Week 11 Reflection Question

1.What is visual literacy? Where and when is it learned? Why is it important? Contrast Internet broadcasts, live cams, and Net meetings. How can each of these Internet-based video technologies be used in teaching and learning?



Visual literacy is the particular set of skills that allows the viewer to accurately interpret the visuals (colors, sizes, logos, symbols) necessary for functioning effectively in our society.

Children acquire visual literacy skills through learning experiences of all kinds. The experiences can take place within or outside of the classroom and are not necessarily subject dependent. With most people, a strong, effective visual literacy is developed by young adulthood. Visual literacy is very important for children because it provides them with the understanding of specific visuals to allow them to succeed in a society dominated by charts, symbols, signs and logos.

Live internet broadcasts of events and performances utilize video streaming that compresses and plays back digital video while it is being received by a video player software that is suited for such. These video software are often free for download from various sources. These live broadcasts are a great way to allow a class to experience, for example, a Shakespearean play from a popular theatrical group being performed across the country. More and more important events and performances are beginning to be broadcasted on the internet for viewing, making it possible to see these events nearly anywhere.

Live internet cams are just that. A live filming camera is connected to an internet that is available for viewing at any point in which the camera is active. The viewer sees exactly what the camera does (approximately) when the camera does. These live cams can be particularly useful in settings such as a science classroom. Some of the larger zoos and aquariums will set up live internet cameras in certain animal enclosures. These can be accessed by a class to view the animal in a naturalistic environment.

Internet meetings are another method of utilizing live internet visuals. With monitors and cameras, people in offices or classrooms can conduct live meetings with each other over a closed connection that only each can see and hear. With internet meetings, a class can meet with another class in another city, state or even country. This is a fantastic way to diversify one's classroom and gain insight from teachers and students from others places in the world.