Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Visual Literacy with Lynell Burmark

This is a another of those things I have been waiting for a long time. I have wanted to hear Lynell Burmark speak for 3 years. Finally I get my chance. When she presents is not what is on her handout, but it is the information provided in the handout. She uses black screens to indicate transitions in her PowerPoint. She begins by saying that we live in a visual world. She talks about the progression from verbal to visual to written and now back to visual communication. We process visuals 60,000 times faster than text. When we process text it has to be done sequentially. An image is processed almost instantenously. "I didn't think...until I saw."-Eugene. What you get is what you see. She suggests using images to start classwork at the beginning of the day, a unit, etc. Also use the image as part of an assessment at the end. Also need to counterbalance what kids are seeing on TV such as murders. Talking now about the healing power of appropriate images. Now color power, we recall or retain information 80% better if image is in color. Different colors give different effects. PowerPoint (presentation tips) 30 million PP presentations given every day. Use images on slides, put information on handouts. Retention and transfer both go down when the presenter reads bullet points from the slide. Graphics on left so your eye is not jumping back and forth. Use for flash cards, things with minimal information. Use to put an image up on the screen as students com into the room. Use Georgia and Verdana as they are not as squished. You can read lower case about 30,000 times faster than all caps.Gave a great Photoshop tip on straightening images. Enjoyable Session.

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