Describes two hours in the life of an eight-year-old to demonstrate that children acquire information and develop language skills from multiple sources. Argues that the conceptualization of literacy must be broadened from reading and writing skills to a definition that recognizes the layering of information and that includes all forms of the…

Notes that basing composition almost exclusively on verbal instruction counters the very nature of literacy education, because the current verbal-based education system produces illiterates in this highly visual and multimodal modern society. Demonstrates composition's verbal bias; argues that this bias is both politically and rhetorically…

Presents annotations of 29 children's books that provide multiple perspectives that range from the viewpoint of the character to stories from a culture, information garnered from extensive research, insights from history, and interpretations of art. (RS)

Describes a course set up for Year 11 students using digital editing equipment to examine the audiovisual fabric of films of their choice. Investigates how the advent of digital technologies enables new kinds of reading of visual texts as well as new kinds of textual production. (NH)

Finds the current emphasis on technical accuracy and neatness in handwriting limits the role of drawing in children's construction of text. Suggests this has adverse consequences for development of pupil confidence, particularly in boys. Argues that teachers need to be more understanding of differences in the modes in which pupils choose to make…

This column is the first in a series exploring "new" expanded conceptions of literacy education. Examples of these new expanded conceptions include visual literacy, critical literacy, hypertext, media literacy, multimedia, drama, music and other less "traditional" forms of print and nonprint text. It is through discussions of these multiple…

Images can be and have been used in various ways, and by their man-made nature they cannot be considered independent of their providers' intentions. Yet, identifying such intentions is complex, and requires a critical look supported by relevant information on what is being represented, how, and why. In this article, the author illustrates some of…

Aquarium views, or AqViews, offer a glimpse into a split-phase aquatic system that is not normally afforded to terrestrial viewers. Although geologist Henry De la Beche created the AqView prototype two decades before the advent of the aquarium, this graphic type did not become popular until after the Victorian aquarium craze. We investigate the…

Developing visuals for a low-literate population is a complex process which must take education, visual literacy, culture, and way of life into account. This article describes cultural barriers to some South Africans' understanding of common pictures used to relate instructions for taking medication, and discusses tactics for modifying and…

For the thirty-seventh year, the Research and Theory Division and the Division of Instructional Design of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) sponsored the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented at the annual AECT Convention in Jacksonville, Florida. This year's Proceedings…

Educators at elementary, middle, and high school levels will find that integrating digital tools and resources--many commonly used by students in their "out of school" lives--can be a springboard to creativity and new skills. In this article, the author describes how word processors, presentation software and hardware, mind-mapping applications,…

Researchers who have investigated the public understanding of science have argued that fictional cinema and television has proven to be particularly effective at blurring the distinction between fact and fiction. The rationale for this study lies in the notion that to teach science effectively, educators need to understand how popular culture…

Art history is a hybrid discipline that combines the verbal with the visual, yet the limiting verbal approach traditionally has defined the field. Another problem at the university level is that different types of classes define visually literacy differently; for example, art education programs emphasize perceptual and cognitive angles while art…

Past uses of art reproductions in schools and mass media publications are described, along with political, economic, and aesthetic issues raised by such usage. The presentation focuses on concerns associated with present and future educational use of reproductions, whether electronic or some other form. Issues of selectivity and aesthetics are…