9.4: Week 9 Participation Memo

Linsey Cushing
October 19, 2007

Week 9 Reflection

Aims and Objectives:
This week, my goal was to figure out exactly what I am doing my research on and get started on my research. I also wanted to get all of my assignments finished on time, as always.

Declarative Knowledge:
This week, the majority of the information I looked at for this class involved either cochlear implants for my research or photo-visual literacy. I am learning a lot of information about cochlear implants and am planning on writing a section of my paper about general cochlear information facts. When looking at photo-visual literacy, I learned that this skill involves using graphics and icons to follow instructions rather than written text. Photo-visual literacy is being used today in video games and computer games as we learn how to play through visuals rather than written information. This form of literacy is easy to understand yet involves a good memory and critical thinking skills. Photo-visual literacy is also more interactive than graphic text. Another aspect I learned about was my project prospectus. I learned that when writing my main question, I need to be more specific in my questioning and actually put my intended point in the question. I also learned that my foundation questions need to be very specific to my main question and not be questions that could involve an entire research paper within themselves.

Procedural Knowledge:
This week, most of my focus was on obtaining knowledge rather than learning how to do something. If I had to pick one thing, I would say that I learned how to critique a project prospectus and change my research question and foundation questions into what I actually want to research. This was done by attending a conference with my professor and comparing my actual research question to my tentative point, discovering the difference between the two, and formulating a question that will involve my tentative point. After this, I had to formulate new foundation questions that would answer my main question.

Conditional Knowledge:
This week, I mainly learned that my original project prospectus needed some major improvements in order to portray what I actually intended for it to say. My main question was very general and did not ask what I wanted it to, which I discovered when I had my conference. I now realize how hard it is to formulate a question that is accurate when researching. However, after my conference, I had a much better idea and plan and I am ready to research! By reading more about photo-visual literacy, I realized that visual graphics are more important than ever and these will become the forerunners in education in the future. Within our digital society, photo-visual skills are essential for success. I think this is great because, as I said in my reflection on photo-visual literacy, icons and pictures do not have a language barrier. By enforcing photo-visual skills, we are making our world even more of a global community. As a student, the information I obtained this week is very useful in helping me to plan my research paper for this class and also for research in the future. I now realize that I should sharpen my photo-visual literacy skills so that I can keep up with our digital society. As a pre -professional, the photo-visual information was very useful because I could use icons and graphics on the computer during therapy so that my clients will be interested and can relate to the information I’m trying to teach them. As a citizen, this information is valuable because not everyone is photo-visually literate, so I could help others to understand this skill and make them feel like they are part of a global community.

9.1: Photo-Visual Literacy

Linsey Cushing
October 19, 2007

Photo-Visual Literacy

As society evolves digitally, the skills that we need in order to succeed are changing as well. Some of these skills did not necessarily exist before everything was done digitally. However, we are now realizing that such skills play a vital role in our success in the digital world. One of the new skills that has emerged through the digital age is photo-visual literacy. Photo-visual literacy involves using graphics and visuals rather than written words to follow directions. As we move from books to computers, we are moving from typed instruction to icons that indicate instructions. This is especially apparent when looking at computer games and video games that are so popular among young children. Typed directions are rarely the way that players discover how to play a game. Rather, the player uses icons and graphics to guide himself or herself through the game. When compared to literacy of graphic text, photo-visual literacy is easier to learn yet is still intuitive. Photo-visual literacy involves more visualization skills, more interactivity, and less time required to reach proficiency. As stated by Eshet-Alkalai , photo-visual literacy as applied today is basically an evolution of the picture communication used thousands of years ago in ancient cultures (2004).

Although I had never really thought about it, I agree that this skill exists and that it is essential in understanding today’s computer-based society. Because of its ease to understand, photo-visual literacy is appealing to all ages. It is also interesting to younger people because it involves graphics and icons that are appeasing to the eye rather than regular text. The fact that this makes the programs more interactive also adds appeal. I think that this ‘new’ type of literacy will change the way that schools educate children in the future. Already, schools are starting to teach very young children how to access the Internet and provide exciting computer programs that are educational yet fun. For example, my cousin who is in first grade was showing me how they taught her to see the globe at night by searching Google for pictures. Photo-visual literacy could even change the way that schools teach children how to read in the future. I think that graphics and icons will be used to facilitate learning how to read and write. In fact, this also is already being used because phonetically, children are learning to connect certain sounds with pictures. For example, when I observed a speech-language pathologist in a private practice, she used a computer program that required the child to repeat certain sounds when clicking on different icons. Because of the colorful, moving visuals, children see this as something fun rather than “work” and are therefore more willing to participate and learn.

Photo-visual literacy will definitely have an impact on the way that people learn in the future. I think that we will rely less and less on typed text and more on icons and graphics to express ourselves because icons and graphics do not have language barriers. Instead, anyone can understand a visual representation of something without having to know a certain ‘language.’ The language of photo-visual literacy is universal and represents a more unified future for all. As the world becomes intertwined due to digitalization, photo-visual literacy is an essential aspect that will unite us and educate us to become part of a larger community.

References

Aviram, A. & Eshet-Alkalai, Y. (2006). Towards a theory of digital literacy: Three scenarios for the next step. European Journal of Open Distance and E-Learning. Retrieved October 19, 2007, from http://www.eurodl.org/materials/contrib/2006/Aharon_Aviram.htm

Eshet-Alkalai, Y. (2004). Digital literacy: A conceptual framework for survival skills in the digital era. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 13(1), 93-106. Retrieved October 19, 2007, from the ERIC database.

Eshet-Alkalai, Y., & Amichai-Hamburger, Y. (2004, August). Experiments in digital literacy. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 7(4), 421-429.