The learning affordances of images

Images

Images may be used to convey meaning in a multitude of ways.

Maps and Google Earth.
While I wouldn't generally expect my workplace learners to use maps a great deal, they can serve to place the learner almost anywhere in the world.   This could help with studies of cultural appreciation, resource allocation, or the environmental impacts of climate change.

The primary use of maps in our workplace are to improve client access to our clinics. 
New staff could be asked to use online maps to plot the routes to our clinics from major roads in both directions, so they could better assist clients when making appointments.  This has greater relevance now that we have a centralised phone system, so appointments may be made for clinics that are hundreds of kilometers away. 

Sharing of personal images can be used to strengthen the links with our online community. While careful judgement should be exercised to ensure that the uploaded material is consistent with the intent of the communication space, it can create a sense of shared experience.  I found this to be true for my networks at the time of the Brisbane floods.  Many individuals stepped outside the normal topic rules to express concern for me, my family and the community as a whole.  These images were how I shared my experience, and the inclusion of the map provided a sense of perspective.

Used with permission

Charts and Graphs and Tables
Charts and graphs can be used to share statistical information in ways that make it meaningful to the viewer.  We use audiogram graphs to display information about hearing levels and tables to display clinical test results when communicating with clients and health professionals. 

Graphs and tables can also be used as tools for learners in analysing and creating meaning from data.  The chart/table function of Powerpoint or Excel allow the learner to explore the most effective ways of communicating the key aspect of their findings.

For instance in considering the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to managing health care, the learners could be asked to select a specific type of hearing or balance concern that our clients might present with, then conduct an analysis of the number and type of other professionals those clients have consulted.  Learners could collaborate to collect this data over a range of services and then report it back the whole Company via email or the Company intranet.
A follow up activity could be designed to focus on the importance of creating collaborative networks and communities of practice. Learners could select a particular category of professional and identify and establish  contact with two or three of those health professionals in their region.
The Company maintains a register of specialist service providers, and these contacts could be added to the register.

Learners could be asked to select two of the assistive devices we provide to clients and analyse their afforances. They could report their findings by creating tables of features that allow them to compare technologies when determining the best recommendation to make to a specific client. For example they could consider the affordance of a Bone anchored hearing aid and a Bonebridge aid.    In fact many similar tables have already been created to serve as job aids.

As a trainer i could structure a table in a wiki to serve as a framework for learners to report back their findings and interpretations.


Manuals and screenshots

The manuals for some of our assistive devices are not very accessible to clients with low literacy level as assessed by their reading grade.  As an exercise, learners could be asked to select a particular product and taking the viewpoint of the client, determine what information is most important for successful operation of the device.  They would then select or create visual illustrations and incorporate them into a new instruction sheet or manual.This project could incorporate an analysis of the efficacy of rich visual representations such as photos, versus lower fidelity portrayals such as line sketches.

Screenshots can demonstrate use of equipment and create job aids and performance support tools to aid in recall.  The visual cue aids in the recall of desired processes.

While video images are excellent at conveying a process - I'd be lost without YouTube - there are times when a still image allows you to focus more on a specific detail.  A series of pictures also allows you to progress through material at your preferred pace more easily than managing the pause, rewind or fast forward options for video.

Images to trigger an affective response.  
As noted in a previous blog post, the 'Don Quixote' effect of showing positive images of medical health care delivery, by image or video, can provide a short term burst of positive emotion that helps the learner reconnect with the reasons for choosing to work in this profession, and so better cope with a challenge they are facing at the time.

Wordle as a reporting tool, to quickly convey an overview of opinions and create a positive affect. 
This year we had a project at work to roll out a major change in process.  The government introduced a major change in the way that eligible pensioners access Government funded hearing and hearing aid services.  As a provider of the service we were required to implement the change, at the time stipulated by the goverment - which kept change as they experienced issues with the IT aspects of the program.  A key strategy for successful implementation was constant communication with staff about what would happen and when it was expected to happen.  Staff received updates from the CEO and the Manager Strategic Projects (we may be a small management team but we make up for that with the length of our job titles....).  

My role was firstly to create training materials and job aids, which would be used with the front line managers, who would then use the materials with their staff. These took the form of workbooks and clinical case scenarios.   Secondly I was to develop, conduct and report a pre and post -implementation poll to assess:

• the staff understanding of the Company's expectations of the process
• the individual staff member's expectations of the process
• their understanding of what the key changes were
• their understandingn of the benefits the change created for the the clients, the Company and each of them in their roles
• the impact they believed the change would have on their role
• their confidence in implementing the changes.

