Images

'Visual images are becoming the predominant form of communication across a range of learning and teaching resources, delivered across a range of media and formats. The ratio of visual image to text is increasing'. Dr Anne Bamford, 2003 

This statement stresses the importance of ensuring that not only are visual texts used as a source of sharing information, but also the need to ensure that the ability to interpret, use and create visual texts is taught across all education sectors.

As it becomes easier to access, share and download all manner of images, there is increasing access to online repositories of images. Flickr makes this possible while enabling collaborative ways to share and interact with images, either with a select group or beyond our immediate circle of friends.

I am very interested in providing students with the chance to create and edit images as a form of communication. Big Huge Labs and iPiccy are 2 free websites that offer a range of editing modes to modify and create new images. The edited images can be downloaded and saved directly to a variety of devices for students to then use these images in various ways or they can be shared via social media.

The original image on the left had 2 different effects applied to it using the Big Huge Labs website. This activity could be used in art classes for students to demonstrate different artistic techniques or students could change the mood of an image to more closely reflect the mood of a narrative they have written.

Again the original image was edited on the iPiccy website to give more of a stencil impression. This website offers a greater range of editing tools, but would need more instruction to use to its full capacity. An excellent tool for older students to become familiar with.

Dr Anne Bamford. (2003). The Visual literacy white paper, Adobe Systems Pty Ltd, Australia, retrieved 12th May 2014 from http://wwwimages.adobe.com/www.adobe.com/content/dam/Adobe/en/education/pdfs/visual-literacy-wp.pdf