Technology: Supporting the Teaching of Visual Literacy Pat Auger Univ. of West Ga. MEDT 8484 Fall, 2010
Transcript
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Technology: Supporting the Teaching of Visual Literacy Pat
Auger Univ. of West Ga. MEDT 8484 Fall, 2010
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Abstract The ability of students to be visually literate is
essential to their overall learning, and the use of technology can
enhance the instruction and acquisition of this vital capability.
This project examines the effectiveness of technology when combined
with the teaching of visual literacy.
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The qualitative research provides a definition of visual
literacy and examples of successful technologies and tools which
can aid in classroom training. Data has been collected from
published research and includes narratives and case studies.
Student responses and products will demonstrate the effectiveness
of visual literacy lessons that have incorporated technology.
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Research Project Click on titles to link to documents.
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Introduction Power & emotion Learned skill Definition
Questions to ask New challenges Will technology help?
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Intro Reflection The introduction was one of the easiest parts
of the project to complete. Visual literacy is a broad subject and
the most difficult task in writing the intro was deciding what not
to include. It is also a very interesting subject about which I am
passionate. Initial comments from classmates were encouraging as to
the topic selection and that it related to and supported their
topics.
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Literature Review
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Literature Reflection The fifteen articles were helpful in
providing excellent definitions of VL, lesson suggestions and
examples of the use of technology. The articles were often
pertinent to other classmates topics and encouraged a number of
conversations. As I narrowed the topic to the use of technology to
support the teaching of VL, I was able to find qualitative studies
that had incorporated a technology into the curriculum. However, I
was unable to find quantitative studies which would provide data
for my research.
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Problem Statement Two revisions later - finally a statement..
How can technology support the teaching of visual literacy to
students? VL can be learned; Teachers can use variety of
technologies to teach VL and model use for students; Comprehension
& critical thinking skills grow.
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Problem Statement Reflection It seemed to take weeks to
pinpoint my problem statement. There was so much information
covering a broad range of topics within the subject area that it
was difficult to narrow it down. After suggestions from classmates
and Dr. Baylen, I was able to narrow the problem statement down to
the effectiveness of technology on the teaching of visual literacy.
It added the technology component and yet remained general enough
to reflect the available research.
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Methods Overview Qualitative research method Grounded theory
provided the method for developing a theory from collected,
analyzed data. Characteristics include: fit when theory must fit
the real-world data; understandable to everyone and generality that
applies the theory to a large audience. Qualitative data will be
collected from narratives, interviews, open-ended questions and
responses from students and teachers. Johnson & Christensen,
2008
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Methods Reflection The articles and research I gathered was
qualitative and my research would be also. The articles were filled
with narratives, interviews and examples of incorporating visual
literacy and technology into lessons. I initially had difficulty
incorporating quantitative data into a qualitative study. I could
have structured my data collection differently, but felt that the
student responses and products would suffice to demonstrate
understanding, critical thinking skills and incorporation of visual
design principles learned in the lessons.
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Data Collection Direct observation, open-ended questions,
interviews and narratives are popular methods of collecting data in
a grounded theory research plan. I used each of these in my
project. I plan to survey teachers and interview them, observe and
record responses of students when teaching a visual literacy
lesson, interview the students, and compile the data for analysis.
The ongoing interplay of data and researcher utilizes the constant
comparative method (Johnson & Christensen, 2008).
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Collection Reflection At this point, I was feeling pressure to
provide quantitative data for the project. It seemed like a
necessary evil and everyone else was including it in their
projects! As I worked through the lesson plan (which changed weekly
for a while), I became convinced that I could obtain the data I
needed to support the problem statement without using a control and
variable arrangement.
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I believe the initial assessment given to the students will
provide a baseline of what they know about advertisement designs
and their final product (using a rubric) will reflect an
improvement of their skills and knowledge.
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Data Collection Tools Surveys & Assessments Interviews
Teachers and students Open-ended questions Discussions Student
Reflections Student Products The ongoing interplay of data and
researcher utilizes the constant comparative method which deepens
the understanding of the research subject. Johnson &
Christensen, 2008
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Data Tools Reflection After deciding how to approach the
lesson, it was fairly easy to incorporate tools for data collection
in the plan. All of the tools that I plan to use were ones that
were used in the literature and supported a qualitative study. I
discovered a number of assessment tools that I was able to adapt
and incorporate into my lesson plans.
