ABSTRACT
Today’s students are often manipulators and creators of their own information and entertainment. Bombarded by visual cues, they seem to translate images and information effortlessly, communing in a conceptual world where “the thought’s the thing.” As our culture and communication continue to expand, the world grows ever more connected, and technology increasingly integrates our daily lives, the criteria for becoming a literate person in the twenty-first century also extends beyond traditional boundaries. New learning standards reflect these broader views, incorporating technology, visual, and communication skills into benchmarks for traditional subject disciplines. The Age of Information, a term signifying the shift from the primary production of physical goods to more knowledge-based industries, has included many challenges, but it also has unleashed an exciting universe of ideas, opinions, and perspectives. Modern media and technology applications have refocused visual literacy.
