I cannot remember the first time I encountered an infographic. I'm sure it was even before the internet made them popular. We have been using infographics for years to share information. You can read about a history of infographics here. The idea of sharing information through pictures is definitely not new. We have been using images on posters, TV screens, and computers for years now. All this leads me to think that humans respond well to seeing visuals. We already know that some people are visual learners. Just think of the benefits of instruction with infographics to those students in your class.
The web-based world we live in now has so many ways to make this an easy task to complete. We can now research, plan, and create infographics in very little time. We can put out surveys to colleagues or students to collect our own data. Teachers need to now begin teaching students how to compose their own infographics. The ways in which students could use infographics to be assessed in their learning is so great.
In the article, Dealing with Data: Instructing with Infographics in an Undergraduate Sociology Course, Anderson et al. (2019) talk about the need for this type of instruction. It states:
Advancements in digital imaging and network technology have increased the ease in which we are able to create and disseminate information and visual displays of data, but instruction in analyzing and understanding these images hasn't kept pace. We see at least two challenges that arise with this increase in data display. First, as members of the 21st century, our students are increasingly exposed to infographics as a means of information delivery but may not have the quantitative reasoning and visual literacy skills necessary to accurately read and understand these images. Second, as they pursue their education and prepare for careers, our students would be well served to understand how to design and create infographics as effective communication tools. (p. 37)
This is what we have to strive for in our classrooms. It is our responsibility to prepare them for the world of today and not the world of past generations. Even 20 years ago, students did not have the need to learn skills in this type of technology. The infographic I created below is a basic example with guidelines to making your own infographic.
If you would like to learn more about creating your own infographic, check out the short introduction video below to Piktochart. I used the website to create my infographic.
The world needs infographics to deliver quick and easy instruction or information to people. The article, Visualizing the terror threat: The impact of communicating security information to the general public using infographics and motion graphics discusses a study of how design principles and visualization impacts the communication of terrorism information. (2019) Being able to use color coded visual displays helps break down the barriers of language around the world.
Infographics have impacted our lives in so many ways. We will continue to use visuals to help understand new materials and information. We have just discovered more ways to do that using technology for educational purposes. I will be making infographics for a lot more things in my classroom from now on.
Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Argument in the real world: Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts. Heinemann Publishers.
dos Santos Lonsdale, M., Lonsdale, D. J., Baxter, M., Graham, R., Kanafani, A., Li, A., & Chunxinzi Peng. (2019). Visualizing the terror threat: The impact of communicating security information to the general public using infographics and motion graphics. Visible Language, 53(2), 37–71.
Barbra, I love how you not only attached your own infographic to your blog, but you also added a tutorial others could follow to creat their own. Your blog was informative, instructional, and provided a wonderful example using your own infographic. The infographic you created covers the basic components of a well planned out infographic. It is easy to read, understand, and aesthetically pleasing (p. 62). Turner and Hicks says an infographic should be, “quickly absorbed... information” (p.61). Your infographic was just that. You stated visual learners can understand content and information better when given through an infographic. As a visual learner myself, your infographic did just that.
Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Argument in the real world: Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts. Heinemann Publishers.
Barbra, You are completely right! We have been seeing and using infographics for so long, we just might not have known it. After reading your blog, I got to thinking how often I see infographics around me. This is a type of media that is surfacing all around us at the click of a button. You did such a good job of defining what an infographic is intended to look like. With your infographic, I was able to follow it smoothly to learn all the key parts and what to include. You also did a great job with the layout and the design of your infographic. This is a wonderful example to share with other educators to help them learn, too. Turner and Hicks (2017) state that infographics are presenting "claims, yet those claims may be implied rather than explicit" (p. 65). With this thought, we are making these infographics with our opinions and "claims" to share with others. When others respond, they are introducing their opinions and "claims," too. This is a type of argument that we tend to participate in more than we think in our daily lives.
References Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Argument in the real world: Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts. Heinemann Publishers.
It's funny that you mentioned sharing it with other educators. I decided to share this infographic to Twitter as part of helping me with building my Professional Learning Network. The use of Twitter in education is so expansive and I am learning so much by connecting with others through that platform.
That's an interesting point that you brought up about how infographics can help break down language barriers. Since the information presented is visual in nature, infographics can be interpreted even if one isn't fluent in the language it's written in. This makes infographics extremely helpful for ESL students. Since the "layout helps build the argument" and the "colors and fonts bring attention to the important point," this would likely help non-fluent students interpret the main ideas of an argument whereas a standard written format may present difficulties for them (Turner & Hicks, 2017, p.63).
References Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Argument in the real world: Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts. Heinemann Publishers.
Barbra,
ReplyDeleteI love how you not only attached your own infographic to your blog, but you also added a tutorial others could follow to creat their own. Your blog was informative, instructional, and provided a wonderful example using your own infographic. The infographic you created covers the basic components of a well planned out infographic. It is easy to read, understand, and aesthetically pleasing (p. 62). Turner and Hicks says an infographic should be, “quickly absorbed... information” (p.61). Your infographic was just that. You stated visual learners can understand content and information better when given through an infographic. As a visual learner myself, your infographic did just that.
Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Argument in the real world: Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts. Heinemann Publishers.
Barbra,
ReplyDeleteYou are completely right! We have been seeing and using infographics for so long, we just might not have known it. After reading your blog, I got to thinking how often I see infographics around me. This is a type of media that is surfacing all around us at the click of a button. You did such a good job of defining what an infographic is intended to look like. With your infographic, I was able to follow it smoothly to learn all the key parts and what to include. You also did a great job with the layout and the design of your infographic. This is a wonderful example to share with other educators to help them learn, too. Turner and Hicks (2017) state that infographics are presenting "claims, yet those claims may be implied rather than explicit" (p. 65). With this thought, we are making these infographics with our opinions and "claims" to share with others. When others respond, they are introducing their opinions and "claims," too. This is a type of argument that we tend to participate in more than we think in our daily lives.
References
Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Argument in the real world: Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts. Heinemann Publishers.
It's funny that you mentioned sharing it with other educators. I decided to share this infographic to Twitter as part of helping me with building my Professional Learning Network. The use of Twitter in education is so expansive and I am learning so much by connecting with others through that platform.
DeleteThat's an interesting point that you brought up about how infographics can help break down language barriers. Since the information presented is visual in nature, infographics can be interpreted even if one isn't fluent in the language it's written in. This makes infographics extremely helpful for ESL students. Since the "layout helps build the argument" and the "colors and fonts bring attention to the important point," this would likely help non-fluent students interpret the main ideas of an argument whereas a standard written format may present difficulties for them (Turner & Hicks, 2017, p.63).
ReplyDeleteReferences
Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Argument in the real world: Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts. Heinemann Publishers.