NSF Digital Visual Literacy Project Introduction to DVL - Maricopa ...

NSF Digital Visual Literacy Project 

Introduction to DVL 

Author: Anne Spalter 

Instructional Designer: Florence Martin, PhD

Table of Contents 

Digital Visual Literacy ............................................................................................ 3 

Introduction ........................................................................................................... 4 

Instructor Guide Summary .................................................................................... 5 

Instructional Design Matrix .................................................................................... 7 

Introduction to DVL – Module Files ....................................................................... 8 

Presentation .......................................................................................................... 9 

DVL-Q ................................................................................................................. 22 

Pre/Post DVL-Q Key ........................................................................................... 23 

Appendix ............................................................................................................. 24

Introduction to DVL Instructor Guide 

What is DVL? 

Digital Visual Literacy 

A modern, literate person is one who is not only able to read and write but is educated in all the 

basic means necessary to thrive in a digital, networked world. 

An important aspect of this general literacy is a digital visual literacy, the ability to critically 

analyze visual materials, create effective visual communications, and make judgments and 

decisions using visual representations of thoughts and ideas. 

The NSF Grant 

Supported by a three-year, $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, Mesa 

Community College (Mesa, Ariz.) and Brown University (Providence, R.I.) are developing 

pioneering curriculum modules for teaching digital visual literacy. As international culture and 

commerce become increasingly reliant on visual communications, visual literacy is becoming an 

essential skill for college graduates. 

Downloading DVL Modules 

If you have any questions regarding downloading the DVL modules, email 

dvl@domail.maricopa.edu 

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number 0501965 

Last updated July 2008 

3


Introduction 

The powerful and yet easily accessible visual capabilities of the computer have made visual 

communication a basic part of our daily lives and an increasingly vital aspect of the IT workplace. 

Digital Visual Literacy, the ability to evaluate and create digital visual materials, is thus now an 

essential part of general IT literacy. DVL modules in CIS105 and BPC 110 complement and 

extend instruction in basic computing concepts and office applications. 

DVL draws on a range of disciplines in the sciences and arts and humanities to enable student 

engagement with computer-based visual materials on four key fronts: Cultural Context, 

Communication, Computer Graphics, and Commerce. 

The Cultural Context considers the connections between digital imagery and larger social 

issues relevant to creators and audiences for digital imagery. It also gives students 

strategies for ―reading‖ images in these contexts to better articulate their meanings. 

Cultural context issues often provide motivation and relevance for other DVL topics. 

The Communications aspect draws on concepts from art and design and vision science 

that can help students use computer-based tools to reliably create more effective visual 

communications. DVL modules often focus on communication skills that can be tested 

with standard business software assignments. 

The Computer Graphics aspects comprises the basic relevant technical concepts 

underlying the different types of graphics used in today‘s business software. Students 

who have learned these concepts more easily become power users of current software 

packages and can also more easily use different versions or brands in the future. 

The Commerce area focuses on the impact that digital visual tools, services, and content 

are having on the economy and the IT workplace. 

DVL modules can be used in a mix-and-match manner to augment current IT literacy offerings. 

The goal is to help students become critical viewers of digital visual materials and leverage the 

visual power of the computer to explore ideas, communicate effectively, make fully informed 

decisions, and function with confidence in today‘s increasingly visual environment. 

The NSF ATE DVL grant website has a wealth of additional information including lecture notes 

introducing DVL and its core subject areas, a white paper, annotated references to books, 

articles, and links, and, of course, a menu of DVL modules that can be used in each courses. 



4


I. Welcome 

Instructor Guide Summary 

This lecture introduces DVL and the DVL modules and should be given before the first module is 

used in class. It can be combined with the introduction of the first module or given on its own. 

II. Course Overview 

Module Topic 

Module Description 

Module is 

recommended for 

(course name and 

prefix) – Generic 

recommendations 

along with MCC 

Course name and 

prefix 

Prior Knowledge and 

skills recommended 

Target Audience and 

Class Size 

Estimated Time 

IN CLASS: 

OUT OF CLASS: 

Estimated Preparation 

Time for the Instructor 

Suggested Schedule/ 

Module Structure 

Module Goal 

Introduction to Digital Visual Literacy 

This lecture introduces DVL and the DVL modules and should be given 

before the first module is used in class. It can be combined with the 

introduction of the first module or given on its own. 

None 

BPC101BA - Introduction to Computers II 

BPC110 - Computer Usage and Applications 

CIS105 - Survey of Computer Information Systems 

Any course which involves computer-based image creation or 

analysis. 

High school, college, and professional career students. 

Any class size. 

In-class: 10-15 minutes 

15 minutes (to become familiar with the slides—more if examples are 

modified or replaced). 

This lecture should be given before the first DVLmodule is used in 

class. It can be combined with the introduction of the first module or 

given on its own. 

Students should be able to describe DVL, explain the need for it, and 

identify some contexts in which it will be useful to them. 



