Education in the Knowledge Society (Dec 2011)
Generation connected with images
Abstract
In learning contexts studying the image as a focus of sensitive knowledge and formative purposes is crucial to achieve high levels of quality and educational excellence. As Renobell (2005) stated, image analysis encourages the development of critical capacity and contributes to developing a personal style for the gradual acquisition of a visual culture. Images educate and consequently, their presence in the field of education should not be a mere accompaniment to the text. They should not be limited to adorn or illustrate a linguistic content but to complement and deepen it, activating the thought and the reflection of the reader. In Internet culture, image as a focus of knowledge, of shared use, of social content and educational purposes, contribute to explain the implications and vivacity around this technological environment, which plays a leading role in the current social changes and movements. The culture of the network has changed our perceptual sensitivity to interpret images, which are now more complex, integrated, multidimensional and dynamic than ever. The interactivity, the strong relationship with the text content, the graphic sequentiality, the associated sound effects or the iconical text design reveal the importance of image in the net culture.