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The Internet, images, and archaeology: a tutorial

4. Teaching scenarios

Some examples of teaching using online images are available. These extend traditional teaching and learning practices by directing students to new material, by shifting the method of delivery from the classroom to the Web, and by making use of good, bad and mediocre online resources to develop students' evaluation skills and critical reading.

An illustrated lecture

The Web can be harvested to put together illustrations for teaching, though currently this is very time consuming. Several options are available (though be wary of copyright restrictions on their use):

Online paper/course notes

Making lecture notes available online allows students to review material before and after the lecture. Lectures can even be replaced by disseminating information online, and the contact time devoted to other teaching methods (though this also depends on class size).

Guided support within a tutorial

Web resources can be used much like printed material and artefacts within tutorials, providing examples of material culture and interpretations around which discussion can focus. They can also be used to address particular learning needs. The above Web page was written to support two first years who were struggling with the course. It was used to target their reading and evaluation skills. An evaluation of the class is available from the ASTER project.

Visual literacy

This is a somewhat ambiguous term that embraces a range of expertise, from object recognition ('spot the artefact'), to aesthetic values and, for reconstructions, an awareness of the theoretical frameworks behind their creation. In practice, visual literacy can be developed and evaluated in many ways:

Online resources can be incorporated into teaching, to support a wide range of educational objectives and to accommodate different approaches to learning. Changes to teaching need to be carefully considered so that both students and lecturers benefit. We have put together a short list of online resources rich in images.


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Last updated: Wed Aug 21 2002

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