Visual Literacy and the Internet

Visual Literacy and the Internet 

Visual literacy can impact teaching and learning process in the classroom by allowing students to have the opportunities to embrace reading as a fun subject. The Internet will bring engagement while students are reading. A simple and free app and web-based software program is called Epic! This application of web-based allows students to read books online and even allow some books to be read out loud to students. Students could use the Internet to answer higher level questions based off an image to show their comprehension.


Visual-thinking strategies 

What emotions does this photo portray?

Visual-thinking strategies that could be used in the classroom are thought provoking images aligned to content. For example, a 6th grade standard in the state of Arizona in the science subject is natural disasters. An image that could be posted would be a picture of Hurricane Katrina and the question that could be posed would be, "What emotions does the picture portray? What safety measures could be taken in an unexpected hurricane? How could we help victims of a natural disaster?" A great idea for visual-thinking strategies would be to pose an image in the morning as bell work to allow students to use higher order thinking skills. It could be a simple image or a complex image with questions or no questions.


Role of Internet

The role I would like the Internet to play in my classroom is through blended learning. I am not yet ready to be a flipped classroom with technology, but blending the Internet daily into each subject would be nice. I would like students to be involved in discussion boards, blogging, Google classroom assignments, programs to fit into math and reading, and game based learning (Kahoot). As of right now my students are responsible and capable of using the Internet safely after I have taught digital citizenship and explained the expectations/consequences. We use Kahoot, Prodigy, Epic!, Google, Class Chatter, and ShowMe. The role of the Internet is becoming more and more involved in my classroom and I have noticed the role carries on when my students leave the classroom. My students are taking all the things they are using on the Internet and using it at home. The learning has become fun for them and they are using the role of the Internet educationally.


For more information on blended learning watch the following YouTube video.

By: Heather Murray

Instructional Strategies

Describe the importance of using a variety of instructional strategies and the value they add to education of students in the 21st century. Evaluate the role technology plays in the implementation of various instructional strategies. How will this affect your teaching of students?


We live in a world of ever changing technology. I tend to find myself as a teacher telling my students, "Well in my days we had this...or we did it this way..." and cannot believe we have come so far in technology. We are a technology dependent world for the most part. The importance of using a variety of instructional strategies is simple: ALL students learn differently and at different paces. Differentiation is the key a teacher needs in order to be successful in a diverse mainstream classroom. One way does not work for all, and having the flexibility to make changes as you go is what you need. Traditional teachers teaches to instruct and instill knowledge. A 21st century teacher teaches STUDENTS to construct their learning and instill knowledge into others. Instructional strategies add value to education because students are more motivated and given the accountability to their learning. Learning should not be through repetition or routine, it should be through experiences and instructional strategies offer experiences for the teachers and the students.

The role of technology in instructional strategies of strategic and specific. Technology is designed as a tool, not a supplement. Teachers need to know how to implement technology and where it fits. For example, note-taking is very traditional while the teacher is modeling a math skill, but technology can become a tool through an app called ShowMe. This app is an interactive whiteboard that allows the teacher or students to record voice as they speak through a problem. Each video can be saved and a student can go back to review the notes to use for future problems. I use this app for all my modeling rather than writing on a whiteboard and students will use this app to record themselves working through a problem. I will use this a chance to progress monitor students on a lesson quickly.

Technology excites my students. My teaching will not become affected in a negative way, but in a positive way. Students love when a teacher uses technology and knows about educational websites and apps they can use on their own. Technology motivates and engages students with almost 100% participation. A teacher has become the guide on the side when needed, but students become in control of their learning and their own progress with certain technology instructional strategies that are offered.