The Ability To Visualize Data Is More Important Than Ever

There are so many ways for teachers to help students develop the ability to visually represent information and data. There are a variety of multimedia tools for students to use as well as graphic organizers because today's students are visual learners.

One of the best visual tools I use in the classroom is infographics. Not only do they help students organize their information, but they can take the place of the traditional research paper. The core parts to an infographic are visual, content, and knowledge. For the visual aspect, students need to pick a color scheme and make sure their choose high-quality and relevant graphics. I see students use too many colors that clash and district as well as images that are poor quality and irrelevant. The theme graphic is essential to the rest of the infographic because it is the centerpiece. The content should not only include facts and information, but statistics as well. The knowledge should include facts and deductions. I see students struggle with organizing information often. Students should be taught what information is important to include on an infographic and what needs to be left off.

Students need to be clear about who their target audience is and that the purpose of their infographic is clear so that they do not confuse who is reading it.

Login Register Go Pro! Groups Logout My account Upload Assets Help. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2015, from http://www.easel.ly/blog/top-tips-from-experts-on-what-makes-a-great-infographic/

The Anatomy Of An Infographic: 5 Steps To Create A Powerful Visual - SpyreStudios. (2009, November 17). Retrieved September 23, 2015, from http://spyrestudios.com/the-anatomy-of-an-infographic-5-steps-to-create-a-powerful-visual/ 

How can teachers guide students in developing and practicing effective search skills?

“Can I copy and paste?” That is a question I get on a constant basis from students. My response is, “When have I ever told you it was okay to do that?” Most cases of student’s plagiarism is done unintentionally and for reasons such as not knowing how to properly cite sources, when to cite their sources, they don’t know enough about the topic or they waited too long to start an assignment and panicked (Frey, Fisher, Gonzalez, 2010 p. 59).

First, students do not know enough about plagiarism, copyright and fair use. Copyright and fair use can be a difficult concept for students to understand. Students also have a difficult time knowing how to cite sources. This topic can be simplified for students and citing sources can be made much easier with all the citation tools available online. I found a Google Slide presentation that helps explain the topic of copyright to students (http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/07/what-students-need-to-know-about_24.html).

Students also need to be taught how to summarize their information. Most of the time when I tell my middle school students to summarize or put the information in their own words, I get a blank stare from them. With as many students as I have at their various ability levels, tools such as Text Compactor (http://textcompactor.com/) can help students summarize their information so they are not plagiarizing.

Last, students need to know how to find appropriate resources online for research and what questions to ask when using a search engine. Students should be able to identify a credible resource from one that is not. A checklist such as this (http://www.lib.umd.edu/binaries/content/assets/public/usereducation/evaluating-web-sites-checklist-form.pdf) will assist students in finding these reliable resources.

These simple steps teach students how to appropriately do research on the Internet.

Frey, N., Fisher, D., & Gonzalez, A. (2010). Literacy 2.0: Reading and writing in 21st century classrooms. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Image from Referencing & Plagiarism  . (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2015, from http://guides.library.vu.edu.au/referencing

How can teachers incorporate literacy into content areas?

When I first started teaching, I didn’t think any of the rules applied to me in regard to literacy in the classroom. I teach technology, which is a project-based course. My feeling was that students didn’t need to spend time too much time learning terms because I use them when I talk. As long as they can show me that they could complete the project, then they had mastered the concept. However, the more I teach, the more I realize how important it is to teach literacy.

In “Literacy 2.0,” (p. 21-22) it mentions that project-based learning is focused solely on the outcome itself. Students are focused on creating a product. I tell my students exactly how to complete the project. While it is important to teach students the skills, they need to learn exactly why they are doing the project. Incorporating literacy is so much easier than I would have thought and vital to student learning.

Front-loading and brainstorming are great ways to get a lesson started. I can quickly assess what my students know and need more help with. I can get great conversations started about a topic with my classes. Graphic organizers and mind-mapping allow students to visualize vocabulary terms and concepts. Cooperative learning activities give students a chance to build off each other’s ideas. All of this allows students to make mistakes along the way and learn from them. Students need to learn the process before they can get to the outcome.

Alber, R. (2014, January 15). How Important is Teaching Literacy in All Content Areas? Retrieved September 1, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/literacy-instruction-across-curriculum-importance

Frey, N., Fisher, D., & Gonzalez, A. (2010). Literacy 2.0: Reading and writing in 21st century classrooms. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.