Visual Literacy Through Weebly

In becoming “literate” in visual literacy, in my opinion, it means that the person is able to interpret the different visual images, objects, and actions in an environment, without limitation of one single meaning. The only difference between the traditional and my own definition is that visual literacy can have several layers of meaning, which could vary among individuals’ perspectives, because no one will have exact same experiences.  My initial thought of this type of literacy is that it is only used in advertising or marketing, but it is only one area of the wide-range of visual literacy. As I become more familiar with visual literacy, I have learned that it can also be used as strategies in other subject areas to help organize our thoughts. In other words, it is not only used to represent a concept or multiple meanings. It can also be used with written words for organization of thoughts and ideas. The Periodic Table of Visualization Methods (http://www.visual-literacy.org/periodic_table/periodic_table.html) is a useful source for identifying the types of visual literacy and how they can be used. If I were teaching students about visual literacy, I would have to make sure retrieving from their background knowledge is a habit that they always do, because it relies heavily on prior knowledge, and information that they slowly build up with academic, social, cultural, familial, linguistic, and personal experiences. In this way, they would be able to have an extended knowledge to relate and make more connections to the visuals that they observe. 

Weebly, the technology that we are using for teaching visual literacy, is useful because it has several features we can use and make it interactive for the students. Some of the useful ones are YouTube videos, web links, images, and blog posts. We can use these features to post resources and activities for students to work on. The blog posts are also effective for discussions and getting to know what the students are thinking about the activities, resources, and even articles about visual literacy. Furthermore, the blog feature allows the instructor as well as the students to make comments on one another, in which students can have the opportunity to help and explore with their classmates. These features allow students to use their different senses and skills, such as reading, writing, listening, interpreting, communication, and social skills. Some features still overlap with traditional forms of print, like reading an article, and writing responses. As I work through the features though, I feel like the students and the teacher may be too dependent on technology. Thus, some time may be needed for classroom discussion, rather than communicating through Weebly, so that students do not become more technology-oriented and less socially active in person.