Visual Communication: Ways to communicate with modern world

By: Kelly of KIS

SDGs: Quality education, Decent work and economic growth, Parternships for the goals
Media is everywhere, and as a generation entirely in contact with visual media, it is important to understand its impacts as well and utilize visual media to its best, not against us. Through my passion project, I wanted to explore and share how experiences of creating, consuming, and controlling visual content can impact attitudes, behaviors, and our willingness to accept visual information.

In the summer of 2022, I took a class that would change my perspective on media forever. At Cornell’s pre-college program, I first learned about Visual Communications, a study about visual and media literacy. With this new knowledge, I felt that there is a need for students to learn about visual communication.

Back in school, I contacted my AP Language teacher about articles related to Visual communication and media literacy, suggesting it could be shared with his students. To my surprise, we decided to come up with short lesson plans to teach his current AP Language students about the subject. Over the span of weeks, I met with my teacher regularly to discuss activities and projects we could conduct for students to perceive visual communication with more fun.

On the day of the lesson, I was surprised by the active participation and enthusiasm of the students. The main lesson of the first day was regarding stereotypes in everyday AI, and the students did a Google image search analysis and an active discussion regarding racism and sexism. In the next lesson, I conducted students to do research on a case study where they were given a meme or tweet that went viral and figured out whether it was a fake image or video. Students were able to learn how to identify and fact-check a visual and be aware of deep fakes and cheap fakes. Finally, on the last day, I opened a fake-social media contest. By creating fake images and media posts, students were able to learn how social media images, videos, and live streams are staged at times.

Through these short lessons with the AP Language class, I have received a great amount of positive feedback with 97% of the students responding they feel confident about the concepts of Visual communications and 91.2% of the students feeling that the lessons were effective, 100% recommending the subject to other students.

Currently, I have also done student leaders workshop at the Service and leadership conference at SFS and advisory lessons with the Middle school students. I hope that other students will also continuously be interested in this topic and continue expanding the lessons.Through these short lessons with the AP Language class, I have received a great amount of positive feedback with 97% of the students responding they feel confident about the concepts of Visual communications and 91.2% of the students feeling that the lessons were effective, 100% recommending the subject to other students.

Currently, I have also done a student leaders workshop at the Service and leadership conference at SFS and advisory lessons with the Middle school students. I hope that other students will also continuously be interested in this topic and continue expanding the lessons.