Channels, Fall 2016

Page 66 Kenniv • Visual Rhetoric: A Case for Visual Literacy in the Classroom cient. What they fail to realize, however, is the marketable skills they gain by becoming vis- ually literate. Brumberger (2010) points out that “[b]oth students and instructors may eas- ily fall under the spell of technology, thinking that they are learning and teaching design.” Third, students will never become visually literate without opportunities to practice doing so. If they are not encouraged to think critically about the messages their images convey, they will spend their energy “creating effects with technology.” Their resulting work may be beautiful and striking, “but [they] are bitterly disappointed when their design does not achieve its rhetorical purpose and thus fails to earn a high grade” (Brumberger 2010, 464). Because visual literacy is not immediately present in students’ minds, the instructor must coax it to the forefront of their thinking. Brumberger (2010) argues, “If our goal is…to edu- cate visually-literate citizens, then we must ensure that our programs, and the individual courses within those programs, give students opportunities for interpretation, criticism, and evaluation, as well as production.” This shift in a student’s thinking toward the visual will eventually give rise to a new way of discussing images and their meanings as more and more professionals become visually literate. Being visually literate, Portewig (2004) ar- gues, “is not a set of peripheral skills but a foundation for understanding the visual. We should recognize the complexity of the visual and understand how each component con- tributes to a holistic approach to the visual.” And fourth, instructors should teach students to use images ethically. This first assumes that students understand that the image is not neutral or stoic but, rather, has a dynamic, communicative relationship with its viewer. Like Kimball (2006) notes, using images ethi- cally means that we must realize that images are as uncertain as text. In order to use them ethically, we must use them cautiously, recognizing that images have limits just like text has limits. Visual Literacy and the Professional Writer So, what advantage does being visually literate have in the everyday life of the professional writer? Brumberger (2007) makes a critical remark by saying “the emphasis on the visual will increase rather than diminish” and; therefore, organizations should pay special atten- tion to the current conversation surrounding the use of visuals. With this increase empha- sis on the visual, professional writers will feel the weight of responsibility as they design documents with text and images driving the argument. Images come from contexts with specific cultural implications and messages. A professional writer’s job includes analyzing these contexts, pushing these messages, and persuading their audiences in a way that is ethical, effective, and true. Whether writing a manual for a dishwasher or managing the so- cial media for a Fortune 500 company, professional writers act as a catalyst for and a crea- tor of meaning. More so than other professions, professional writers have a unique respon- sibility to understand how the image communicates persuasively and how they can channel this power for their purposes. Salinas (2002) notes well that writers must be “critically savvy about how images are recognized, read, and used as well as how they impact our so- cial and cultural worlds.” Professional writers are culture creators whether they like to think this or not. They can promote ideas or arguments responsibly or irresponsibly. Being visually literate helps professional writers responsibly use images alongside text in order to create arguments that effectively promote social change, justice, and right actions.