Printed Media – Posters

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Posters:

Posters are an excellent medium for messaging.  Visually striking, posters have been used for years to attract the attention of passers-by, making us aware of a political viewpoint, enticing us to attend specific events, or encouraging us to purchase a particular product or service (Gallo, 2002).

Relating Posters to Instructional Objectives:

 

Class of media: Printed medium.

Characteristics: Colorful, textually stimulating, attention grasping, affordable.

 

Application to types of learning: 

 

Cognitive objectives:  Posters can be used in a classroom setting to illustrate, for example, the periodic table, the order of planets in the solar system, or how to diagram a sentence.  Posters can also be used to illustrate how to log into an information system to submit your assignment. If you are trying to convey a message that does not frequently change, you should consider using posters.

 

  • Teach students how to identify things by displaying visual representations.
  • Teach students how to compare and contrast using pictures.
  • Teach students attention to detail by using pictures that have been slightly altered.
  • Teach students proper sequencing by listing step-by-step procedures for a task.

 

Psychomotor objectives:  None.

Affective objectives:  None.

 

Advantages and disadvantages of posters:

 

Advantages:

  • Posters are an affordable method of distributing information.
  • Posters offer a continuous display of information for as long as you want them to.
  • Posters make a quick, eye-catching impression on students.
  • Posters can reach many students if placed in an area with a high level of foot traffic.

 

Disadvantages:

  • Posters are not easy to update if the information on them is incorrect or changes.
  • Posters can be subject to vandalism or, if outside, the elements and can be easily destroyed.
  • Posters do not actually engage the student, but simply inform.
  • Posters can lead to confusion and more questions if not created properly.

 

Considerations for Selecting Posters for Instruction:

  • Can the information on the poster be displayed publicly?
  • Does the poster take away from the instruction or enhance the instruction?
  • Can the poster be properly designed so that the exact message is correctly conveyed?

 

Citations:

Gallo, Max, The Poster in History, (2002) W.W. Norton