What is Visual Literacy

The 21st century has created an environment where the very meaning of the expression “to be literate” has come to mean much more than it did in the past. Literacy still encompasses the traditional reading, writing, and numeracy, but now includes visual and digital literacies that empower the individual to effectively communicate about, and use information (Jones-Kavalier & Flannigan, 2006). Literacy now incorporates an ability to critically evaluate information, communicate concepts, and express ideas in a variety of media, all mediated by computers. Earlier definitions of digital literacy tended to focus on technological skills (Bruce & Peyton, 1999; Davies, Szabl, & Montgomerie, 2002). However, the current focus has moved to a more pedagogical view that integrates technical, cognitive, and sociological skills (Eshet-Alkalai, 2004). What can the student do with information in digital form? The assumption now is that the student knows how to use the tools, and all that is needed is a focus on metacognitive and pedagogical needs. However, the case study presented in this article suggests that this is not so, and skills need to be integrated with meaningful tasks in order to become part of the lexicon of student learning modes.