Welcome to this MOOC on visual literacies where we will be exploring the educational practices and technologies associated with visual communication and visual thinking. In this course you will find out about the transformative power of photos, mind maps, comics, infographics and data visualization; how educators use video and animation and why it works; game-based learning, augmented reality, virtual and mixed reality; and synchronous video communication and holography.
We will show you examples of how educators are using visual technologies in their teaching. These examples have been gathered from the interviews that we have carried out with top researchers and educators asking them to share their knowledge and experience with us.
The 5-week course outline focuses on:
Week 1. The transformative power of static images (Webinar with Lesley Farmer, California State University Long Beach)
Week 2. Dynamic visuals: films/video and animation
Week 3. Interactive tools- part A: Game-based learning, Augmented reality, VR, Mixed reality (Webinars with Kirk St. Amant Louisiana Tech University and University of Limerick & Avgoustos A. Tsinakos, University of Kavala)
Week 4. Interactive tools part B: Video conferencing and holographic teleportation (Webinar with Matthew Morena, Christopher Newport University).
Week 5. Live teaching with professor Mark Childs on the role of visuals for online identity (Webinar with Vanessa Dennen, Florida State University).