Running head: VISUAL FLUENCY

Visual Fluency
Jeni Tetamore
OTL545 Technology and Innovation
Colorado State University Global Campus
Brenda Bagwell, PhD
November 13, 2016

Running head: VISUAL FLUENCY

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Visual Fluency

Visual fluency within high school language arts carries a slightly different connotation
than it might in another grade level or subject area. It is highly linguistic, therefore the balance of
visual-spatial learning with rhetoric is more precarious. With this in mind, and beginning with
my end in sight, I will first provide at least six methods which may enhance learning by pairing
images with content concepts. One I have my technologies and projects aligned with Common
Core or State Standards, I will then implement one of these ideas and include a reflection
supported with evidence of student participation.
Part 1: Pair Images with Content Concepts
Table 1
TPACK Brainstorm
Standard & Learning Goal

Visual Fluency within TPACK Framework

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.1112.1.a: Introduce precise,

knowledgeable claim(s), establish
the significance of the claim(s),
distinguish the claim(s) from
alternate or opposing claims, and
create an organization that
logically sequences the claim(s),
counterclaims, reasons, and
evidence.

Technology: Begin by watching the video about observing

details on HippoCampus at
http://www.hippocampus.org/HippoCampus/English;jsessio
nid=4FA6B589C70EF06E890071325404FEE2?user=jenite
tamore72. Have students choose a persuasive subject from
http://visualprompts.weebly.com/high-school.html, or
https://visualwritingprompts.wordpress.com/category/typesof-writing/persuasive-writing/. Then, discerning what
websites are trustworthy or not by using the forms from
http://rwtinteractives.ncte.org/view_interactive.aspx?id=17
7 they will use https://www.canva.com/create/brochures/ or
https://www.mycreativeshop.com/brochure-templates.aspx.
Project: Students will choose a subject where they must
look at two sides of the issue. They will be required to find
trustworthy sources, and evaluate those sources to
determine if they are, indeed, trustworthy. Once they have
determined their resources, they will present both sides of

Running head: VISUAL FLUENCY

the issue, complete with claims and counterclaims, within a

brochure.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11Technology: Writing and visual prompts from
12.2.a: Introduce a topic and
http://visualprompts.weebly.com/high-school.html, or
organize complex ideas, concepts, https://visualwritingprompts.wordpress.com/category/typesand information so that each new of-writing/persuasive-writing/. Students will use
element builds on that which
www.animoto.com, http://generator.acmi.net.au/storyboard,
precedes it to create a unified
or https://www.storyboardthat.com/storyboard-creator to
whole; include formatting (e.g.,
organize their ideas, concepts, and information. They will
headings), graphics (e.g., figures, be encouraged to use such resources as
tables), and multimedia when
www.morguefile.com for images.
useful to aiding comprehension.
Project: Students will have the opportunity to choose a
topic of interest based on either the visual representation or
question on one of these websites. The questions include
topics of opinion and persuasion, both based on reality and
fantasy. Students will use one of the storyboarding/video
sites to organize their ideas, concepts, and information in
such a way where one notion builds upon another. They
may connect images with information to create one
coherent argument or statement. In this way, they will
practice building rhetoric based on a subject of choice.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11Technology: Comic strip designer
12.4: Produce clear and coherent https://www.pixton.com/for-fun.
writing in which the
development, organization, and
Project: Students will create content (dialogue, scene,
style are appropriate to task,
story, etc.) within a three to four panel comic strip. They
purpose, and audience.
must write it in such a way that communicates the content
of each persons character, keeping in mind how each
character appears communicates to the audience an
impression of their personality, beliefs, and concepts.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11Technology: Students will use www.wikispaces.com and
12.5: Develop and strengthen
www.corkboard.me to collaborate and workshop their
writing as needed by planning,
pieces.
revising, editing, rewriting, or
trying a new approach, focusing
Project: Students will choose one of their current writing
on addressing what is most
projects and upload it to www.wikispaces.com. They can
significant for a specific purpose share ideas, feedback, purpose, and audience through
and audience.
www.corkboard.me. They will workshop pieces on both

Running head: VISUAL FLUENCY

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.1112.6: Use technology, including

the Internet, to produce, publish,
and update individual or shared
writing products in response to
ongoing feedback, including new
arguments or information.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.1112.8: Gather relevant information

from multiple authoritative print
and digital sources, using
advanced searches effectively;
assess the strengths and
limitations of each source in
terms of the specific task,
purpose, and audience; integrate
information into the text
selectively to maintain the flow of
ideas, avoiding plagiarism and
overreliance on any one source
and following a standard format
for citation.