5


Module Objectives 

Instructional material 

(Presentations, 

demonstrations, 

practice activities and 

other material) 

Instructional/Teaching 

Strategies used 

Assessment - 

Pretest/ Posttest/ 

Project with grading 

rubrics 

Equipment and 

Software required 

Additional Handouts 

Teacher Resources, if 

any 

Evaluation 

(Student opinions 

about module 

effectiveness and 

faculty feedback 

about the module) 

Appendix materials 

1. Become aware of the dramatically increasing importance of 

creating and interpreting computer-based visual communication 

2. Provide some examples of real-world digital visual applications 

3. Identify a range of digital visual aspects of personal and workplace 

life (recognize and provide examples and participate in 

discussions). 

4. Define DVL 

5. Draw a parallel with other literacies (textual and numeracy) 

6. Describe difference between DVL and other new literacies such as 

―multimedia literacy‖ 

7. Name the four main ―C‖ areas of DVL in IT literacy 

The instructional material for this module is a PowerPoint lecture with 

detailed lecture notes and suggestions for customization. Discussion 

questions are provided within the PowerPoint notes. 

[file name] 

Slide presentation and class discussions. 

Computer & web browser software (or PowerPoint viewer) 

Computer projection unit (or transparencies and overhead projector) 

Notes are included with each PowerPoint slide. 



6


Instructional Design Matrix 

Goal: Students will be able to describe DVL, explain the need for it, and identify some contexts in which it will be useful to them. 

Objectives Information/Examples Practice with Feedback Assessment 

1. Become aware of the dramatically increasing 

importance of creating and interpreting computerbased 

visual communication. 

2. Provide some examples of real-world digital 

visual applications. 

3. Identify a range of digital visual aspects of 

personal and workplace life (recognize and 

provide examples and participate in discussions). 

4. Define DVL 

5. Draw a parallel with other literacies (textual and 

numeracy) 

6. Describe difference between DVL and other new 

literacies such as ―multimedia literacy‖ 

7. Name the four main ―C‖ areas of DVL in IT literacy 

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number 0501965 Last updated July 2008 

PPT 

PPT 

PPT 

PPT 

PPT 

Discussion DVL-Q 





PPT Discussion DVL-Q 

PPT 


7


Intro to DVL PowerPoint presentation (10 MB) 

introtodvl_july08.ppt 

Introduction to DVL – Module Files 

DVL Pre-DVL/Post-DVL Survey (The DVL-Q can be administered before and after the 

Introduction to DVL Module 

DVL-Q 



8


Presentation 

Slide 1 

Slide 2 

Digital Visual Literacy 

An Introduction to the DVL Modules 

Anne Morgan Spalter, Brown University 

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Grant No. 0501965. 

Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the 

author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation (NSF). 

Roadmap for This Lecture 

• Our Digital Visual 

World 

• What is Digital 

Visual Literacy 

(DVL)? 

• The Four ―C‖ Areas 

of DVL 

The ―new family photo album.‖ 

Networked, multi-user, Ceiva digital 

photo frame and camera phone. 



slide 2 

[this lecture introduces DVL and the DVL 

modules and should be given before the first 

module is used in class. It can be combined with 

the introduction of the first module or given on its 

own. The lecture should take about 15 minutes— 

more if there is discussion.] 

[The flow of the lecture is: 

--images are all around us. This has not always 

been true and the number of images and roles 

they play has been accelerating dramatically. 

--The advent of computer graphics has made this 

even more true and added a host of new 

powerful ways to make and share visual 

materials (from still images to 3D interactive 

simulations). 

--Unlike changes to visual technology in the past, 

the ubiquitous nature of computer graphics 

involves almost everyone in a wide variety of 

personal and workplace situations. The need to 

better understand visual communication is now 

not just relevant for visual professionals (like 

architects or designers) but for everyone. 

--Definition of DVL and a slide that shows that the 

larger field of DVL overlaps with IT literacy. Not 

all of DVL is appropriate for an IT literacy 

course… 

--Some specific examples of things you may well 

need to do in the workplace or at home that 

involve the DVL concepts relevant to IT literacy 

--The modules you will be using are based on 

research at Brown University that builds on 

previous research in visual literacy but also 

integrates work in a number of disciplines that re 

not usually considered as part of visual literacy. 

These include technical material from the 

computer science sub-discipline of computer 

9


Slide 3 

Our Digital Visual World 1/2 

• Images used to be displayed 

in only a few places, such as 

churches, but are now 

ubiquitous 

• Television was introduced 

only 60 years ago 

• By HS graduation US 

children will have spent 

more time in front of the TV 

than in the classroom (AACAP) 

graphics as well as research in vision science. 

