As the author said, visual literacy is like we are in the process of developing technological literacy through this course. The author did not give us a definition of visual literacy directly in this chapter, however, according to the author’s statement, I think visual literacy means the visual environment through which we gain knowledge or information.
A visual environment includes text, colors, animations, and shapes. The visual literacy helps people to interpret information and encode knowledge for storage into memories. It is also a kind of stimuli to human brains. Both adults and children have the experiences of learning through visual literacy. We all have the experience that we can remember and understand things better when we see them. It is hard for us to really understand the idea if we only hear it from others. This is also the reason that why we encourage teachers to use technology to create an analog environment for learners to “see” during the learning and teaching processes.
Every visual consists of a number of elements presented in a deliberate arrangement. The three primary categories of design elements are visual, text, and affective elements. Visual elements include graphics, symbols, real objects, and organizational visuals. Graphics are primary visual elements and it is said that a picture talks better than text. Another important style of graphics is video which is also used a lot in teaching and learning processes. Text elements include font, color, size, and all other aspects of textual presentation used. Making sure that all the aspects of the text elements can match each other is the designer’s responsibility. Affective elements are those components of a visual that can elicit a response from viewers, such as pleasure, surprise, or humor. These elements are used a lot in some tutorials. The requirements of using visual design are listed at page 328:
Relevance – all elements should be all about the main topic;
Coherence – all elements should be used to enhance and support the topic;
Consistency – all elements should work together to send a single message;
Proportion – all elements should have their sizes corresponding to their importance;
Contrast – key message should be emphasized more than others elements;
Unity and direction – all elements working together to gain the users’ attention and guide them through is the most important thing needs to be targeted.
In my opinion, the visual literacy should be used with other components for maximizing the effectiveness of learning and teaching. In fact some designers did combine some elements together with visual literacy elements, such as narration of a video, and animation with music background.
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2 comments:
Well virtual literacy will ensure that the students and a new dimension to collaboration and would surely be an important tool for education. More and more people will have to maintain a ceratin degree of virtual literacy.These worlds can be as simple as internet communities but as sophisticated as web building. As students and teachers adapt to the virtual adaption it will be a great teaching tool for generations to come. Nice write up...
I agree with your assessment of the author's idea of visual literacy. Most of us learn using a variety of techniques - visual being one of them. I try to use visual aids, audio, and hands-on activities in my class whenever possible to meet the varied needs of my students. The use of graphics, video, and symbols can really help to drive home a lesson.
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