In the past four weeks in this class, we have learned a lot about visualization techniques. You might be asking, "what is a visualization technique?" I can tell you. Visualization techniques are strategies for putting your thoughts onto something tangible to help explain your ideas. You can use writing, drawing, maps, photography, or any other medium to represent your ideas.
One of the first visualization techniques ever used was cave painting. Eventually, cave paintings were turned into a form of writing called pictographs. Later, pictographs separated into two areas, drawings and language. Pictographs were simplified into characters that represented a sound. The characters allowed spoken words to be represented and written down. Over history, the advancement of drawing and artwork has led to a lot of new discoveries and scientific break throughs. For example, scientists drew pictures of what they saw under a microscope which ultimately led to understanding how cells make up the rest of the world.
In school, there are a couple of ways that visualization can be used to your advantage. Graphs are commonly used in math. Graphs show a comparison between one set of data and another in a visualized form. Spider maps are used to show how your main idea connects with supporting facts throughout your writing. It helps your organize your thoughts and makes writing easier. My personal favorite visualization technique in school is sketch notes. You use sketch notes by drawing or doodling in a way that makes the information make sense to you.
Three visualization advancements that have impacted the world the most include writing, the invention of computers, and television. Writing created a way for people to document information, history, inventions, and new ideas. Saving this type of writing allowed more people to learn. Computers are an amazing invention that allows people to easily connect with others all over the world through the internet. It creates an incredible source of cultural diffusion which spreads knowledge, ideas, and wisdom instantly. The impact of television is similar to the impact of computer. Television creates a medium to document news, entertainment, and cultural events. These advancements have created a lot of different ways for people to communicate and share ideas and have impacted just about everyone in our society.