Chapter 2: Digital Visual Literacy in the Social Studies Classroom

Of all the advancements and changes in the field of education in the 21st century, the expansion and interpretation of what constitutes “literacy” certainly has to be considered one of the most intriguing developments. Literacy, not so long ago, was typically associated with the ability to read and write print-based text. While text based literacy skills certainly remain a central objective of the K–12 school experience, educators and researchers have also vastly expanded the scope of what it means to be a literate citizen in the technological age of today’s society. Consider the arrival, reemergence, and prevalence of literacy related fields such as computer literacy, internet literacy, digital literacy, visual literacy, and media literacy, just to name a few. The expansion of skill sets associated with contemporary literacy needs should be of particular interest to social studies educators, as this content area faces increased marginalization due to high stakes testing and the shifting curriculum winds brought about by the Common Core Standards. Social studies educators now, perhaps more than ever, face the challenge of demonstrating not only the importance and value of course content being covered, but also how this knowledge can be obtained in meaningful ways that help students acquire an array of skills that will contribute to the development of effective citizens and workers in the digital world. The purpose of this chapter is to explore and offer social studies educators’ clarification rather than mystification on an emerging field of literacy referred to as digital visual literacy.