Digitally-manipulated Image

 

As a teacher, I always look for the best ways to teach students. I believe visual learning is one of the great methods that help students learn and succeed. Visual tools have a powerful impact on students learning and the long-term retention of information, so I should choose them carefully. I am sure that the appropriate choice of visual tools such as images has a significant role in achieving the purpose and the success of the educational process and students. Images should be of high quality, suitable for content and educational purpose, and easy to understand. That makes students respond and engage in learning enjoyably. I will use images and the images I digitally manipulated in blended teaching. I will show the picture using technology, so all students will have the opportunity to discuss their thinking about the photo, participate, and express their ideas in class or online. They will interact with their peers and benefit from each other's ideas. They also will be able to help each other out at times that suit them. All students will have personal spaces, which allow them to progress at their own pace. When I show the picture online before class, this will enable the students to prepare for lessons, access the materials and photos, and avoid and solve difficulties that may happen before class. The students will return to lessons, see the images, and learn whenever they want, which is another advantage. On the other side, it will allow me to customize the learning for each student according to their abilities. I will be willing to guide each student and know their strengths and weaknesses, which will enable me to address and improve them. Students will practice learning and benefit from their peers' feedback and the feedback I will give them. When each student has their place, they will feel comfortable. They can practice their learning at a time and place that suits them. For example, students with disabilities, as we know, have a lot of appointments, and some of them even stay in the hospital for a long time, so this feature will allow them to learn like their peers. They will not lose their learning. Visual learning using photos and videos and viewing them online will make them feel like they are in the classroom.

 

To implement the use of digital images in the classroom, I chose an English Language Arts lesson for second graders. The standard for the reading lesson will be to expand the students' vocabulary by using prefixes and suffixes. I will show my students a digital image that I manipulated. The picture is of two trees and roots. The purpose of the photo is to show that roots represent the root of the word and that the two trees represent prefixes and suffixes. The branches of the two trees will also represent the branches of the prefixes (un - in - im - re - dis - mis) and suffixes (tion - sion - ful - ment - ly - able). The man's job in the picture is to clarify that prefixes come at the first of words, while suffixes come at the end. When students see the image, the eyes will pick up the image and make a quick connection to the brain. I believe that the picture will support students' understanding and enable them to retain information for a long time. Students will create a strong bond that stimulates their cognitive ability to connect what they saw with what they learned. In addition, the combination of a real picture, a drawing, and a learning purpose will enable students to learn in a fun, effective, and positive way. I will use this technique in the framework of PICRAT. I will display the picture on the smartboard that students will see it. I will explain the concept of vocabulary expansion using prefixes and suffixes. The students will use computers to play Kahoot. I will ask the students to move to the Teddy Bears Go Blogging. In their blogs, they will practice what they learned. They will write a paragraph of at least five sentences. Their writing must contain one prefix and one suffix. Then, they will have to publish their articles. This blogging will give them the opportunity to write and receive comments from their peers. All students will have a space to participate, interact, share their ideas and benefit from each other's ideas. They will also have the freedom to get creative and choose the type of final task in which students demonstrate their understanding of vocabulary expansion using prefixes and suffixes either in a picture, video, or graphic organizer.

Photo rights belong to (Suda Alamri).