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The first tool is an assessment chart to use with a lesson
about advertising deconstruction reflecting what they know about
design principles. They are a key component of visual literacy and
this is administered at the beginning of the lesson. Student
responses and discussions throughout the lesson will be noted and
transcribed to provide a picture of how well they are understanding
and internalizing the lesson concepts. A rubric will guide them in
the design of their final product.
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Data Analysis Grounded theory uses three stages to analyze
data: open coding, axial coding and selective coding. Data is
analyzed by examining transcripts of interviews, discussions and
student responses to name and categorize elements to support the
research statement. This method of analysis allows for ongoing
discoveries of supporting data. Johnson & Christensen,
2008
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Data Analysis Reflection Being mathematically challenged, this
was a difficult area for me to understand and put into a project.
After some additional time with the text, I think I have a handle
on it and have put the appropriate analysis tool with the correct
assessment. Much of my data will be straightforward, but the
transcriptions and notes requiring coding may present some
difficulty. Analysis will be easier to accomplish as the data is
categorized and charted.
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Timeline Conducting the research plan will include: Weeks 1 -
4: Surveys to teachers; interviews conducted; results compiled.
Weeks 5 - 6: Design subject appropriate lessons; schedule classes;
prepare materials. Weeks 7 10: Teaching classes; data collection;
student interviews; evaluate student products. Weeks 11 12: Analyze
data; compile results Week 13: Present results to staff.
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Timeline Reflection I am anticipating that this timeframe would
accommodate the needs of the research plan. The teacher survey will
help me determine who is interested in collaborating and having me
conduct the research in their class. The interviews with the
teachers will be valuable in assessing the teachers knowledge of
visual literacy and their use of technology.
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After the plans are finalized, I will be able to design a
lesson plan that will be appropriate for that subject. I will have
to use a consistent lesson plan with each discipline, but may need
to tie it to the subject matter differently. Depending on the
number of classes I am able to teach, I should have time to collect
and analyze the data and then present the results to the staff in
the allotted time.
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Concluding Summary Beneficial for life Technology enhances
Easily access Proven effectiveness
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Summary Reflection As I finished my project, I was already
thinking of ways to change or improve it. As the project evolved,
certain ideas became obsolete and others gained importance. Input
from classmates was especially helpful in challenging my process
and clarifying my goals. Most importantly, I really believe that
visual literacy it an important skill for all students to attain.
Technology is a tool that can greatly enhance and promote it in the
classroom. This project will show that it is an valuable tool in
advancing visual literacy skills.
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References Resources for this project include twenty books,
journal articles and websites that were invaluable in conducting
this research.
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Reference Reflection The references that I used were excellent
in providing in providing the necessary information and examples of
visual literacy integration and training. The biggest problem was
narrowing the articles down to a manageable number and then just
getting on with the plan. I was continually reminded of Huffs
admonishment to quit reading and start writing (Huff, 2009)!
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Appendices The appendices include examples of items to be used
in the research project. It includes: 1.A survey for teachers to
indicate their interest in participating in the project. 2.Student
advertisement assessment form for initial evaluation of their
knowledge of good design principles. 2.A rubric for the final
multimedia product to showcase their understanding of the lesson
and their use of technology to present their ideas.
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Appendices Reflection The items in the appendix are generic so
they can be adapted to the needs of the different subject areas in
which the lesson might be presented. I do not anticipate much
change to them, but they could be easily adapted to a particular
lesson. When I narrowed my lesson to reviewing advertisements for
an ad campaign (cigarettes, for example), it was easier to focus on
the assessment tools. I think this will be a useful, engaging
subject to introduce visual literacy to a class.
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Presentation References Avgerinou, M. (2009). Reviewing Visual
Literacy in the Bain d Images Era. Tech Trends: Linking Research
& Practice to Improve Learning, 53(2), 28-34. Retrieved from
Academic Search Complete. Huff, A. (2009). Designing research for
publication. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. Johnson,
B., & Christensen, L. (2008). Educational research:
quantitative, qualitative, and mixed approaches. (3 rd ed.).
Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc. Thibault, M. & Walbert,
D., (2003). Reading images: an introduction to visual literacy.
LearnNC, 2005. Retrieved from
http://www.learnc.orghttp://www.learnc.org Zambo, D. (2009). Using
visual literacy to help adolescents understand how images influence
their lives. Teaching Exceptional Children 41(6), 60-67. Retrieved
from EBSCO database.