emphasize effective communication. There could be courses for students to participate such as creative poster-making or visual expression art classes. These approaches can foster a better understanding of visual literacy within the school community, not just for students but for teachers. Pedagogy will be instrumental in fostering a learning atmosphere as there could also be chances of incorporating project-based learning or contests for students to submit a visual content of their choice and to give each other feedback on how to improve each content. The different age levels and learning styles can also be incorporated. For example, primary ages could have a class about the foundations of colour learning, which can set individuals for creative outlets in the future. For the more intermediate level classes, there is a chance for a class explaining poor visual literacy examples such as overgeneralization and ignoring valid information. Using already-made curriculums but adding visual literacy is a great addition; instead of a written project, students can try using any digital literacy website to convey their thoughts. 

Many digital Technologies can offer students various possibilities to help with their future coursework regarding PowerPoint, Prezi and Canva. These are great to incorporate into the curriculum to allow students to experiment with these online websites and express their creativity. Keywords I would use for visual literacy are “social media literacy”,” visual analysis”, and “communication visuals”. 

In my discussions and early brainstorming topics of visual literacy in education, there were many interesting topics, ideas and certain keywords that I would like to deep dive into more research. My initial topics I’ve been thinking about are : 

  1. Social Media Literacy and Visual : I want to explore how students can analyze advertisements or messages on social media and I want to develop a deeper understanding of how media influences students 

  2. Technology into Classrooms : There are so many ways to use digital technologies and I’m hoping to find more ways to integrate tools and website platforms into visual literacy. There are different websites such as 3D modeling, virtual reality and even Tiktok trends showing creative visuals. 

  3. Age in Visual Literacy : I would like to research more about age appropriate visual literacy because there are different grade levels in school and it must be tailored to the needs of the students so that they don’t feel overwhelmed but at the same time they aren’t being shown completely the same materials they’ve already known

  4. Multi-Models of Literacy : On social media there are times, information shown on various texts, images and videos. I’m looking to research which models are the most popular with students and how they engage. 


The keywords that i’m interested in exploring through literature searchers: 

Social Media Literacy 

Curriculum Integrating Visual Literacy 

Visual Storytelling 

Visual Trends 

Important Visual Analysis 

Age-Appropriate Visuals in Education 

Visual Literacy 

21st Century Learning Ability 

 

The professional practice I would be interested in exploring is how digital technologies, 21st century learning and web 2.0 tools can help students with visual literacy. It’s important to help students acquire these skills as visual literacy can help with their future projects in higher education. 

It’s also important for us, educators to stay on trend and on top of current technological impacts and to continue to adapt and increase our knowledge. This way, we can enrich the teaching environment and to become more knowledgeable on visuals online. On my blog, I hope to share my findings online and insights related to visual literacy to foster a creative learning environment. 

For more information on why visual literacy is so important checkout this Ted Talk by Brian Kennedy, he captures the importance of visual literacy very passionately! 

TEDxDartmouth - Brian Kennedy - Visual Literacy: Why We Need It


Thank you everyone! Join me for my Part B post next week~! 


Comments

  1. D.McNeeSeptember 17, 2023 at 10:52 AM

    Your personal, reflective, narrative style draws the reader in and entices them to continue to follow your learning journey. You have generated some solid themes for further reading and research. I look forward to seeing where your learning takes you. The images you included create visual interest for your reader. For your next post, I encourage you to look for opportunities to bring forward connections and learning from our course text.

    ReplyDelete

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