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/
Thank you for sharing your experiences in using infographics in the classroom! I am so excited to start putting my together! I had never heard of them before this class. It is nice reading from a teacher that has used these in their classroom. I can see where you would have trouble with the students using graphics that do not relate to their topic or backgrounds that are too busy. Do you use a rubric to grade these projects? I only ask because I think that it would be much easier for you to grade and easier for your students to know your expectations.
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ReplyDeleteIt is so neat to hear from your experience with infographics. It is all pretty new to me, I have made one or two, but haven’t even begun to think about how I would go about assigning it to students to use. I really appreciate the pointers that you have given. When I do assign a technology based assignment I am always amazed at the things that I didn’t think to give them instruction on. Your comment about the colors for example. I wouldn’t have considered that. I also think your advice on teaching them what information to include would be critical for success. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Elfie and Courtney for the comments!
ReplyDeleteYes, I used a rubric. The other tech teachers and myself came up with the rubric and lesson together. The lesson did not go too well. I used Smore. I didn’t really like it. Plus, I didn’t do a good enough job explaining to students how an infographic works. I had them create a microargument (iPhone vs. Android, Playstation vs. Xbox, Netflix vs. Hulu) and spent the time teaching them how to do a microargument. I can definitely make the assignment better next time and I will for sure give it another try because I like all that an infographic can offer when done right.
Kim, Thank you for all of the information that you shared. I have never used an infographic before, I am a little nervous about it. It is so good to get information from a technology teacher. I appreciate that you stress the fact that students need to learn that its the quality of the information, not the quantity. putting too much information on an infographic will just make it confusing and hard to follow. Do you have any infographic that your students have created that you can share? Which of the infographic that you have used in class do you like the best? Thank you for sharing. I appreciate all of the great information that you shared.
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DeleteDon’t be nervous at all! Biggest mistake I made was I assumed students would know how to put their information into the infographic because we spend time organizing their information into Google Docs with their groups. I need to give them examples next time and explain how an infographic works and the basics of creating one. I do not have the infographics that my students created. They didn’t turn out very good. There were so many issues with students not being able to get logged back into their account and I was having issues with my wireless those couple of days. I just had some students print them instead of share the link with me.
I love hearing that you already incorporate infographics into your instruction! It is my wish to include infographics into my instruction in the future. I will use what information you have shared with me to help improve my instruction. I greatly appreciate the tips! Do you have a preferred Infographic designing platform? Thank you for sharing your tips and answering all of our questions!
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DeleteNo, I do not have a preferred infographic platform. I used Smore and did not like it at all. The infographics just didn't look good at all. It was recommended to me by another teacher because it is easy for students to use. I’m looking for something new to use!
Kim,
ReplyDeleteThat is awesome that you already incorporate infographics in your curriculum! I didn't even know what an infographic was until this course. I hope you don't mind, but I would love to share your lesson, microargument, with my staff. Thank you for all the information you have shared regarding infographics.
Tami
I agree that the content should include fact, information and statistics. We are in an age where polls and surveys are constantly being done for jobs, research, and charities. I believe students need to be able to have this skill of finding these statistics and also obtaining these statistics by completing their very own poll or survey. This will certianly help them in their literacy and communication skills while preparing them for the real world.
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