Blog Entry #3 "Images in the Classroom"

 Resource: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/photo/troops-approach-omaha-beach-on-d-day

            When teaching history to high schoolers, I would often use images to help students make an emotional connection to the material.  The picture above shows American troops approaching Omaha Beach on D-Day during WWII.  Students can learn the facts about D-Day from lectures and readings.  Nevertheless, my students often responded the most to images of historical events that I shared with them.  When I used photographs, like the one above, I would often break students into small groups to discuss what they saw in the photo.  I would have students look at all aspects of the photo. What did the photographer include in the photo?   I would have them talk about what they thought the men might be looking at.  I have them discuss the faces of the men.  How do you think they feel at this moment?  By thinking about the feelings of the soldiers, students are able to make a personal connection to a historical event.  For example, they might be reminded of a time that they were scared, but had to be brave.  At the end of the lesson, I would have students write some type of reaction to the images.   I really liked the activity this week about adding text to pictures.  I ended up adding a powerful quote to a different D-Day photo.  This would be a great way to have my students respond to images. Overall, my hope is that by critically looking at photographs like this one, my students will transfer this skill to other photographs they encounter.  

       

 Resource:  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chain_of_Friendship_cartoon.gif#/media/File:Chain_of_Friendship_cartoon.jpg

Another way that I used images in my classes was with political cartoons.  Sometimes, a cartoon can really capture the essence of what is/was happening in the world.  This cartoon explains, through images and texts, the alliance system before WWI – which ultimately was one of the major causes of the war.  After studying the MAIN (Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism) causes of WWI with students, I would often have them analyze political cartoons for each topic and discuss how the cartoon was connected to the terms.  Political cartoons are great to teach students to look for bias.  Students can think about:  Who created the cartoon?  What publication published the cartoon?  What message is the cartoon trying to express?  Would everyone agree with the message?   Political cartoons still exist in different publications today.  They provide a great way for students to look at images through a critical lens.  For many of my students, especially my visual learners, using images like this political cartoon actually strengthens their understanding of key historical concepts.  

 

 

            Teaching students how to critically “read” images is imperative to their lives as digital citizens.  All of our students are constantly bombarded with images on tv, smart devices, and even billboards.  Students must sometimes quickly make judgements about these images.  By building skills to “read” images – we are preparing our students to be responsible digital citizens.  We must teach students to ask the right questions when they look at an image.  Who created the image?  Why?  What was included?  What was left out?  Was the image manipulated?  If so, for what reason?  What overall impact does the image have?   

    Likewise, teaching students how to effectively create their own images is a vital skill for the 21^st century.  By creating their own images students can make sense of the material they are learning, prove their understanding, or make a personal connection to the material.   

 

            I really enjoyed learning about some of the ways we can have students actually develop images themselves.  For the infographic assignment, I used Canva to create a visual representation of the four MAIN causes of WWI.  It was a very user-friendly platform to create an infographic.  It had many templates that were easy to manipulate.  I could actually see students using this app to create timelines, cause and effect charts, and other diagrams to demonstrate their understanding of material.  Canva has many image options and even allows you to upload your own images.  The only setback was the fact that some functions were only available for a fee.  I also looked at InfoGram as an app to make infographics.  It also had some great templates for students to use to make timelines and cause and effect relationships.  The only problem is that some templates required payment like Canva.  

 

            I also downloaded the Skitch app.  I actually thought it would be an interesting way for students to study photographs.  Students could use Skitch to individually analyze photos.  Then, they could use their Skitch drawings to discuss the photographs in small and larger groups.  Skitch allows students to use technology, instead of paper/pencil, to record their reactions.  This may increase their overall motivation for the assignment.  

 

            Comic Life is a wonderful app to have students create comics for class.   This app actually allows students to create comics similar to what they see in graphic novels.  My own children love graphic novels – I imagine other students would love to show their own learning in this format.  You could even use historical graphic novels like the I Survived Books, or Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales as examples.  Even though this is a cool app, it does come at a cost.  It might be worth it for a school to buy the app for teachers to use.  I really think this could be a powerful tool for students. I preferred Comic Life to Storyboard Creator.  I do feel that elementary students might find Storyboard less overwhelming though.  

 

            The ability to “read” and create images is a vital skill we must teach our students.  I look forward to using many of the apps from this week in future lessons to help my students strengthen their critical thinking skills associated with images.