The five main disciplines that have contributed to 

this work are… 

--Obviously, not all these areas are relevant to an 

introductory IT literacy course. Although informed 

by all these areas, our modules for [class name] 

are focused on four application areas relevant to 

this course, namely… 

--We believe the DVL skills you will learn will help 

you succeed in the workplace. This project is still 

being developed and your feedback will help us 

improve the modules for future students.] 

The Ceiva digital photo frame is a networked 

screen that shows digital photos. You send 

photos to the screen by uploading them to a web 

page. You can also send it photos from your cell 

phone. The owner of the frame does not need a 

computer to use the frame—it can get images 

over the phone line using a local phone number. 

[I like this example because it shows new types 

of digital visual communication in daily life and 

does not require much computer knowledge.] 

Product photo used by permission of Ceiva. 



slide 3 

•Until quite recently (the last few hundred years) 

people saw few man-made images. Before the 

printing press, most people still only saw images 

in places like churches, where the stories of the 

bible were told in sculpture and stain glass 

panels. In the 1500s, as printing came into wider 

use, this slowly began to change. 

•Today we see thousands of images a day 

without thinking anything of it. 

[American Academy of Child and Adolescent 

Psychiatry 

http://aacap.org/page.ww?name=Children+and+ 

Watching+TV&section=Facts+for+Families 

Children And Watching TV 

No. 54; March 2001 

Television viewing is a major activity and 

influence on children and adolescents. Children 

in the United States watch an average of three to 

four hours of television a day. By the time of high 

school graduation, they will have spent more time 

watching television than they have in the 

classroom. While television can entertain, 

inform, and keep our children company, it may 

also influence them in undesirable ways.] 

10


Slide 4 

Our Digital Visual World 2/2 

• Graphical interfaces make easy 

computing possible 

• Photorealistic imaginary 

characters common in movies 

• Visualization lets doctors look 

inside your body 

• Large data sets can be 

visualized (weather, etc.) 

• Industrial design depends on 

CAD (computer-aided design) 

• Simulations affect most areas of 

science, from nanotechnology 

to biology and beyond 

Sources 

Photo of family watching television 

http://teachpol.tcnj.edu/amer_pol_hist/thumbnail4 

27.html 

Credit: National Archives and Records 

Administration. 

[Anne Spalter photo, Geneva, stained glass in 

Chancel of Cathedral St. Pierre] 

•In short… we all must live and interact with an 

increasingly digital and visual world. Computer 

graphics affects all areas of our lives, from 

reading the newspaper (many color images now) 

and watching TV (news images taken with digital 

cameras and sent over the Internet to appear 

moments after events take place) to: 



slide 4 

•The way we interact with computers, which is 

chiefly visual (windows, icons, menus and 

pointers), making computing relatively easy— 

even young kids can do many things. 

•Going to the movies, where we often see 

realistic characters that have never existed 

outside the computer—and even ―live‖ scenes 

that now contain a great deal of computer 

graphics manipulation. Even the edit process is 

digital. And soon the film will be too 

•Going to the doctor: chances are some imaging 

technique will be used long before surgery is 

discussed 

•Doing any type of design work–from graphic 

design to photography to web designers—all use 

computer graphics. In fields like architecture and 

industrial design the computer helps designers 

work out designs and test options long before 

anything actually 3D is constructed. 

•Work in virtually all the sciences, which now 

depend heavily on computer graphics—both to 

do work and communicate the results. 

[Can you think of other examples? Of any digital 

visual materials you have encountered lately?] 

SOURCES: Top left: Photo taken by Kay 

Gaisford, PD. 

Middle Left: 

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/images/con 

tent/95457main_before_after.jpg 

Government image, PD 

Lower left: 

11


Slide 5 Computer Technology 

Has Accelerated this Change 

1900: Kodak‘s ―brownie‖ camera 

1900s (early): first movie theaters 

1980s bulky, low quality VCR a 

―wow‖ item 

1984: ATT breakup 

1990: color printers ~$10K 

2006: Kodak sells no film cameras 

2006: desktop movie making 

2006 tiny iPOD has HD video 

2006: cell phones have megapixel+ camera, 

video, even scanners 

2006: given as bank ―gifts‖ 

19th century studio camera, with bellows for focusing Bell Howell Keychain Digital Camera 

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/multimedia/im 

ages/2006/earbot_prt.htm 


Upper right: 

http://www.aviationsystemsdivision.arc.nasa.gov/ 

multimedia/simac/index.html 


Middle right: 

http://www.lanl.gov/news/albums/science/headan 

dneckimage.jpg 


Lower Right: 

http://ct.gsfc.nasa.gov/news.sc95_slides.html. 

Simple cell-like structures called vesicles may 

have been the first self-replicating systems in the 

world-marking the beginnings of life. Government 

image, PD 

•Many technologies (from the printing press to 

the camera to TV and fast, cheap color printing) 

have contributed to the explosion of images. 

•The computer has introduced new tools of 

incredible power, however, and, unlike most 

previous technologies, has put them in the hands 

of amateurs and a wide range of professionals. 