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websites based on their own comfort level and what is
working for them.
Technology: Students will use the class
www.wordpress.com site to contribute articles, comics, and
blogs.

Project: Students will produce an online blogsphere

newspaper. This will include journalistic writing, creative
nonfiction, cartoons, editorials, entertainment, and more.
They will examine the parts of a traditional paper
(https://www.washingtonpost.com/;
http://www.nytimes.com/; http://www.denverpost.com/)
and include those in their online format. Comments will be
enabled and students will be expected to answer any
comments in a responsible manner, demonstrating mature
digital citizenship.
Technology: Students will first use
https://highschool.lib.ua.edu/ to research their subject
matter, looking carefully at what makes these articles
authoritative. They may watch information C.R.A.A.P at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAWhE0mj69I. We
will examine the different styles and formats on
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/.
Project: Is it real or is it a hoax? Students will write real or
false articles based on the sources and subject they choose.
We will examine http://zapatopi.net/bsa/octopus.html (The
Bureau of Sasquatch Affairs) and
http://zapatopi.net/cascadia/ (The Republic of Cascadia).
They are hosted by the same site, but are quite different.
Based on these two websites, students will choose which
objective to follow while avoiding plagiarism and searching
out further sources. They will discuss why their sites are
either authoritative or unreliable. All information will be
disseminated on our class www.wikispaces.com site in
proper format and citation.

Running head: VISUAL FLUENCY

Part 2: Reflection
I decided to implement the project and technology ideas related to CCSS.ELALiteracy.WHST.11-12.2.a: Introduce a topic and organize complex ideas, concepts, and
information so that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole;
include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful
to aiding comprehension. Our project revolved around students choosing a topic of interest from
two different websites (http://visualprompts.weebly.com/high-school.html, or
https://visualwritingprompts.wordpress.com/category/types-of-writing/persuasive-writing/) and
then building their rhetoric on either a storyboard or animation site of their choosing
(www.animoto.com, http://generator.acmi.net.au/storyboard, or
https://www.storyboardthat.com/storyboard-creator).
All the students had an opportunity to experiment with the different sites to discover
which one they preferred. They all decided to work with Animoto for its ease of use, their ability
to use the stock photos, gifs, and graphics available on their site, and the possibility of adding
their own images either from a file or from www.morguefile.com. To best meet the criteria of the
standard, students must be able to create and publish original digital products that [...]
communicate effectively with text, visual, and auditory elements (Crocket, Jukes, & Churches,
2011, para. 10). By affording them the freedom to choose their technology, they were then
increasing their mastery of their chosen medium. Animoto offered students the trifecta of media
visual, audio, and text.
We began by discussing what it meant to communicate an idea. Did they need to use an
abundance of words? Could they communicate their ideas based on the
images/video/graphics/gifs they chose? Could they communicate their point of view with their

Running head: VISUAL FLUENCY

soundtrack or music choice?
Given that this is language arts, I
did require that they use headings
of some kind, and provide some
explanation/information along
with their music and graphics.
However, this is ultimately the
purpose of a multimedia project
to include all media.
In this example of a
student project asking if a
happiness pill should be legalized,
the student worked with titles and
subtitles, subverting traditional
format by having the subtitling
first. While impossible to share in
non-video format, the music she
chose was Lovely Day by
Emma Wallace as provided by
Animoto. Animoto also gives the
option of uploading your own
music. It is piano forward and Ms.

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Wallace has a lilting, soprano voice that supports the students position that happiness should not
be bought and sold, nor should it be the only emotion humans ever feel.
Other students chose subjects such as What Three Songs Provide the Soundtrack to
Your Life and What Do You Think of Current Immigration Laws. As all the subjects were
based primarily on opinion and experience, they were not required to do heavy research.
However, if they provided facts or quotes, I required they include citations at the end in MLA
format.
Conclusion
I believe the project was a success. The students seemed to enjoy the process and
experimenting with the different sources and technology. Additionally, they seemed to grasp the
concept of putting forth their ideas in multimedia format. They explained their beliefs and/or
points of view clearly within their projects and chose appropriate graphics/soundtracks to
accompany them. Given that they had not worked in this medium before, I consider it a huge
step forward.

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References

Common Core State Standards Initiative. (2016). English language arts standards: Writing:
Grade 11-12. Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/WHST/1112/
Crockett, L., Jukes, I., & Churches, A. (2011). Media fluency: Why is media fluency
important?. In Literacy is not enough: 21st-century fluencies for the digital age
[RedShelf].