In December 2019, I had to travel to the Philippines by myself because I had final exams, and could not fly with my family so I had to fly a week later. My journey also included a layover in Dubai, before I took the next airplane heading to Manila, Philippines.
In this blog I will discuss how watching vlogs has helped me navigate Dubai International Airport, along with the reasons why using visuals such as videos or images are beneficial when learning almost anything.
This was the first time I flew on my own. So naturally, I was more than just a little nervous about my first journey alone. I immediately googled Dubai International Airport and also watched YouTube videos about Dubai Airport and how to navigate it. The Dubai International Airport is one of the busiest in the world, and reportedly, in 2010, “the airport has seen over 402 million passengers at an average annual growth rate of 15.5 %”.
I found vlogs much more useful than reading articles online, when trying to get an idea about how the airport looked like. The reason being that the video was about someone who went to Dubai for a vacation. The fact that I got to see a visual of the Dubai International Airport without actually being there, fascinated me, as it further highlighted our rapid digitalisation of the world. It has become possible to watch vlogs showing places that we are currently not in, but it makes us feel as though we are there right now. This might be due because vlogs are supposed to portray the truth about the then current location of the vlogger.
I am a visual and auditory learner, meaning that watching videos is the most productive for me to learn. I watch videos on YouTube to learn many things, from how to write an academic essay to navigating an airport.
The benefits of visual learning
According an article titled Visual Learning: 6 reasons Why Visuals Are The Most Powerful Aspect of eLearning by Dana Jandhyala, visual learning stores information into long term memory due to the simplicity of an image or video. If you do not know what eLearning is then here is the definition: Learning or teaching with the use of electronic devices.
Another benefit according to the article is that visuals are more aesthetically pleasing to look at than reading a text. This can be compared to my situation about navigating an airport, as it was much easier for me to watch a video explaining everything I needed to know than reading an article about it online. It was also more effective, as it was more intriguing for me to watch some else travelling and filming a vlog about they are seeing in that moment.
Additionally, the Visual Teaching Alliance stated that 90 per cent of the information that is processed in the brain is visual, and that visuals actually help our brains process information faster than plain writing. When I read this I perceived this to be true in relation to navigating the Dubai airport, because when I traveled to Dubai all I could remember about navigating the airport was from the YouTube vlog I watched.
I also noticed that after watching the vlog, and actually being in the airport, a feeling of familiarity even though I have never been there before. This made me think that technology has made it possible for us to see things without being there to witness it. The feeling of familiarity is what helped me navigate the airport. This leads to another point made in the article that visuals are useful because it simplifies information, making it easier for you to understand it.
What are your thoughts on using visuals to help you learn how to do something? What type of learner are you?
References:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/definition/e-learning
https://elearningindustry.com/visual-learning-6-reasons-visuals-powerful-aspect-elearning
The History of Dubai International Airport, Jetline Marvel, video posted: August 20th, 2017.
I definitely think now google and other online platforms provide us rich information to resolve the problems or issues every day. I remembered that when I first arrived to the Netherlands, I was alone with my luggage. I was nervous because I did not have sim card yet, which the only solution for me was to connect the Airport WIFI to google how I was going to get to my booked dormitory. Internet definitely helps and influence my habit nowadays with visible and non-visible behaviors.