•It is not just designers or film makers who are 

involved in this image revolution, but all of us. 

19th century studio camera, with bellows for 

focusing. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Studijskifotoap 

arat.JPG 

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or 

modify this document under the terms of the 

GNU Free Documentation license, 



12


Slide 6 

Example: Digital Cameras 

• Personal documentation 

– People taking, editing and 

sharing digital images at 

almost no cost/image 

– Even ‗still ― cameras now 

often have video 

• Surveillance 

– Stores have 

cameras, 

banks, etc. 

– Traffic cameras 

• Digital cameras and sophisticated image 

processing can ticket cars at high speed and 

even at night 

• Issues 

– Edited family photo albums? 

– Right to privacy? 

– Global communication 

• Political impact of amateur digital 

photographs (e.g. Abu Ghraib ) 



slide 6 

•Let‘s look at one example that will probably 

already be familiar to many of you… Who here 

has used a digital camera? 

•Well, digital cameras may look like regular film 

cameras, but they are really a different type of 

tool. Understanding their nature requires a bit of 

DVL… 

•Culturally speaking, people seem to take a lot 

more pictures with digital cameras. Their small 

size and free per-picture cost makes it easy to 

carry one around and document almost 

everything. They also often have video capability 

and suddenly many people who would not 

necessarily buy a video camera are recording 

clips and sending them friends. 

•The digital camera also provides you with an 

image that is temptingly easy to change. It might 

as simple as correcting contrast or eliminating 

distracting details. Or maybe you‘d like to loose a 

few pounds in your picture? Or get rid of 

someone you no longer like? The possibilities are 

endless. 

•An interesting example highlighted last year in 

the Wall Street Journal is the rise of companies 

that edit you or your loved ones into different 

backgrounds. The main initial goal has been 

creating pictures of loved ones in jail that show 

them in nice surroundings instead. But one can 

also imagine pictures of vacations that never 

actually happened and many other possibilities. 

•Amateur digital pictures get taken everywhere 

and are easily distributed. Sometimes the results 

are all positive—like sending pictures of your new 

baby to relatives. Sometimes the results can 

influence international events, as the images 

from Abu Graihb did. 

[What if a friend takes a picture of you at a party 

and then puts it up on a Blog or in MySpace?] 

Sources” 

Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse photo: This image is 

a work of a U.S. military or Department of 

Defense employee, taken or made during the 

course of an employee's official duties. As a work 

of the U.S. federal government, the image is in 

the public domain. 

Edited personal photos – taken by Kathleen 

Gaisford, PD 

13


Slide 7 

You Can’t Believe 

Everything You See… 



slide 7 

•On August 26, 1989, the cover of TV Guide, 

shown, pictured Oprah Winfrey – but it was not 

actually her. The body was of Ann-Margaret, an 

actor. The fraud was detected by Ann-Margaret‘s 

fashion designer, who recognized the dress. 

•Other publications have been caught doing this 

as well; the cover photograph of a National 

Geographic issue in 1982 digitally moved the 

pyramids closer together to better fit the tall 

format of the magazine. 

•Recently a Reuters photographer was fired for 

doctoring photos. To add to the insult, the photos 

are not even well doctored! You can see smoke 

obviously ―cloned‖ and some buildings too if you 

look closely. You can read more about this and 

other doctored war images online. 

•You don‘t need digital tools to make a 

misleading photograph—all photographs show 

only a portion of a scene. The photographer 

makes many choices that influence the final 

effect. In addition, captioning, cropping, setting 

up supposedly natural shots, and dark room 

editing all can create misleading images. The 

DVL skills here build on traditional visual literacy 

skills. 

Sources 

Oprah - 

http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/photos/oprah.h 

tml (includes many more examples of 

Photographic Hoaxes) 

War photos: 

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=219 

56_Reuters_Doctoring_Photos_from_Beirut&only 

which also has discussions of other images. This 

site, a Blog called Little Green Footballs, has a 

long list of ―fauxotography‖ examples from war 

media. 

14


Slide 8 

Example: Visualizing Data 

• Prediction and analysis of 

complex weather 

phenomenon—from 

hurricanes to global 

warming 

• Can see inside the body by 

visualizing data from MRI, 

CAT scans, etc. 

– Pros and cons: powerful 

diagnostic tool, but be 

misleading or suggest 

accuracy than actually there 

• Whole field called scientific 

visualization… 



slide 8 

[This is another example to use if there is time— 

or you can put in your own second example—or 

just use the digital camera example if pressed for 

time.] 

•Digital processing of scans, like the MRI scans 

shown here, require many decisions to be made. 

Here, different color mapping were used for same 

data set. Some choices show overall structure 

better than others, some call attention to certain 

locations in the brain which may or may not be 

important ones for locating a possible tumor. 

