2021 Visual Literacy in the Virtual Realm

Visual Literacy in the Virtual Realm: The Book of Selected Readings 2021 (eds. J. Lee, S. Christensen, S.Beene, X. Chen, and W. Huang) Table of Contents Cover Art i Selected Readings Editorial Philosophy iii Editorial Team iv Juried Papers (listed in alphabetical order by first author) The Color Pile: Equitable Self-Expression Through Color and Abstraction 1 Kathryn de Laszlo The “Shaken Photos” Project as a Stimulus for Developing Creative Thinking with Preschoolers 13 Katerina Dermata Supporting Visual Literacy in Nursing 20 Jacqueline Fleming Library Exhibitions and Visual Literacy 30 Patti Gibbons Carol Ng-He A Visual Design Framework and Assessment to Inform Instruction 39 Sarah Huber Sivanand Puliyadi Ravi Visual Encounters with the Past: Teaching Visual Literacy to Enhance Historical and Cultural Understanding 53 Peggy Keeran Katherine Crowe Jennifer Bowers Visuals that Portray a Wind Farm 68 Mary Le Rouge Visual Literacy and Virtual Rephotography. 81 Gary McLeod Virtual Construction Kits 94 Nikolay Selivanov

The Color Pile: Equitable Self-Expression Through Color and Abstraction Kathryn de Laszlo Visual literacy and visual resources educator, USA Abstract The Color Pile is a visual tool transported from the author’s art-student context, and builds on the teaching model of Connie Smith Siegel and the Color Contrast work of Johannes Itten. As re-positioned, it offers a novel path to eliciting student narratives and point of view in language-dependent learning settings. Can this playful exercise support the clear articulation of complex ideas and help generate descriptive language? The Color Pile process moves from prompt to reflection to abstract visual composition, and resolves in a verbal, written or drawn reflection. Color and abstraction may help students gain access to their full capacities for complex thought and self-expression. Could this approach provide differently equitable support for student-produced narratives and descriptive language than is afforded by viewing representational imagery? Direct observations of middle school students using the Color Pile suggest the method could be meaningful to a diverse audience of teachers and learners. Its usefulness in a broad spectrum of language-oriented learning settings is considered. Keywords: Multimodal literacy, personal narrative, culturally responsive teaching, lived experience, expressive color Read the chapter here

Supporting Visual Literacy in Nursing Jacqueline Fleming Indiana University, USA Amy Minix Indiana University, USA Abstract COVID-19 impacted in person learning, particularly for the health sciences. Nursing students learn valuable clinical skills in simulation labs on campus. When one university campus stopped in person instruction during the 2020 spring semester, two librarians worked together to identify resources to support a nursing course that quickly switched to remote learning. These resources ranged from library licensed content to free virtual reality simulations. In order to identify materials, the librarians first defined visual literacy within nursing, as well as met with various constituents to understand curriculum goals and needs. Making connections with both the faculty and the curriculum was the impetus for examining similarities between the Association of College and Research Libraries Visual Literacy Competency Standards and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Clinical Resources Essentials for Baccalaureate Nursing Education. Both librarians are eager to continue working on strategically and systematically incorporating visual literacy library instruction into the nursing curriculum. Keywords: Visual Literacy, Nursing Education, Health Sciences, Virtual Reality Read the full chapter here

Library Exhibitions and Visual Literacy  Patti Gibbons University of Chicago, USA Carol Ng-He University of Chicago, USA Abstract Library exhibitions showcase collections and can be laboratories where users apply key visual literacy skills, such as making close observations, practicing interpretation, and challenging assumptions. Library exhibitions facilitate self-directed inquiry and have a wide pedagogical range. At academic libraries, faculty include exhibition curation and viewing in their curriculum to promote scholarship and activism. Public libraries use exhibitions to cultivate civic interest and encourage intergenerational and multi-cultural learning. Across settings, exhibition experiences support visual learning, prompt critical thinking, and mobilize change. Through examining contemporary library engagement models such as the American College and Research Library’s Visual Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, this paper provides examples of exhibits that illustrate ACRL’s visual literacy benchmarks. Additionally, the paper provides a brief overview of recommendations for partnering with libraries to expand opportunities for visual learning. Keywords: Association of College and Research Libraries, curation, engagement practices, library exhibitions, visual literacy Read the full chapter here

Visual Encounters with the Past: Teaching Visual Literacy to Enhance Historical and Cultural Understanding Peggy Keeran University of Denver, USA Katherine Crowe University of Denver, USA Jennifer Bowers University of Denver, USA Abstract At the University of Denver, the reference librarians and special collections curator have developed strategies to incorporate visual literacy into instructional sessions across multiple disciplines. In this chapter, we will discuss our collaborations with faculty in anthropology and in history to help students interpret tangible and digital archival visual information that will inform their understanding of historical contexts and meet learning outcomes in two classes: “Native American Resistance in the Digital Age” and “World War I.” Whenever we partner with faculty to include visual literacy in non-arts courses, we start with course outcomes and work with the faculty to determine how the incorporation of visual literacy can help reach those goals. Our process is iterative, practice based, flexible, and ever evolving. This chapter will provide practical strategies that educators can use to implement this type of collaboration at their own institutions. Keywords: critical visual literacy, information literacy, librarian/curator/faculty collaborations, primary source research Read the full chapter here

Visuals that Portray a Wind Farm Mary Le Rouge Kent State University, USA Abstract John Debes, the founder of the IVLA, argues that our first language is body language – visual and tactile information together helping us make sense of the world (Debes, 1972). During research of the public response to what could be the first freshwater offshore wind farm in North America, on Lake Erie, participants have a distinctly embodied understanding of environmental information. Their oral stories, drawings, and written responses reflect use of visual literacy that personifies wind turbines, the lake, fish and birds, and Earth’s processes as human in nature. In return, participants’ perception of the wind farm’s features, size, and distance is skewed toward an immediate, physical presence. Between anthropomorphism and embodiment, what the general population sees as important in a large-scale sustainable energy project is very different from what is shown in technical documentation from scientists, engineers, and policymakers, complicating public decision making. Keywords: technical communication, perception, embodiment, metaphor, environmental communication Read the full chapter here

Visual Literacy and Virtual Rephotography Gary McLeod University of Tsukuba, Japan Abstract Rephotography is a varied set of practices that begin with taking one or more pictures of the same subject. Valued for generating conversations in-situ about a place over time, recent large-scale migration to online learning draws attention to rephotography’s virtual modes. From examples that use online location software (e.g., Google Street View) to those in video game worlds, virtual rephotography might present convenient windows to unreachable destinations. However, rephotographing without having visited actual vantage points needs to take into account complexity and disjointedness introduced by such tools. Drawing from the author’s current practice-led research into photomedia, visual literacy and temporality in Northeastern Japan, emergent particularities are discussed for developing visual literacy through a necessary application of Google Street View. Keywords: Virtual rephotography, visual literacy, photomedia, temporality, Google Street View Read the full chapter here