Discusses the meaning and importance of symbolism in photocomposition. (RB)

Explores four arguments for an expanded definition of literacy to include the multimedia language of the screen. Describes efforts to develop this literacy in students at the Institute for Multimedia Literacy at the Annenberg Center of the University of Southern California. (EV)

Care providers can help develop visual literacy in school-age children by taking children on trips to local art museums and television stations and by having children produce their own low-cost photographs, color slides, or film strips. Provides detailed directions for making slides from magazine photographs and new film strips from old film. (MDM)

Teachers can use comics for reading instruction by capitalizing on their colorful graphic representation. Technology and reading are wed during the use of the Internet, and readers must rely on their visual literacy skills--a group of vision competencies people can hone for comprehension. This article reports on strategies for developing visual…

Kristien Marquez-Zenkov and James A. Harmon encouraged urban students to take photographs that illustrate the purposes of school, factors that support success in school, and barriers to success. The authors analyzed students' photos and written reflections on the photos to form recommendations regarding teaching approaches that encourage students'…

Like other literacies (textual literacy, numeracy), digital visual literacy (DVL) is the ability both to create and to understand certain types of information, in this case visual materials created with a computer. DVL is now essential in many daily life and workplace tasks, from looking critically at newspaper images or TV evening news to using a…

In addition to surveying the writings of Henry Holmes Smith, this paper explains his importance as a theoretician and practitioner of photography. After a discussion of Smith's ideas on "reading photographs" and his concerns with the ethics of photography, particularly of photojournalism, the essays in the book, "Henry Holmes Smith:…

The concept of visual literacy as a performance criterion is briefly considered and difficulties inherent in such a concept are discussed. Previous work in the area of visual literacy is selectively and critically reviewed, noting recurrent problems in research methodology. A rationale is then presented for conducting research which would be…

Partnership between industry and education is important in establishing programs in visual literacy. The field is likely to become better established as the result of the formation of the Conference on Visual Literacy as a permanent group. However, as yet very little is known concretely about research and demonstration on this subject. Green…

Reviews historical thinking about visual literacy; addresses the issue of setting visual literacy's parameters; provides a rationale linking individuals in an otherwise multidisciplinary movement; proposes a redefinition of visual literacy; and postulates proposals designed to foster further development and understanding of the theoretical…

A model is proposed that organizes factors related to visual function into three dimensions: visual abilities, available resources and past experiences, and environmental cues. The model is explained to be useful in determining how to elicit visual behaviors or maximize visual function in persons with low vision. (Author/CL)

Discusses the difficulties directors face when trying to capture Shakespeare's plays on film, citing Polanski's "Macbeth," Brook's "Lear," and Zeffirelli's "Romeo and Juliet" as examples. (RB)