Choosing the right color mapping can literally be 

a matter of life and death… 

•Complex systems like weather are much easier 

to grasp through visualization. This image shows 

the amount of rainfall during hurricane Katrina. 

Red areas have the highest rainfall. 

•On a related note, the debate about global 

warming depends large on computer-based 

models and simulations. It is important to 

understand that concepts behind such modeling 

to make an informed decisions. 

Sources: 

Weather system: 

http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/200 

5/katrina.html 

2D slice of MRI 

data. http://vis.cs.brown.edu/results/images/Laidl 

aw-1995-GME.253.html 

David H. Laidlaw. Geometric Model Extraction 

from Magnetic Resonance Volume Data. PhD 

thesis, California Institute of Technology, 1995 

Used by permission of David H. Laidlaw 

http://vis.cs.brown.edu/results/images/Acevedo- 

2004-CRP.035.html 

Daniel Acevedo, Song Zhang, David H. Laidlaw, 

and Chris Bull. Color Rapid Prototyping for 

Diffusion Tensor MRI Visualization. In 

Proceedings of MICCAI 2004 Short Papers, 

September 2004 

MRI Visualization.jpg 


15


Slide 9 

Slide 10 



World 




• The Four ―C‖ 

Areas of DVL 

What is DVL? 




• Has parallels with textual literacy and numeracy 

– E.g., textual literacy = both reading and writing 

• DVL is the ability to create and interpret computerbased 

images 

– Critically evaluate digital visual materials (2D and 3D, static 

and moving) 

– Make decisions using digital visual representations of data and 

ideas 

– Use computers to create effective visual communications 



slide 9 

07/26/06 slide 10 

•DVL is a literacy just like textual literacy— 

expect with visual materials. To be visual literate, 

one needs to be able to create and interpret 

visual images. The have DVL means to create 

and interpret images made on the computer. 

•DVL builds on previous efforts in traditional 

visual literacy and visual science as well as on IT 

literacy concepts. 

_______________________________________ 

__ 

The books shown (from right to left) are: 

Visual Thinking Rudolf Arnheim, University of 

California Press, 2004 

Arnheim asserts that all thinking (not just thinking 

related to art) is basically perceptual in nature, 

and that the ancient dichotomy between seeing 

and thinking, between perceiving and reasoning, 

is false and misleading. 

http://astro.temple.edu/~iversteg/Arnheim.html 

•Visual Language: Global Communication for 

the 21st Century Robert E. Horn, MacroVU 

Press, 1999 

Horn argues that there is a new "language" in 

play which consists of images and words fully 

integrated and working together. Worth reading 

even though he suffers from a delusion that one 

can illustrate a visual thinking book effectively 

with clip art. 

http://www.stanford.edu/~rhorn/ 

•Visual Literacy: Learn to See, See to Learn 

Lynell Burmark, Association for Supervision & 

Curriculum Development, 2002 

A clearly written, practical, effective book on 

using visuals in education. Great resource for 

teachers, especially the section on PowerPoint. 

16


Slide 11 

What is DVL 2/2? 

• Why DVL vs. ―21 st century literacy,‖ ―multimedia 

literacy,‖ ―screen literacy,‖ etc? 

– Visual aspect deserves separate study 

– Computers have fundamentally changed nature of 

visual communication 

• We have abstract encoding of images and 3D 

models for the first time 

– These lead to methods of creating, replicating, 

modifying, and distributing images not possible with 

traditional means 

• Computers are first powerful visual tool since 

camera easily used by ―amateurs‖ 

•Information Visualization: Perception for 

Design, Colin Ware, Morgan Kaufmann, 2004 

A great book applying perceptual research to 

visualization design. Readable by non-technical 

people, but aimed chiefly at CS folk doing 

scientific visualization. Interesting first chapter on 

semiotics and viz design. 

http://www.ccom.unh.edu/vislab/CWBio.html 

•“Being Fluent with Information Technology” 

(1999), Computer Science and 

Telecommunications Board (CSTB) 

[http://darwin.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id= 

6482&page=1] 



slide 11 

You may wonder how this ―digital visual literacy‖ 

relates to some of the other new types of literacy, 

such as ―multimedia literacy‖ or ―screen literacy.‖ 

In DVL, we focus on the visual aspects of 

multimedia and computer-based 

communications. This is not because sound and 

text and other ―media‖ are unimportant, but 

because the changes to visual communication 

brought about by the computer are more 

dramatic and of more direct impact in our daily 

and work lives. 

Although methods for encoding speech (writing) 

and music (music notation) have been around for 

thousands of years, an abstract encoding of 

visual data was never readily available. 

Computers have changed that. Storing visual 

information as pixels or mathematical shape 

descriptions lets computer users work with 

images in new ways. 

