Symbolic Imagery & Coding as
Emerging (Digital) Literacies
Over the last few months I have been looking at how children develop their understanding of symbolic imagery.
I was initially interested in developing children's digital literacy and independence when identifying common icons and functions on the iPad and Seesaw (and other apps), so that students could post more easily and work more independently and ultimately take more ownership of their learning.
When trying something new, many of the youngest students ask for prompts at every click. This can be incredibly challenging when trying to complete a 10 click process (making a portfolio post to Seesaw) with more than a few students at a time and I wondered at how to increase a student's independence when using the iPad and creating digital content.
Initially I worked to ensure EY2-G1 students had a more explicit and clear understanding of what each Symbol in Seesaw meant. I found an amazing blog post by the talented Early Years Ed Tech Coach, Pana Asavavatana. In her post she explores the concept of using Icons as visual scaffolds to assist with student thinking when making Seesaw posts.
Pana likes the following definition of the new-to-her (and me) concept "transmediation"
"the act of translating meanings from one sign system to another” (Siegel, 1995, p.455)
I also wanted students to notice patterns or similarities in symbols/icons across different apps. For example the following are ubiquitous:
In one of the EY2 classes I very explicitly introduced the above icons found in Book Creator and we held a discussion as to what the icons could possibly mean and I recorded the students' ideas on posters. As the students were interested in book making, over several weeks I invited students individually or in pairs to explore the app and click away at the the buttons. I observed how quickly many began to 'read' the symbols after seeing what each does. I must admit, this happened around Christmas when things got busy, Hour of Code took over and I didn't follow up with a timely, 'Now what do we know about these icons" lesson.
I was initially interested in developing children's digital literacy and independence when identifying common icons and functions on the iPad and Seesaw (and other apps), so that students could post more easily and work more independently and ultimately take more ownership of their learning.
"What do I click next?"
When trying something new, many of the youngest students ask for prompts at every click. This can be incredibly challenging when trying to complete a 10 click process (making a portfolio post to Seesaw) with more than a few students at a time and I wondered at how to increase a student's independence when using the iPad and creating digital content.
Initially I worked to ensure EY2-G1 students had a more explicit and clear understanding of what each Symbol in Seesaw meant. I found an amazing blog post by the talented Early Years Ed Tech Coach, Pana Asavavatana. In her post she explores the concept of using Icons as visual scaffolds to assist with student thinking when making Seesaw posts.
Pana likes the following definition of the new-to-her (and me) concept "transmediation"
"the act of translating meanings from one sign system to another” (Siegel, 1995, p.455)
"Digital information comes in multiple forms, and students must learn to tell stories not just with words and numbers but also through images, graphics, color, sound, music, and dance... Bombarded with a wide variety of images regularly, students need sharp visual-interpretation skills to interact with the media analytically. Each form of communication has its own rules and grammar and should be taught in ways that lead students to be more purposeful, specific, and concise in communicating." -Leonard Shlain
In one of the EY2 classes I very explicitly introduced the above icons found in Book Creator and we held a discussion as to what the icons could possibly mean and I recorded the students' ideas on posters. As the students were interested in book making, over several weeks I invited students individually or in pairs to explore the app and click away at the the buttons. I observed how quickly many began to 'read' the symbols after seeing what each does. I must admit, this happened around Christmas when things got busy, Hour of Code took over and I didn't follow up with a timely, 'Now what do we know about these icons" lesson.
