Show What They Know
In today’s society we are inundated with “InfoPics,” also know as digital posters, memes and infographics. They are a visual forms of communication. Dr. Robert E Horn of Stanford University defines them as “…the tight integration of words and visual elements and as having characteristics that distinguish it (visual language) as a separate communication tool…”
Research demonstrates the powerful impact that using visuals has on our ability to learn. 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, according to the Visual Teaching Alliance.
Imagine the impact we can have on students’ learning by incorporating both text and visual elements. Dr Robert E Horn explains, “When words and visual elements are closely intertwined, we create something new and we augment our communal intelligence.” Using text with imagery is tied together nicely in Allan Paivio’s theory called, “Dual Coding.”
Clearly, we know that visual language has had a powerful impact upon our society, but why incorporate it into the classroom? Dr. Wesley Fryer of showwithmedia.com, has the answer(s.) He offers up 10 reasons why to use InfoPics. One of the reasons he gives is, “Bringing together images and text to effectively communicate an idea concisely can be ‘hard fun:’ Challenging in an engaging way.” Rather than the teacher creating and delivering InfoPics, let’s engage our students and have them demonstrate their learning of the content we are teaching.
There are many tech tools to choose from across many platforms, but one in particular is a hidden gem that schools with G-Suite have access to. Enter Google Drawings hidden in Google Drive beyond Docs, Slides and Presentations. Google Drawings is often overlooked because of its simplicity. It offers the ability to combine shapes, text and images.
Let’s give our students the opportunity to literally show what they know!
Resources:
InfoPics: A Work Flow
Visual Thinking with Google Drawings