In addition to being a new powerful tool for 

creating, changing, and sharing images, the 

computer is also becoming ubiquitous. It‘s in the 

home, the office, even your phone. Unlike 

previous image-making technologies (from oil 

painting to even film developing) the computer is 

extremely convenient and accessible to 

amateurs, requiring easily learned skills and with 

no particular physical requirements (i.e., you 

don‘t need special additional equipment or 

spaces such as those necessary for painting, 

casting metal, making etchings, etc.) 

17


Slide 12 

Slide 13 

Not All Aspects of DVL are 

Part of IT Literacy 

DVL relevant to IT 

literacy is: 

1. Using visual 

aspects of today‘s 

computer 

applications 

2. Mastering relevant 

foundational DVL 

concepts 

3. Applying digital 

visual IT in real-life 

situations 

Digital 

Visual 

Literacy 

IT Literacy 

Points adapted from Being Fluent with Information Technology, Computer Science and Telecommunications Board, 1999 

Why Learn DVL in 

an IT Literacy Course? 

• Workplace requires visual 

communication via computer 

– Presentations 

– Charts 

– Photographs 

– Visualization of all kinds of data 

– Web site design 

– Persuasive use of imagery 

– Analyze, interpret visual materials 

– Etc. 

• Personal activities 

– Using a digital camera 

– Communicating with friends 

– Flyers and invitations 

– Personal expression 

– Games and hobbies 



slide 12 

slide 13 

•DVL is a subset of more general areas like ―21 st 

century literacy‖ or ―IT literacy‖ 

•Not all of DVL is relevant to this course (we‘re 

not making Hollywood films here or studying 

astrophysics) , but there is part of DVL that is 

also basic IT literacy, i.e., being comfortable with 

and getting the most that you can out of your 

interaction with a computer. 

•As with IT literacy in general, the visual literacy 

we‘ll be acquiring includes 

--knowing how to use specific 

current applications 

--learning about the fundamental 

concepts that make computer 

graphics possible and effective 

--and doing assignments that will 

help prepare you to apply your 

DVL in real-life situations 

These three categories of literacy come from 

―Being Fluent with Information Technology‖ 

(1999), Computer Science and 

Telecommunications Board (CSTB) 

[http://darwin.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id= 

6482&page=1] 

•It's the real-life situations that probably interest 

you most and you may be using digital visual 

skills already in your jobs. 

•It is not just visual professionals (such as 

graphic designers or photographers) who now 

need to communicate visually and interpret visual 

materials—increasingly all types of IT and 

knowledge work require some degree of DVL. 

•We‘ll see in a slide further one some of the 

things wrong with the graph shown here. 

•The digital camera pictures is so small it‘s sold 

as a keychain. 

[Do any of you currently use visual 

communication in your current job?] 

[Are there things on this list that you don‘t 

currently do but would like to?] 

•In addition, personal life now includes digital 

visual means of creation and communication—for 

instance, with digital cameras. 

[How many of you own a digital camera? Does 

you cell phone have a camera in it?] 

18


Slide 14 

Slide 15 

Slide 16 

Underlying Concepts 

Come from Many Fields 

• Academics 

– Sciences 

– Humanities 

– Business 

• Application areas 

(medicine, military, 

etc.) 

• Little conversation 

between practitioners 

in these fields 



World 




• The Four ―C‖ 

Areas of DVL 

Four “C”s of DVL 




• Cultural Awareness 

– How do digital visual materials affect our 

understanding of our world and each other? 

• Communications 

– How can digital visual communication be most 

effective? 

• Commerce 

– What are the economic implications of a digital visual 

world? 

• Computer Graphics Concepts 

– What is the language of digital visual software? 



slide 14 

slide 15 

slide 16 

Culture: draws on concepts from ―Visual Culture‖ 

disciplines to understand how we make meaning 

with images and how different audiences use and 

interpret images differently. [Example of DVL 

module in this area, ideally one that will be used 

in the class.] 

Communications: This area draws on concepts 

in design and on vision science concepts that 

support effective design guidelines. 

[Example of DVL module in this area, ideally one 

that will be used in the class.] 

Commerce: drawing on the ―image economy‖ 

disciplines, ―Commerce‖ looks at economic 

implications, from new types of business models 

to the effect of design on product desirability. 

[Example of DVL module in this area, ideally one 

that will be used in the class.] 

CG Concepts: draws on CG and scientific 

visualization. Basic concepts help make all 

graphics software easier to use and provides a 

vocabulary for discussing different types of 

computer-generated visual materials. [Example 

of DVL module in this area, ideally one that will 

be used in the class.] 

The Five Underlying Areas 

19


Slide 17 

The DVL Modules 

• Each module has a chief ―C‖ 

area and often sub-areas as 

well: 

– E.g., A Communications 

module could also have some 

Computer Graphics concepts 

• Current modules 

– Use legal concepts of 

copyrights law to explore 

cultural issues in the use of 

images online 

– Use findings in vision science 

to explain design guidelines 

– Etc. 

What‘s Wrong with this 

Graph? 

