Blog 2 prompt: Visual Literacy and Internet strategies

Visual literacy and the Internet if used can impact the classroom by bringing lessons to life through multimedia use and collaborative exercises.  In order for students to become visually literate, they must be able to analyze and interpret the media and be adept at producing visual media also.  The impact on teaching comes in the form of the paradigm shift from highly text based learning to a more visual multimedia learning approach which mimics how students interact with information in the twenty-first century.  Teachers must know all varieties of visual media and when it is appropriate to use them. 

Internet usage also has an impact on teaching.  The Internet can be used dynamically during class to fill in gaps of research information through the use of Smartboard technology. This can teach students research skills that include searching out bias,verifying authenticity, identifying and citing rhetorical devices.  The Internet can lend an immediate feel to the educational process.  In a lab setting tools like Faronic's Insight can allow instructors to show one students screen to all students. Collaborative applications like Edmodo, Wikispaces, Schoology, Blogger.com, and Google class can be used through the Internet in for assignments that demand students work in groups.  The Internet can allow for virtual field trips including the incorporation of google glass.  The use of the Internet is not without pitfalls. For example, without control, students can navigate to inappropriate sites. Even with District supported filtering valuable time can be wasted.  Instructors can mitigate this through the use of Programs like Faronic's Insight which allows for control over sites that students can visit.  I use the program and have approved site lists that help me stop the problem before it happens. The Internet can also be used for assessment purposes. Edmodo, Schoology can be used by  teachers to delivers every type of assessment possible.  Essay assessment programs like MyAccess and Holt Online offer auto grading of essays.  Overall, use of the Internet via laptops, desktops, or mobile devices can really modernize classroom operations as long as it is embraced by tech savvy teachers.