To be visually literate, one must be able to comprehend and interpret visual cues. Using this definition, images may be “read” and meaning can be inferred and communicated through the process of “reading” these images.
An explicit shift to digital content is one of seven suggestions made in a study by the US Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology (U.S. Department of Education, 2004).
Transitioning to Online-Only Content
It is well-known that textbooks are becoming more expensive each semester, not to mention how quickly they go out-of-date. There are numerous advantages to moving away from traditional textbooks and toward the use of educational technology and its digital content (multimedia and internet information). With the cost reductions and improved accessibility comes increased efficiency and enhanced learning possibilities for today’s internet-centric pupils.
This shift to digital information necessitates an increased emphasis on the importance of visual literacy in everyday life because of the rapid advancements in educational technology. Education professionals are only now realising the significance of helping pupils improve their visual literacy so that they can function well in today’s increasingly complicated society.
Getting Students Ready for the Real World of Work
When it comes to enhancing a student’s “capacity to sense, measure, question, understand, communicate, and learn,” educational technology is defined in the DOE study as a collection of strategic resources. Using these materials, students can become scientists rather than passive consumers of textbook-delivered content. Learning key concepts is easier for students since they have visual representations of ideas to aid in their comprehension. Rather than relying just on rote memorization, students are exposed to a wide range of tools and processes that they will use in the job as adults.
In the classroom, teaching visual literacy entails giving students with opportunities to engage in critical thinking about the images they see in the media. As part of this, it includes providing students with the skills they need to properly display their work. Increasing numbers of students are turning to instructional technology to improve their own learning experiences. Our job as educators is to make sure that students have access to it.