• Angle adds distortion from 

perceived perspective 

effect 

• X-axis too wide compared 

with y-axis 

• And more! 

Visual Culture: Critical discussion of visual 

materials and history, including topics in art 

history, media culture, visual history, and 

philosophy. 

Art and Design: Basic concepts in 2D, 3D, and 

time-based visual art and design 

Vision Science: Basic concepts in neuroscience, 

perception, and cognitive science 

Computer Graphics and Visualization (CS): 

Basic concepts in the science of computer 

graphics and scientific visualization 

Image Economy: The economic implications of 

creating, distributing, purchasing, exchanging 

visual (largely digital) materials 

Not all relevant to IT Literacy classes, of 

course… 

•Researchers at Brown University have been 

working on defining the field of digital visual 

literacy. In their work, they have been using the 5 

areas described here to understand different 

aspects of the field. Other fields also contribute, 

of course, but these have been main contributors. 

•As you can see some are in the humanities (art 

history, etc.) and some in the sciences (the visual 

science fields and technical aspects of computer 

graphics). 

•The Brown researchers have notes that there is 

often little communication between practitioners 

of these different disciplinary areas. This is one of 

the reasons that visual literacy has not been well 

defined. 

•A wide range of DVL modules have been 

created or are in production. In this class we‘ll be 

using [names of modules, brief descriptions]. 

•Obviously , we cannot cover the whole field, but 

we hope to introduce a related series of 

ideas/concepts that will help you become more 

visually literate. 

[This slide can be modified to have a picture 

relevant to modules that will be used in the class. 

Also, the list of modules should be modified to 

include whatever ones will be used in the class.] 



20


Slide 18 

Conclusion 

• New skills are needed to succeed in the 

digital visual world 

• We hope these DVL modules help you 

gain some of those skills 

• All modules will have assessment forms 

and your feedback is appreciated! 



slide 18 

21


DVL-Q 

1. The visual appearance of textual information is relatively unimportant so long as it is legible 

True 

False 

2. Digital Visual Literacy is the same as Multimedia Literacy 

True 

False 

3. DVL includes cultural awareness. That is, an image might mean different things to different 

people. 

True 

False 

4. DVL does not include learning to evaluate images to decide if they are true and accurate. 

True 

False 

5. DVL includes the ability to use computers to create effective visual communications. 

True 

False 

6. DVL includes the ability to make decisions using digital visual representations of data and 

ideas. 

True 

False 

7. The concepts underlying DVL comes from the arts and humanities, sciences and business. 

True 

False 

8. Compared to the past, computer technologies have speeded our change toward a visually 

oriented society. 

True 

False 

9. Because electronics are expensive and difficult to use, image-making is becoming more and 

more restricted to professional designers and photographers. 

True 

False 

10. DVL includes the ability to make informed decisions using digital visual representations of 

data and ideas. 

True 

False 



22


Pre/Post DVL-Q 

Key for Pre/Post DVL-Q – This key is displayed here so that you can share the results with your 

students after they participate in the Pre/Post DVL-Q 

1. The visual appearance of textual information is relatively unimportant so long as it is legible 

True 

False 

2. Digital Visual Literacy is the same as Multimedia Literacy 

True 

False 

3. DVL includes cultural awareness. That is, an image might mean different things to different 

people. 

True 

False 

4. DVL does not include learning to evaluate images to decide if they are true and accurate. 

True 

False 

5. DVL includes the ability to use computers to create effective visual communications. 

True 

False 

6. DVL includes the ability to make decisions using digital visual representations of data and 

ideas. 

True 

False 

7. The concepts underlying DVL comes from the arts and humanities, sciences and business. 

True 

False 

11. Compared to the past, computer technologies have speeded our change toward a visually 

oriented society. 

True 

False 

12. Because electronics are expensive and difficult to use, image-making is becoming more and 

more restricted to professional designers and photographers. 

True 

False 

13. DVL includes the ability to make informed decisions using digital visual representations of 

data and ideas. 

True 

False 



23


Appendix 

Copyright Information 

1. Fair Use of images: 

Quotation of excerpts in a review or criticism for purposes of illustration or comment 

Reproduction by a teacher or student of a small part of a work to illustrate a lesson 

2. Fair Use of product photos: companies distribute product photos (including book covers) with 

press releases and to online retailers selling their product. I think their objective is wide 

publication. In the very unlikely event that we are ever contacted by companies not wanting 

us to show their products, we can remove the images later. 

3. Fair Use of screen shots: Microsoft allows use of screen shots, including in text books and 

websites. Other software companies likely to follow suit. 

Slide Status Item Details 

1 PD New DVL Logo All images are PD 

2, 9, 15 

Fair Use of 

Product 

Photo 

3 Used by 

Permission 

4 PD 

4 PD 

4 PD 

Product image (Ceiva digital photo frame) 

http://www.ceiva.com/cstore/ct/cstore_catalog.jsp 

Used by permission 

Anne Spalter photo, Geneva, stained glass in Chancel 

of Cathedral St. Pierre 

Used by Permission 

http://teachpol.tcnj.edu/amer_pol_hist/thumbnail427.ht 

ml 

Credit: National Archives and Records Administration. 

