Studied visual literacy over 2 years in the English language arts classrooms of three Canadian middle school teachers. Teachers' previous experiences influenced their implementation of an expanded notion of literacy in English language arts, as did the influence of the university-based researcher conducting the study. (SLD)

Traces the different historical senses of the term literacy to see why it was chosen for generalization. Examines the semantic aspects of the term as currently used in three cases--scientific literacy, visual literacy, and cultural literacy. Discusses evaluative and analytic conceptions of literacy. (KEH)

Examines the relationship between art and technology by discussing the impact of television. Describes this relationship from five different perspectives. Suggests that it remains to be seen whether technology will replace the printed page and lead to a more visually and aurally receptive state. (KO)

A film appreciation exercise for use in the foreign language class is outlined. The questions involve analysis of viewer reactions, film characteristics, visual and aural production specifications, and other technical aspects of the film. (MSE)

Cameras and photography offer children a tool for investigating interesting scenes in their environments, turning them into active observers of life. The article recommends types of cameras, describes how to get children started, and presents a variety of activities to help children get the most out of a camera. (SM)

The Department of Media and Communications of the Pestalozzianum Zurich (Switzerland) develops materials for media education. This article describes a book on visual competence, a CD-ROM investigating the production and distribution of newspapers, an eight-part TV series on contributions to media education, and a multimedia package about a…

Studied infant ability to extract depth information from a three-dimensional structure. Found evidence that 8-month-old infants distinguished between lines indicating edges, and lines indicating markings, and that they are able to use line junctions to perceive line drawings as depicting three-dimensional objects in the picture plane. (Author)

Analysis of data from cooperative education students revealed a high probability that students would participate in co-op work tasks that develop general education skills in communication, visual literacy, and critical thinking. The ability to use these skills in practice is a significant outcome of cooperative education. (SK)

Examines the interplay of text, illustrations, and book design elements, using examples from children's books. Discusses the impact of book design on young readers' responses, and presents ideas for acquainting children with specific book design elements. Suggests that class activities in book design can improve children's visual and verbal…

Notes that "viewing" (acquiring and criticizing ideas visually conveyed) and "representing" (communicating ideas through various media) are being incorporated into language arts curriculum documents in Canada. Presents 72 teaching ideas (for language arts, science, and math) that encourage teachers to adopt, adapt, and…

Analyzes how a young child made sense of the stories she watched on video. Discusses how she used what was "at hand" to represent and re-represent the world; how she used repeated viewings to make sense of screen codes and conventions; and how initially watching a video in the company of an adult offered guided participation around televisual…

The Metropolitan District of Lawrence Township in Indianapolis, Indiana, needs a new model of teaching the latest technologies and strategies to teach kids. This paper presents the districts' implementation of the staff development plan. The plan focuses on enhancing teachers' abilities to teach: (a) basic literacy; (b) technological literacy; (c)…

Contemporary culture has become increasingly dependent on the visual, especially for its capacity to communicate instantly and universally. Advances in technology fueled this shift. Students must learn to cope with and intelligently contribute to a culture rife with easy access to the visually rich Web, photo dependant social networks, video…

Seventh grade students entering South East Junior High in Iowa City come from eight elementary feeder schools, as well as from schools around the world. Their information literacy skills and knowledge of reference sources vary, but since all seventh graders and new eighth graders are required to take one trimester of Visual Studies, all entering…

In an instructional message the contextual dominance is most often conveyed in the form of printed or spoken sentences. Within any sentence used in conjunction with a picture are nouns or phrases that directly relate to contextual elements within the picture. These are called referents since they refer to objects perceptible in the picture. This…