VISUAL PRINCIPLES
THE ROLE OF VISUALS IN INSTRUCTION
- One role that visuals definitely play is to provide a concrete referent for ideas.
- Visuals can simplify information that is difficult to understand.
- visuals provide a redundant channel; that is, when accompanying spoken or written verbal information they present that information in a different modality, giving some learners a chance to comprehend visually what they might miss verbally.
VISUAL LITERACY
Consider the sorts of visuals that are used every day for important communication purposes, such as the emergency information cards in airplanes or highway signs that warn of dangerous curves or obstructions.
Visual literacy can be developed through two major approaches
- Input strategies. Helping learners to decode, or "read," visuals proficiently by practicing visual analysis skills (e.g., through picture analysis and discussion of multimedia and video programs).
- Output strategies. Helping learners to encode, or "write," visuals-to express themselves and communicate with others (e.g., through planning and producing photo and video presentations).
Decoding: Interpreting Visuals
- Developmental Effects, many variables affect how a learner decodes a visual. Prior to the age of 12, children tend to interpret visuals section by section rather than as a whole.
- Cultural Effects, the act of decoding visuals may be affected by the viewer's cultural background. Different cultural groups may perceive visual materials in different ways.
- Visual Preferences, in selecting visuals, teachers have to make appropriate choices between the sorts of visuals that are preferred and those that are most effective.
Encoding: Creating Visuals
Another route to visual literacy is through student creation of visual presentations. Just as writing can spur reading, producing media can be a highly effective way of understanding media.
VISUAL LITERACY EDUCATION
“Visual Education“, the district's curriculum guide, encourages teachers to consider visual learning styles and emphasizes the importance of visuals in developing creativity and critical thinking skills
GOALS OF VISUAL DESIGN
Good visual design tries to achieve at least four basic goals in terms of improving communication:
- Ensure legibility.
- Reduce the effort required to interpret the message.
- Increase the viewer's active engagement with the message.
- Focus attention on the most important parts of the message.
PROCESSES OF VISUAL DESIGN
Teachers, designers, and others who create visual and verbal/visual displays face a series of design decisions about how to arrange the elements to achieve their goals. We will group these decisions into three sets:
- Elements: Selecting and assembling the verbal/visual elements to incorporate into the display
- Pattern: Choosing an underlying pattern for the elements ofthe display
- Arrangement: Arranging the individual elements within the underlying pattern
Elements
- Visual Elements can be subdivided into three categories: realistic, analogic, and organizational (Houghton & Willows, 1987).Including: Realistic visuals, Analogic visuals and Organizational visuals.
- Verbal Elements. Most displays incorporate some type of verbal information in addition to visuals such as: letter style, Number of lettering style, Capitals, Color of lettering, Size of lettering, Spacing between letters, and Spacing between lines.
- Elements That Add Appeal Let's look at three devices for making displays more appealing: surprise, texture, and interaction
Pattern
The major factors that affect the overall look are
- alignment
- shape
- balance
- style
- color scheme
- color appeal
Arrangement
- Proximity
- Directionals
- Figure-Ground Contras
- Consistency
VISUAL PLANNING TOOLS
This chapter emphasizes the design decisions that you must make, not the technical steps involved in the pro- duction processes. These skills grow with practice, and with practice you will find yourself thinking visually more often as you grapple with in- structional problems.
- Storyboard
- Types of Letters
- Drawing, Sketching, and Cartooning
DIGITAL IMAGES
Digital imaging allows users to capture, edit; display, share, and network still and video images. The technology makes the process very easy for both teachers and students.
- Digital Cameras
- Scanners
- Photo CDs
- Caution When Editing Images
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