Dr. William J. Ball Department of Political Science 

The College of New Jersey (ball@tcnj.edu) 


Photo taken by Kathleen Gaisford, PD 

http://www.aviationsystemsdivision.arc.nasa.gov/multi 

media/simac/index.html 




24



4 PD 

4 PD 

4 PD 

4 PD 

5 GNU 

license 

5 and 13 Product 

Photo (Fair 

Use) 

6 PD 

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/images/content/ 

95457main_before_after.jpg 


http://www.lanl.gov/news/albums/science/headandnec 

kimage.jpg 


http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/multimedia/images 

/2006/earbot_prt.htm 


http://ct.gsfc.nasa.gov/news.sc95_slides.html. 

Simple cell-like structures called vesicles may have 

been the first self-replicating systems in the worldmarking 

the beginnings of life. Government image, PD 

19th century studio camera, with bellows for focusing. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Studijskifotoaparat.J 

PG 

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify 

this document under the terms of the GNU Free 

Documentation license 

Image found in many locations on the internet 

Photos taken and edited by Kay Gaisford, PD 



25



6 PD 

7 Fair Use 

7 Fair Use 

7 Fair Use 

8 PD 

Governme 

nt image 

8 Used by 

permission 

Pictures taken by U.S. military personnel on duty are 

ineligible for copyright 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Abu_Ghraib_53.jpg 

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=21956_R 

euters_Doctoring_Photos_from_Beirut&only 

Fair use, in a review or criticism for purposes of 

illustration or comment 





http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/photos/oprah.html 

Weather system: 

http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2005/katr 

ina.html 

2D slice of MRI 

data. http://vis.cs.brown.edu/results/images/Laidlaw- 

1995-GME.253.html 

David H. Laidlaw. Geometric Model Extraction from 

Magnetic Resonance Volume Data. PhD thesis, 

California Institute of Technology, 1995 




26



8 Used by 

permission 

10 Product 


Use) 

10 Product 


Use) 

10 Product 


Use) 

10 Product 


Use) 

10 Product 


Use) 

http://vis.cs.brown.edu/results/images/Acevedo-2004- 

CRP.035.html 

Daniel Acevedo, Song Zhang, David H. Laidlaw, and 

Chris Bull. Color Rapid Prototyping for Diffusion 

Tensor MRI Visualization. In Proceedings of MICCAI 

2004 Short Papers, September 2004 

MRI Visualization.jpg 


Visual Thinking Rudolf Arnheim, University of 

California Press, 2004 

Arnheim asserts that all thinking (not just thinking 

related to art) is basically perceptual in nature, and 

that the ancient dichotomy between seeing and 

thinking, between perceiving and reasoning, is false 

and misleading. 

http://astro.temple.edu/~iversteg/Arnheim.html 

Visual Language: Global Communication for the 

21st Century Robert E. Horn, MacroVU Press, 1999 

Horn argues that there is a new "language" in play 

which consists of images and words fully integrated 

and working together. Worth reading even though he 

suffers from a delusion that one can illustrate a visual 

thinking book effectively with clip art. 

http://www.stanford.edu/~rhorn/ 

Visual Literacy: Learn to See, See to Learn Lynell 

Burmark, Association for Supervision & Curriculum 

Development, 2002 

A clearly written, practical, effective book on using 

visuals in education. Great resource for teachers, 

especially the section on PowerPoint. 

Information Visualization: Perception for Design, 

Colin Ware, Morgan Kaufmann, 2004 

A great book applying perceptual research to 

visualization design. Readable by non-technical 

people, but aimed chiefly at CS folk doing scientific 

visualization. Interesting first chapter on semiotics and 

viz design. 

http://www.ccom.unh.edu/vislab/CWBio.html 

Being Fluent with Information Technology” (1999), 

Computer Science and Telecommunications Board 

(CSTB) 

[http://darwin.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=6482 

&page=1] 



27



12 Used by 

permission 

13 and 

17 

PD 

14 Used by 

permission 

Not All Aspects of DVL are 

Part of IT Literacy 

DVL relevant to IT 

literacy is: 

1. Using visual 

aspects of today‘s 

computer 

applications 

2. Mastering relevant 

foundational DVL 

concepts 

3. Applying digital 

visual IT in real-life 

situations 

Digital 

Visual 

Literacy 

Points adapted from Being Fluent with Information Technology, Computer Science and Telecommunications Board, 1999 

IT Literacy 

(e.g., CIS105) 

07/26/06 slide 12 

Anne Spalter gives permission 

USA Today, fair use (for purposes of illustration, 

comment, criticism.) 

Anne Spalter gives permission 



28

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