Preparing Visual Resources
Reviewed: January 2008
This page has been kept for reference.
It will no longer be updated by ICVET.
In this day and age there are so many technologies available to us that it's sometimes hard to know what resources we should use, let alone when and how. What has become evident in recent times is that there are a huge number of professionals preparing terrific visual resources which are freely available via the internet, magazines or books. This doesn’t even consider your own digital photographs which have enormous teaching and learning potential.
You no longer need to learn a lot of the skills related to preparing visual resources. Why not use the expertise of others and become proficient at finding these quality resources? Once found, you can present them to your students in ways that suit your and their needs.
The following links will lead you to some useful information. Some are very basic but there’s also a bit more advanced stuff for the technologically proficient.
Websites
Preparing Overheads
Here are some hints on how to prepare your overheads and even information on how to transfer from paper to overhead using the photocopier.
Writing @CSU: Creating and Using Overheads
This Colorado State University tutorial is very complete and looks at why different types of visuals work better than others, depending on the information you need to convey and who your audience is.
Intro to PowerPoint
Humboldt State University created this online introduction to using PowerPoint. So, if you’ve never created a digital presentation – this is for you.
PowerPoint in the Classroom
Looks twee but the information is accurate and useful for a beginner.
Using Digital Cameras in the Classroom
A web site devoted to digital cameras: reviews, uses, problem solving, tips and more.
Publications
McDONALD, J, McPhail, J, Maguire, M & Millett, B 2004, A Conceptual Model and Evaluation Process for Educational Technology Learning Resources: A Legal Case Study, in Educational Media International, Dec 2004, Vol. 41, Issue 4.
The University of Southern Queensland, developed a comprehensive conceptual
model to explain students' beliefs, attitudes and intentions towards using
learning resources based on a legal case study, lilt
Law CD. The lessons learnt from this project may help you design your
own resources.
EVANS, J 2002, The filter generic image dataset : a model for the creation of image-based learning and teaching resources in Williamson, Gunn, Young, & Clear (eds), Winds of change in the sea of learning : proceedings of the 19th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education: 8-11 December 2002 Auckland, New Zealand: UNITEC Institute of Technology. Available here.
How to use images effectively for learning and teaching? Images are often under-used, possibly because of a lack of understanding of the important role images can play in the support of learning, teaching and research.