Presentations- Infographics

What is an infographic?

Infographics are visual representations of data. Preferably they fit on a screen, or paper and put as much information in visual format as possible without using a lot of words to explain. Some great examples include the following:

Sticky Teaching by Chris Lema

The Fiction to Reality Timeline by ATT Savings

Components of a 21st Century Classroom by Open Colleges

Why infographics?

We debated if these should go under presentations or posters. In the end we decided that they fit both, but since infographics provide a visual display of data and information, they make for a handy presentation tool. If you can push students to go beyond copying a few sentences in powerpoint and instead rethink, remix and reuse the information in a different format, well just imagine the higher level thinking that's happening!

Data visualization isn't new. It's been around since the 19th century. People like Edward Tufte, Stephen Few, and William Cleveland have written seminal works on the topic.

Here's the secret to an infographic: They're hard to create! And I'm not talking about the actual creation; there is some serious thought and research that goes into the creation of a well-made infographic. You have to know your information and you have to be able to think of how to provide visual representations of the information.

As you begin to plan to create an infographic, consider the following tips:

Know your audience
Tell a story
Don't overdo (or overdecorate)
Keep it simple

What makes a good infographic?

It tells a story and/or
Offers insight and connections

Finding Existing Infographics

The following are great places to find existing infographics

AllTop Infographics
Daily Infographic
Pinterest - search Infographic. Many results will follow!

Activity Option #3

Using the sites listed above, find three infographics that could be used in your classroom. Share on the Padlet or in the discussions