Resources & activities using visual thinking skills

Function
Research

Activity
Find compelling images; look at historical ones that you should know about or reference

For more info

compfight.com (Flickr search) Luna & loads of other digital image collections: http://elmo.academyart.edu/fi nd-resources/digital_images.html digitalexploration.org

Ideal for
Citing sources & inspiration for projects, investigating contributions to field, getting exposed to others work. Breaking the ice, loosening students up to talk about a subject, community building, feedback.

Notes
Teaching students in class how to find, cite, and analyze images will help avoid visual plagiarism. If students are stuck on one idea or arent engaging deeply with a topic, this can be powerful.

Discussion & Storytelling

Visual Stories: allows you to delve into a topic deeply or have your students explore their responses & reactions Five-Card Flickr Do a presentation makeor someone elses work) or come up with a Pecha Kucha (15x20) Schematics & other graphic organizers: concept maps sketches graphs (flow) charts time lines word clouds Sketch notes

Images as Stories

http://5card.cogdogblog.com Presentation Zen (Gary Reynolds, in AAU library) Edward Tufte

Getting students to generate more/ interesting ideas. Class presentations Presenting findings Midpoint/ final review

Presentation Skills over (either on their own

Concept Development & ideation

inspiration.com Post-its debategraph.org A good list of visualization tools: http://www.wikiviz.org/

Breaking down difficult concepts; showing relationship among concepts, events, or tools; displaying processes; checking for student comprehension

Leave part of an outline or schematic blank to have students fill in key information during class

Note taking

Back of the Napkin, Unfolding the Napkin, Dan Roam Sketchnotes101.com

Annotated screen shots are also helpful for software-based skills

Derek Bruff, Vanderbilt U.: Agile Learning: Visual Thinking: http://derekbruff.org/?page_id=1857 Benefits & examples of different storytelling media (written, audio, visual, multimedia): http://digitalexploration.org/resources/storytelling/
The Eyes Have It: Using Visual Thinking Skills to Enhance Teaching and Learning | AAU Teaching Essentials Workshops
012913

Jennifer Russell