visual literacy in the classroom

http://www.zardec.net.au/keith/visual.htm
a worthwhile site to visit!
he begins by stating that visual literacy is the "ability to understand and produce visual messages"."Visual literacy includes such areas as facial expressions, body language, drawing, painting, sculpture, hand signs, street signs, international symbols, layout of the pictures and words in a textbook, the clarity of type fonts, computer images, student produced still pictures, sequences, movies or video, user friendly equipment design, critical analysis of television advertisements and many, many other things"
in speaking of some of the implications in visual literacy and the visual learners, he writes that students "need to learn how to recognize and respond to visual and print messages of humor, irony and metaphor". this is a very important skill. especially as the students get older and enter into highschool. the images that support the text they are reading, whether it's in history, science, math or english, have underlying tones and meanings. the article states that digital cameras make a huge contribution to visual literacy.
not only can they enhance lessons, tests and reports, but also record student progress, record weather (types of clouds, part of the Grade 5 science curriculum), and actually learn about photography (lighting, composition, depth of field).
perhaps, students will develop a love for photography and seek to pursue it in highschool...maybe be part of the photography club or yearbook committee!
the possible uses are endless and many more ideas are listed on the website.this site is wonderful and provides links to many, many useful resources.