The Foundations of Visual Literacy

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The Foundations of Visual Literacy

• Rob Molek - February 2001

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When did Visual Literacy Become a Literacy?

• Technology invades population with images
• Common person can create and manipulate images
• When learning styles were recognized
• Brain research demonstrated new cognitive areas

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Early Pioneers

• Film producers
• Kodak
• John (Jack) V. Debbs
• Jim Sucy
• International Visual Literacy Association
• Visual Scholars Program - University of Iowa
• University of Indiana

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Early Areas of Focus

• Brain research - demo The Brain - THE BRAIN
  SOFTWARE
• Students creating and manipulating images
• Washington Junior High in Iowa City

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Research Areas

• Linguistics, especially sign language
• Psychology
• Photography/Video Production
• Art
• Social Sciences
• Education

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Initial Instruction Areas

• Manipulating Pictures
• Photography
• Video
• Art
• Computers Software

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Personal Research Focus

• Gender differences in the manipulation of
  graphics - VIDEO TAPE
• Gertrudes Secrets - 7 to 11 year olds completing
  a matrix of shapes/colors
• Significant differences

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Challenges for Visual Literacy

• Formalizing what many people view as natural
  skills
• What are the skills?
• How can a verbal-based teaching profession become
  proficient in teaching visual learning?
• Legitimizing Visual Literacy/Learning

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Key Example of Educational Computer Applications

• Tabletop Jr. - SOFTWARE
• Tabletop - SOFTWARE

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Future for Visual Learning - Reading Visual
Images

• Imaging representations of content- Library
  content depicted as a city
• Animations representing the changes in
  information over time
• Reading of visual information - e.g. Reading
  X-rays and Cat Scans is not formally taught to
  doctors

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Future for Visual Learning - Creating Images

• Tremendous impact of technologies
• The advantages of visual depictions of
  information by common user
• Manipulation of images to convey understanding
• Manipulation of images to convey a new idea