Over the last few days, I have had the pleasure of working closely with Mark Anderson @ICTEvangelist on developing my new website. I have been bowled over with how stunning the visuals are. It really is magical. It got me thinking about the power of visuals for learning.
Visuals have the ability to really capture the imagination of our young people. So here are some thoughts on how you can use visuals for learning.
YouTube
This site can be used in a variety of ways to engage your learners in their learning. Take this video here as an example.
This video is a visual which learners can watch and be inspired by. It is a real ‘turn your frown upside down’ moment which can be used in a number of different ways, such as:
- Assemblies with a key message
- Literacy starter
- Geography lessons
- ….and much more
Infographics
An infographic is a graphic which contains information. They can be a really powerful way of sharing information. Why not use them in MFL lessons to get students to practice their vocab skills. Why not use them in Maths lessons as prompts to get students to practice their numeracy skills – or even better, get them to create their own.
Some good sites for creating your own infographics are:
If you are looking for some examples of awesome infographics why not visit the lovely information is beautiful website. Alternatively, Pinterest is also a great source for quality infographics.
Images
It should go without saying that images are just truly amazing for inspiring and engaging. From being useful as writing prompts to stimulating discussion and curiosity, images can do it all. Check out these images below as examples.
Good places for you to find quality royalty free images include CCSearch and Compfight.
Summary
I hope you find these few simple ideas helpful, I’d love to hear from you in the comments, especially as I’m new to this blogging game!
The key I find with these types of things is to keep on playing – Do the DigiPlay!
Being creative is all about taking risks and making mistakes. Using some of these tools may very well help some of your children on their learning journey.
2 comments
Join the conversationGaz Needle - September 11, 2015
I agree. Images can be exceedingly powerful and especially so when children make images themselves, which is why drawing is so important. I use this idea with my class to get them to draw or be involved with the drawing of story maps which means they can retell stories very accurately with just a few squiggles on a sheet of paper.
Nina Jackson - September 14, 2015
Thanks for your comments Gaz and yes I am a real lover os images. Getting children to make their own as well is indeed an insight into their thinking too.