ABSTRACT
Visual texts make an important contribution to our lives. Images, on paper and on screen, inform, direct, amuse, entertain and help us relax or pass the time. In terms of paper-based texts, words are now almost always accompanied by photographs, diagrams or drawings, and print is often enhanced by a variety of font sizes and shapes. For children, particularly, there is a wealth of complex and challenging picture books, as well as detailed information books where the images carry as much meaning as the words. These developments have been made possible by the use of digital technology, which has enhanced production and colour processes. Equally, however, digital technology has had an immense impact on screen texts: computer games, the Internet, television and film. A wide range of multimodal texts exist, in paper form, on screens and as dramatic performances; everyday texts include the visual – maps, icons, advertising, television, film – so that visual literacy is an essential element of contemporary literacy. This chapter describes some of the creative ways that teachers have used visual texts in the classroom and how they have harnessed the children’s home experience and expertise in digital and popular cultural texts.
