> Hello Peta,
 > In a message posted to ALL you wrote:
 > -> Visual literacy is basically the ability to critically 'read' images.
 > ......
 > -> Do you think they are important???
 > -> Do you have any questions that I could try to answer???
 > Basically, from your brief, one-sentence description, I still
 > do not
 > understand what "visual literacy" is. Nor have I ever heard
 > the term
 > used, prior to your message. Perhaps you would like to
 > explain more
 > thoroughly. Specific examples are highly encouraged.
 > Sheila
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Thank you Sheila for expressing your interest in my topic and sorry that I 
have taken so long to reply. Visual literacy at its most basic level is the 
ability to comprehend and create information that is carried and conveyed 
through imagery. There are basically four areas of visual literacy which are
1. the successful comprehension or reading of visual communications through 
an understandoing of the medium and the message
2. the successful creation of images that comes from an understanding of the 
elements and composition of visual communications
3. visual thinking
4. critical visual thinking skills
It's a pretty difficult thing to clearly define unfortunately because it 
spans across many disciplines; art, cinematography, psychology, semantics, 
linguistics, philosophy, education and science. We commonly connotate 
literacy with reading and writing the written symbol -the word. But there are 
many other means of communication that individuals need to be literate in, 
partcularly in a multimedia age. The English and Science Syllabus documents 
in Australia make reference to teaching about visual texts and visual 
communications but I don't think this is really taken seriously. Do you have 
any information do share or insights to share on this general topic. I think 
you are from America! Do you know of anything in the schools that addresses 
visual communications or teachers children to be visually literate. I think 
the visual images that constitute so much of our culture are taken for 
granted in education because of the emphasis given to written and spoken 
literacy. I would be thrilled to hear of any opinions you have from your 
perspective or any insights you have to the education system you are familiar 
with. I would be more than happen to answer any frther questions you raise. 
Thank you greatly for you time and I hope to speak to you soon. Peta. 
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