Teachers can help students develop the ability to visually
represent information and data through a variety of different ways. When
thinking of data, I am reminded of the graphing section I used to teach my
second graders in math. We completed several different graphs including
pictographs, line graphs, bar graphs, and line plot graphs. Of course, we did
several things to gather authentic data such as measuring objects, or taking a
poll. Then we would as a class make our graph together. That worked pretty well. I feel they had an
understanding of what the numbers, lines, pictures, and bars represented, but
it was a little one sided. I was doing most of the graph making and the
students were filling in the blanks.
A new tool is now available to help with a project like
this. It is infographics. I am truly amazed at what a person can create from
their personal computer. Beautiful pieces of art that convey a message, or
information, is my definition of an
infographic. One way to use an infographic is to use it to convey data such as
a graph or timeline. There are many other uses for them as well. The article Using Infographics Effectively In The
Classroom: 5 Simple Ideas by Gonzolo lists several ways that infographics
can be used in the classroom. I was surprised at the content areas that an
infographic can be included in. One of my favorite was the idea of using an
infographic as a visual learning tool. I use a lot of anchor charts in the classroom,
and feel this might be a nice alternative that is visually appealing. I am super
excited to use this in my classroom as a new, must use, tool.
References:
Piktochart Infographics,. (2015). Using Infographics
Effectively In The Classroom: 5 Simple Ideas - Piktochart Infographics.
Retrieved 21 September 2015, from
http://piktochart.com/using-infographics-effectively-in-the-classroom-5-simple-ideas/
Elfie,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate you sharing your experience with your second graders and graphing. I’m sure it may have felt one-sided, but at that age it is necessary to model expectations. Did you try letting the students make a graph on their own?
I have seen and heard of infographics before, but I never realized the impact that they can have students. Most teachers have signs, posters, anchor charts displayed in the classroom, but I think that infographics can be a great addition or alternative to some of these. I like the fact that I can create an infographic and share it with my students so they have access to it at any time. I think this could be a great learning and studying tool for my middle school students. Do you plan on sharing the infographic digitally or just displaying it in your classroom?
Sara V
Elfie,
DeleteI really think Infographics are a great tool. I’ve heard about them for such a long time and avoided doing them for some unusual reason. I just had my 7th grade students make an infographic about 2 weeks ago and it completely bombed! It was one of those trial and error assignments where you tell the students they are the guinea pigs. Luckily they were really good sports with it and completely surprised me with how positive they were about the assignment. At least I have a very good idea of how to make it better next time!
Which website did you use to make your infographics with your students? I used Smore and completely hated it. I wanted to try either Piktochart or Canva. Any suggestions on others?
I would love to share the anchor chart type infographic with other teachers. They might find it useful also.
DeleteIn regards to the student's graphing they did quite a bit on their own. I would like them to be able to work on an inforgraphic as a class maybe. After working on one myself I think they might have a hard time with so many choices, and the technical abilities needed to make the graphs. However with guidance the class and I could make one together.
Thanks for the questions.
Hi Kim,
DeleteI haven't tried one with a class yet, but I have tried Pictochart and Easel.ly. They both have so many customization options, but I think Easel.ly was a little easier to navigate while Pictochart had a few more options ( I was a little lost). I think it's great you tried one with your class, and that they were such good sports. They were probably excited for the challenge. I hope it goes better for you next time.
Elfie