Educational Insights
University of San Jorge (Venue in the city centre): Calle San Voto, 6-8 50003 Zaragoza, Spain
Study of Publishing Patterns in Visual Literacy and Education View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Corinne Kennedy
Before textual literacy became common, humans used images to communicate meaning and provide context so one can recognize meaning through images which is now known as visual literacy (VL). W.J.T. Mitchell in 1992 began to formulate his theory on the Pictorial Turn in an interview with ArtForum International and published his manifesto Picture Theory two years later in 1994. Mitchell explained this turn as a return to images, a renewed interest in using images to communicate. As technology advanced, allowing for quick access to images, teaching shifted from lecture-based learning to the use of images to develop communication, memory, and critical thinking skills. The author describes her study of publishing patterns in visual literacy and education in different disciplines at all grade levels. The paper also present examples of how numerous disciplines utilize images to teach visual literacy in the classroom.
Cross-cultural Interventions to Address Visual Plagiarism: A Collaborative Pedagogical Case Study
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Corinne Kennedy, Lisa Winstanley
Visual plagiarism is a common occurrence in art and design education, yet many people do not fully understand the meaning. Most people recognize the term appropriation from their familiarity with Andy Warhol’s popular silkscreens in which he used photographs, logos, and advertisements well-known in popular culture; however, many other nuanced considerations should be examined by those who are involved in the production and consumption of images. To circumvent this issue, two international faculty, one a teaching professor based in Singapore and the other a librarian from the USA, provide insights on their pedagogical approaches to addressing visual plagiarism. This paper reviews how the two educators collaborated to develop content for a multicultural, multidisciplinary audience focusing on the moral and ethical implications of image creation and utilization. Firstly, we introduce the Cut & Paste toolkit, developed as part of an active learning workshop for undergraduate students. Secondly, we introduce a digital resource developed to provide an easy-to-access reference resource for students and faculty. The guide reaches a greater audience outside academia as they are available online. The librarian, who has taught the proper use of images and citation to teach the community the ethical use of images, has incorporated the Cut & Paste kit as an addition to her teaching on image use and citation. Finally, we review how these resources have impacted their respective environments and how we might develop and steer these tools towards achieving a more ethical and academically integrous model of art and design practice.
The Power of the Image: Transforming Educational Practices View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Siu Challons-Lipton
From petroglyphs on cave walls to pictures posted on Facebook walls, images are part of our world. Today’s college students represent the first generation who have been raised in an environment of graphic-driven technology. From birth, they have been exposed to an image-rich environment. Portable devices, graphic interfaces, and visual content are an integral part of the lifestyle of today’s youth – the digital learners. Today’s college students are referred to as the digital generation, even as visual experts, and that they prefer their graphics over their text. But are they visually literate and to what degree? Educators have an urgent challenge to transform lazy looking into visual proficiency. Students need to learn visually, and teachers need to learn to teach visually. Leonardo da Vinci, in recognizing the impossibility of recording volumes of data, translated words into drawings. Visual Illiteracy damages a society as significantly as illiteracy of the written word. This paper offers a reconceptualization of the value of visual literacy in learning for today’s college student and their ability to recognize and understand meaning from images.
