The images below are from a section in my Astronomy course, showing how the changes in information density are possible when the same material is presented in a text-only format as on the left, and when an image is the primary information source, with text added only for clarification or supplementation. Interestingly, the original PowerPoint slides on the left were from supplemental material provided with the older version (sixth edition) of the textbook we have been using for years. The images on the right were from the more recent eighth edition and were added to accommodate the changes in pedagogy adopted by the authors. They did not replace the original slides in the supplemental material, but instead, were added to give a more comprehensive, summative perspective of the printed material presented in the book and original PowerPoint materials. The change in slides has given the students a better overall grasp of the material, and has led to more productive discussions and increased opportunities for expansion/enrichment. Best of all, I did not have to create them from scratch; the authors did it for me.
Old Slides New Slides
The changes that illustrate the principles of visual and media literacy are best shown in the first slide by the move away from reliance on pure text to convey complex information to a model that easily shows what was formerly described in dry, almost abstract terms. The illustration on the replacement slide to the right shows not only the relative scales of the same distances but over two dozen more items and their physical relation to our own solar system in three dimensions. Analogies are not used; rather the objects themselves are physically displayed meaningfully in space, giving not only a sense of density, but distribution as well.
In the second slide, a mathematical relationship with obtuse symbols is replaced with a geometric illustration showing the same principles with simple numerical examples that help the student connect the distances to the increase in surface area only hinted at in the formula itself. This also foreshadows the next section on the inverse square law and its ability to help us determine distance when the luminosity of an object is known.
Chaisson, E., & McMillan, S. (2008). Astronomy today. San Francisco, CA: Pearson / Addison Wesley.