In reporting back to all the staff the findings of the pre-implementation survey, I used a wordle to convey the overall positive and optomistic nature of their responses.  This also helped to boost the confidence of the few staff members who did express some concern.
With wordle you can select the colour scheme and you can also submit the data multiple times to have a new arrangement created.  Using this process, on the fourteenth try I was able to get the word 'client' at the centre of the wordle.  This was important  to reflect the key message that the focus of the process was improved services for client.

The image below could be used to start a discussion on the stigma of hearing aids and how this may cause clients to delay help-seeking.

commons.wikimedia.org

Images can be manipulated to place empahsis on specific characteristics or aspects. In doing so they may create humour or sarcasm.    For example, cartoons, or photos modified with applications such as Pixlr-o-matic.  
Artwork, whatever the medium can also create a atmosphere or feeting, triggering different associations for each learner.   Applications such as Paper53 and Artrage allow direct creation of art images on tablets. 

Another factor not to be underestimated is that making images can be really fun.  Engendering emotion, of any kind helps in shifting memories from short term to long term memory.  Two benefits for the price of one! 


Images as a portrayal of objects in the real or imagined world

This is probably the most common way of creating a shared reference point. although in a constructivist learning environment it is acknowledge that as everyone constructs their meaning from the unique perspective of their prior history, we will all interpret visual images in a slightly different way.  Sharing these differences in perception can foster the skills of analysis and reflection.



Considerations in sourcing, storing and uploading of images

Copyright considerations 

Ensuring that neither I nor my learners breach copyright is a factor to be considered when including images in any materials we create and when creating photo or video images.  When taking protographs precautions should be taken all privacy requirments have been met.  Similiarly when uploading images of documents, work materials or elements of medical case notes, precautions must be taken that confidentiality is not breached.

Creating images in the workplace may often be an effective way of both ensuring they are relevant and overcoming copyright considerations.  However there are frequently images that would be impossible or impractical to create in house.  Images may be downloaded from commercial sites under licence, or from open image sharing sites.

Some sites offer images to use and modify without restriction or attribution, such as pixebay.com.  Others sites allow reuse but not modification, or reuse but not for commerical purposes.  When using a general search engine such as Google, using an image search and selecting the search tools to specify the appropriate level of usage rights removes uncertainty.  Alternatively, searches can be conducted on sites known to offer the relevant usage, such as creative commons which has relatively low restrictrions, although proper attribution is required.  Wellcomeimages.org is a particularly useful site for me as it specialises in medical images.
 

wellcoomeimages.org

Images may also be used with the consent of their creator, and the scientific community is usually generous in granting permission.  As I work for for a commercial organisation and have not purchased a limited licence, educational provisions for fair dealing do not apply.

Image storing sites
There are numerous image storage sites offering free or paid plans, such as Flickr or Picassa.   Many of these have the advantage that being cloud based they are accessible from any location and by mobile devices, both for uploading and downloading.  Increasing download speeds and decreasing costs of data storage make this an appealing option.   When privacy concerns apply a paid account or alternative storage must be sourced.

When uploading works that are the original creations of the learners, their consent must be obtained.

Image size and resolution
The primary consideration for image size and resolution is the storage size and download time needed to access it.  It has been my experience that learners generally prefer a low resolution image that loads quickly to a high resolution image that needs buffering.  Consideration should also be given as to whether the image will be displayed on the smaller screens of tablets and smartphones when determining the initial size.

File transferring options, such as dropbox, have overcome the previous limits of images as attachments to emails.


Developing technological and pedagogical skills in image creation.
The srong empahsis in transformational learning on the creation of learning objects and use of multimedia by learners for reporting and analysing has required me to markedly rethink my use of all media, including images.   I was aware that combining images and audio creates greater brain activation but I'd only applied that to materials that I created not to my expectations of learners.  Because this is still a conscious process for me, at this stage as soon as I start work on a topic area I  have to pause and consider how I will incorporate elements of creation into the project, and that usually leads back to what tools could I do that with.

I don't regard myself to be an artistic person, I'm a crafter not an artisan, but I've discovered there are a multitude of tools available to allow the alteration of existing works as well as creating new images that are a unique experssion of the learner. Fortunately, so far it's usually proven to be true that 'there's an ap for that'.  To date the greatest challenges have tended to be about transferring files from my ipad to the computer. 

It's interesting that for creating text materials I prefer a PC but when it comes to image creation and manipulation I'm a tablet person all the way.  I think it's about the ease of changing angle and perspective.