I really liked that right off she gave us a definition of what visual information literacy is and how there is an interaction/transaction of information between the viewer and the image.
The fact that photographs are a truthful representation of reality, but based on the perception of the photographer was a new way to think about pictures and what they “really” represent. It was also interesting to examine the ethics of altering digital photography. (I do it all the time, getting rid of red eye, cropping the picture to eliminate the dirty dishes in the background, etc.)
I like the concept of using images to create projects and incorporate visual literacy skills. I think with the technology in the Media Center, this is something I can take back to work and encourage teachers collaborate.
Just wanted to comment on your photo editing thoughts...10 years ago when I was just beginning the newspaper that I co-owned, we were one of the first newspapers around to go all digital. We used Photoshop and it was fun to play around with it.
ReplyDeleteOne time our sports editor was taking pictures at a softball game and a photographer from a competing newspaper was in the background of every one of his shots. In Photoshop, he just took "grass" from the field in the picture and easily covered up the photographer. Interesting, we thought. Then a realtor wanted us to take a picture of a house that he had for sale. The house had a lot of rust on the roof from where it had gathered around the chimney. It would be so easy to simply remove the rust. It really hit home how easy it would be to falsely misrepresent/advertise things. That was 10 years ago...we felt like pioneers!