The Impact Of Visual Literacy On Today 's Technology

This passage from Elizabeth Daley’s, “Expanding The Concept of Literacy”, uses and introduces new examples to support the claim that multimedia is it’s own complex language. She builds on this by providing the reader with well known historic moments that were broadcast cinematically; like the moon landing and 9/11. She then proceeds to question whether these events would’ve been the same without the language of multimedia, implying that if these events were publicized by text alone our understanding would’ve been more limited. By calling the way these moments were broadcasted into question she also helps connect this idea to a common example the reader will easily be able to understand and analyze.

Over the past few decades, enhancements in the visual fields have greatly improved, giving weight on the importance of visual material in text. Something that is more visually stimulating can usually make a text more convincing or credible. The term “seeing is believing” proves this fact. As humans, we tend to believe something if we can actually see it, which is why Jay David Bolter has referred to this phenomenon of the changed role of text and graphics as the “visual culture” in his book Writing Space. “Mere words no longer seemed adequate; they had to share their space with images.” (Bolter, 69).

Images everywhere! On the billboards, in magazines, newspapers, books, advertisements, on the internet. OH GOD! These days we are bombarded by images. But why? Most people are visually impressed, and quite strikingly, the human “brain is mainly an image processor, not a word processor.” This is due to the fact that “visuals are concrete and more easily remembered, whereas words are abstract and rather difficult for the brain to retain.” Nevertheless, rather surprisingly human beings tend not to analyze images as they would scrutinize a text. The very moment a text is written, it flies from the hands of the writer and moves to the eyes of thousands and thousands of readers to be evaluated and criticized.

Literacy is being able to read and write; having said this it would be safe to say literacy means learning from books. However, think about the evolution of literacy and the different ways in which children and people learn and retrieve information; this definition could also include interaction with the digital text. There is a wide range as to what counts as literacy such as blogging, social networking, emailing, digital storytelling, online chatting and even shopping online just to name a few. Not everyone will agree with what is now counted as literacy, but if students are not enlightened on the many aspects of what could make them valuable assets in the future; that would be negligent. In Rich’s article digital literacy is being discussed which is the topic this response will focus on. Learning is not restricted only to the classroom. Digital literacy can be beneficial with

To develop reading comprehension many are taught at an early age to read and write basic letters and shapes. In a 2012 study conducted by Indiana University, psychologist Karin James tested a five year old children, who was not yet able to efficiently read or write, by asking them to reproduce a letter or shape in three different ways: drawn onto a blank sheet, traced over a dotted line, or typed on a computer. Results of the three test concluded through a MRI scan that was conducted while the tests occurred, that only while the children were drawing freehand that activation across the brain associated in adults with reading and writing occurred. Therefore in the development of a child’s reading comprehension freehand drawing is proven to aid in development greater than typing and tracing over dotted lines, which are both common ways in modern times used to teach children reading and writing. Using a digital media when developing a young child’s reading comprehension skills will then be less effective in the development as well as

Our view of literacy upon commencing this course, was that it is the ability to read and write. Our understanding of it however was partially true because, reading and writing are essential of any person’s literacy, but reading and

“People only see what they are prepared to see” is a famous quote by Ralph Waldo. This quote emphasises the fact that the purpose of a text can often be unnoticed and misinterpreted by the viewer. Many people only have a limited world experience, and it’s the Distinctly Visual feature of a text which allows the viewer to gain a better understanding. Distinctly Visual texts use a combination of techniques to create and shape an audience’s point of view or interpretation, and visualising a text requires the responder to interpret all of the images presented.

A literacy narrative is quite often thought of as a personal account as to how the written word has affected one’s life. My literacy narrative, however, embodies my passion of art to define who I am and how it has determined who I have become. Photography has been a dominant part of my life since I was born; my mom loved to take pictures of me playing and she would get in pictures with me wherever we traveled. She would buy these cheap, disposable cameras in bulk and just let us kids play with them or she would take enough pictures of us that we felt like her little models. Sometimes, she would even develop the film she thought might be promising and add the photos to our baby albums she cherished so deeply. My mom was my budding inspiration for photography, and she is still my biggest supporter today. I have to thank the twenty-first

Both essays focus on children's ability to blend visual drawings and writing and how they interact with one another. In some classrooms young children are being urged to see drawing and writing separately rather than as a unified system of meaning making. Thomas Newkirk makes us think about how pictures relate to language in written texts, and Alexie Sherman explains how he had the help from comic books (graphic novels) and watching his dad's passion for reading help (sponsor) him want to learn how to read. They both believe that visual images communicate meaning. Its not just about the design and creativity but also about how culture and meaning are reflected, communicated and altered by images. This is visual literacy, it involves all the

Ryan, W. (2012). Visual literacy: Learning to see. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

Danielle Pitch Dr. Whipple ENG 439: Literacy and Technology 13 February 2017 My Techno-Literacy Autobiography Literacy and expression have played major roles in my development as a person. For me, literacy not only involves technical skills, such as reading and writing, but it also encompasses the ability to develop one’s knowledge through proficiency and within a community of practice. Stemming from my definition of literacy, I also include being a proficient New Yorker and the passion I have for fashion in what I deem to be literate in. These complex and inclusive literacies contain the same overarching themes that have allowed me to interact effortlessly with society.

So the real question is: how can visual literacy be practiced? Romaker, a reporter and Touchstone excellence in journalism award recipient, informs us about the International Visual Literacy Association which was established to discuss visual literacy and ways to improve the literacy around the world. The spread of visual literacy could begin in schools around the world and increase the visual literacy skills of future generations. There are apparent debates, however, on which practicing methods would be the most

Thank you for sharing some great resources. The first two articles you chose I felt were outstanding to begin understanding visual literacy. I loved the information contained in within them as they presented us an overview of what visual literacy is and its importance. It appeared that "the need for visual literacy instruction in the K-12 education" was a very popular resource for the three of us. Did you find elements of it useful that you intend to incorporate into your learning or use with students? I believe Topiel did an excellent job giving readers general information and application for visual literacy, which I found very helpful.

Many people have heard the phrase “A picture is worth a thousand words,” but it would take a critical observation to further understand the impact and the story behind the image. Throughout life, we all have been exposed to different types of literature such as poems, novels, folktales, and comic books although they all might share the same elements of themes, metaphors and a purpose. Graphic novels can also be used as an alternative literacy pedagogy. When people read, they try to understand and interpret what the author is trying to express by imagining and creating a story of their own, but at the same time analyzing the author’s point of view. For instance, Maus I, by Art Spiegelman, emphasizes critical thinking by allowing readers to make connections and explore the message the author illustrations are trying to convey.

Throughout the years, types of media have gradually changed. One of the most recent changes taking place in the second half of the twentieth century. In his book, Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman talks about the change from the age of typography to the age of visual media and how it has greatly impacted the American culture. Postman points out several reasons to support his opinion that the transition has indeed proven to have a negative effect on the American people.