Reflective Blog 2

How can visual literacy and the use of the Internet impact the teaching and learning process in the classroom? 

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Visual literacy is the ability to understand the information presented in the form of images.  The image above gives a great overview of this.  Visual literacy takes information from an image and breaks it down so students understand it more easily.  
Our classrooms today are made up of a diverse group of learners from different cultures, with different life experiences and with different learning styles.  As educators, we need to make sure each of the students in our classes have the skills necessary to succeed in the 21st century.  Students are growing up in a visual world and a digital world.  We need to make sure that they understand the deeper meaning of the visuals that they encounter and know the latest technology and how to apply it in real life situations.

What are some visual-thinking strategies you would like to use in your classroom? 

The You Tube Video below discusses visual-thinking strategies that are used with Kindergarten.  This teacher does a great tube explaining how she uses visual-thinking strategies in her classroom.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNI1IouvpPM

I use a lot of visuals in my classroom that enhance my students' day and learning.  I would like to use more visuals to enhance their critical thinking skills, to convey information in a better way and to help make the connections between visuals and that they may mean in relationship to the world around them.

What role do you want the Internet to play in your classroom?

I want the Internet to be an engaging and interactive resource that will enhance the learning process.  The Internet can be a valuable tool for research, virtual field trips, creating a variety of projects using different tools, viewing tutorials, for collaborating and communication.  I want my students to be very comfortable using the Internet to help them become successful in using 21st century skills that will apply to life in the real world.

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