Contends that history teachers should help students develop critical viewing and thinking skills about visual images. Discusses the emerging practice of blurring the lines between entertainment and information in television, films, and other visual presentations. Provides two sets of questions to help students analyze documentaries, television…

Investigating the effects of computer paint programs, the authors observed two groups of first and fourth graders--one using crayons and word processors, the other using a paint program and word processors. Discusses student collaboration, visual/verbal literacy, creativity, advantages and disadvantages, and paint programs in the classroom. A…

This study explores the usefulness of an online platform for capturing field experiences of inservice teachers enrolled in a graduate level literacy course. Four lessons related to the online field experience are offered: (1) instructors cannot adequately assess teachers without visual examples; (2) teachers and instructors need detailed…

The introduction of affordable multimedia computers with CD-ROM capacity, videocassette recorders, and connections to the Internet and the World Wide Web have expanded opportunities to help society develop visual literacy. Art images are a natural choice for the teaching of visual literacy. At Northern Illinois University, a course was added in…

This paper provides background information on the goals, application process, and funding of the Ohio SchoolNet Plus initiative. Through SchoolNet Plus, school districts are allocated funds to provide one computer workstation for every five children in grades K-4, as well as funds for software and professional development for teachers. Since the…

Visual learning has long been recognized as an integral process in educating biology undergraduates, who must develop specific visual skills and knowledge in order to communicate and work in the extensive visual culture shared by practicing biologists. Student experiences with field observations and the development and application of verbal/visual…

The purpose of this study was: (1) to look at the design, aesthetics, and functionality of educational and noneducational Web pages from the perspective of visual literacy; and (2) to evaluate printed and online materials that are used as resources by professionals and nonprofessionals to create these Web pages. These "how to" manuals…

This study applies reader-response criticism to investigate subject positions of gender, age, ethnicity, and profession through the poststructural analysis of an art work entitled "A Book from the Sky," and examines the relationship among viewer, text (the art work), and artist. A description of the art work is provided as an…

Given the role science and technology play in economic and social development in today's world, scientific and technological literacy must be given priority as an essential component of basic education. The significance of the visual component of literacy has increased with advances in technology and picture and image usage. The United Nations…

This investigation of the potential of a Logo environment to develop visual literacy skills in elementary school students focused on the recognition of Escher-type geometric constructions by second and sixth grade students. Four research questions were addressed: (1) whether students can use higher-order and creative thinking skills in using…

Some steps toward the integration of media and visual literacy across the curriculum of secondary school classrooms are described, focusing on a project in Pennsylvania that uses collaborative processes to involve educators at secondary and higher levels in the design, development, and implementation of a statewide integrated framework for visual…

The development of a visual literacy facility, the Creative Visual Lab, at the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University (New York) is described. The facility was designed to provide students with the instruction that would develop their computer proficiency and visual sensitivity without being, in itself, completely…

Using the resources in this curriculum guide, teachers will be able to develop highly individualized programs of studio experiences that will meet the needs of interested students at all levels of secondary education. The guide suggests that students have direct contact with the various forms, dimensions, and media of the visual and plastic arts.…

With the importance of imagery in our culture and the increasing access to both digital images and the tools used to manipulate them, it is important that social studies teacher educators prepare preservice teachers to provide their students with opportunities to develop a critical lens through which to view images. As we strive to encourage the…

Noting that many elements of the English classroom--printed books, paper, pens, and typewriters--now considered indispensable were once innovations in technology, the articles in this focused journal issue explore the impact of electronic technologies on the English classroom and how to adapt those technologies to instruction. The essays deal with…