Week 7: Visual literacy

Visual Literacy

Beaudry states that visual literacy is "The ability to view, understand, analyse and evaluate, design and create, and use visuals and visual representations for acquisition, consolidation and communication and transfer of knowledge"(2015, p.55). He believes that it is especially important to primary school aged students as they "make the transition from viewing and speaking to formal language acquisition" (Beaudry, 2015, p.56). Concept maps are once again a very effective tool for meaningful learning.

Whilst visual literacy is very important and can be utilised in a multitude of classrooms it is still very under recognised with a lot of educators believing it doesn't hold much value or the don't fully understand its potential and benefits. Some students are more visual learners then others, therefore we should always incorporate it into the classroom, with alterations and adaptions for students that it does not relate to. As it is evident that everyone learns differently and has different effective learning styles. Visual literacy will help develop multiple literacies through a balance of text and images (Beaurdry, 2015, p68).

Digital and Media Literacies

Digital literacies refers to skills that are needed to survive in an ever evolving digital world. Skills such as personal, intellectual and technological are skills that everyone needs in this digital central society. Where as media literacies refers to the engagement in ranges of media, including digital technology. Illustrating how digital and media literacies converge. Digital and Media Literacies complement and support each other, constantly evolving in new ways. The media smarts group state " media literacy generally focuses on teaching youth to be critically engaged consumers of media, while digital literacy is more about enabling youth to participate in digital media in wise, safe and ethical ways. "

Figure 1. From The Intersection of Digital and Media Literacy. Media Smarts

 

References
Beaurdry, J. (2015). Teaching and Learning with ICT in the Primary School: Visual literacy for all teachers and learners: essential knowledge and skills to create, use and assess concept maps and graphic organisers. Abingdon, Oxen, Routledge.

The Intersection of Digital and Media Literacy. (2015). Retrieved April 30, 2015, from Media Smarts, http://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/general-information/digital-media-literacy-fundamentals/intersection-digital-media-literacy