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IntroductionOne Class StoryTips and Thoughts
Resources and ToolsStudent ExamplesWhat Students Say

 

 

TeachersFirst’s Resources for Infographics
A vetted collection of teacher-reviewed resources, the best of the best!


Useful files:

SHOW IT! Infographic Tips and Ideas (Right click to download)
Use this downloadable PowerPoint show, complete with script in the Notes area, to walk students through the process of creating an infographic. The show includes tips on using the tools available in PowerPoint to “build” infographics right on a PowerPoint slide and save it as an image file. Even if you do not use PowerPoint, the tips will apply in any visual tool from Google Docs/Drive Drawing to a full image editing program such as Photoshop. Please note and respect the copyright notice on this show.

Good to Better
This online slide show shares constructive criticism and suggestions for infographics created by the ninth grade biology classes described in these pages. Try doing a “good to better” class discussion or small group activity with infographics from your class, shared by anonymous student volunteers.

Sample rubric
This downloadable Word document offers a starter for evaluating student infographics. Teachers can customize as needed. Please note and respect the copyright notice in the footer.

 


Featured ninth grade Biology class links:
(From the classes described in these pages)

Class infographics opening page
General information on creating infographics
How the teacher introduced infographics
Infographics the students found
Examples of student infographics

Tools this class used to create their infographics:
Word, PowerPoint, Comic Life, Keynote, Pages. The students liked the tools that stayed on their computer and were not reliant on the Internet.

 


Online Infographic Tools:

Easel.ly
A free, web-based tool with drag and drop interface. Includes “themes” to get you started.

Infogr.am
Create free interactive charts or infographics you can embed in a blog, wiki, or web site or share by url. Sign in using Twitter or Facebook ID is required.

Piktochart
A simple infographic creation tool released from beta in spring, 2012. Sign up required to use the free (or paid) version.

Venngage
A free, web-based tool to create professional looking infographics using their templates.

 


Articles, books, and blogs about infographics
Read as background or share one or two with students as you approach infographics projects, especially in high school.

The Anatomy Of An Infographic: 5 Steps To Create A Powerful Visual
A design blog post on infographic techniques.

How Infographics Accelerate Learning
Articles to get you thinking as a teacher. Don’t miss the infographic about infographics!

How to Create an Infographic with No Discernible Talent Whatsoever
An interesting step by step. Note the suggestion of using a “wireframe” (aka template) in step 5.

How To Create Outstanding Modern Infographics
A full-blown, sophisticated tutorial using Adobe Illustrator. You can simulate the same steps —simplified-- in other programs.

InfoGraphic Designs: Overview, Examples and Best Practices
A professional level site probably best suited to older students or those with strong graphic design interests.

Infographics as a Creative Assessment
Kathy Schrock’s collection

Infographics Please
A wiki  with resources from an ISTE 2011 infographics session by Dr. Lauire Fowler and Dr. Katie Kinney.

Infographics – presenting Data and statistics in the 21st Century
Australian teacher Mark Gleeson’s blog post on various ways to use infographics.

Infographics: Why do we love them and what makes them good? | Viadeo Blog 
Background on infographics and a “recipe” for success in designing them.

Over 100 Incredible Infographic Tools and Resources (Categorized)
A vast collection. Notice some of the same resources mentioned here and more we have not had a chance to explore.

Pretty pictures: Can images stop data overload? 
An article about data visualization vs text information. Do images help?

Seeing the Future! A Guide to Visual Communication
An interactive “comic book” explaining visual communication from the people at Howtoons and MIT/Lemelson InvenTeams. Useful as a reference and help for those who claim no artistic ability.

Sunni Brown: Doodlers Unite
The TED talk is all about visual thinking. This is good professional backfround for teachers who are NOT visual. As it says in the synopsis, “Studies show that sketching and doodling improve our comprehension -- and our creative thinking.”

Visual Literacy
A Scoop.it collection of “Images, lesson plans, ideas, infographics and other resources to use when developing visual literacy in kids. ” Curated by BookChook.

 


Infographic Examples
If you are like most teachers, you will find yourself collecting infographic examples everywhere you go!

40+ More Informative Infographic Collections
Loads to explore. Send students to find best examples and explain what is good about them.

Are You a Twitter Junkie (Infographic)
An example of the intersection between social media and infographics. Make a good IG, tweet it out, and watch it go! Are you addicted?

Column Five Work: Infographics
A collection from a professional company. See also the tabs for Data visualizations and Motion Graphics. This is a wonderful source for students seeking inspiration.

Course Hero Write it Down
An interesting IG to use with kids when discussing study skills. It can also open dialog about whether infographics (vs. notes) help you remember information. Learn about infographics and encourage metacognition at the same time!

The Gamification of Education
An example that shows the role of games in learning. This is another example that will engage your students as the analyze hoe the infographic “works.”

History of Medical Discoveries
One of the oldest types of infographic is the timeline. This interactive example shows how images can represent events.

How Our Laws Are Made
Terrific example using a game board format to explain U.S. government process.

Infographic of Infographics
A look at some of the tricks and trends in today’s infographics.

Infographics Archive
A large treasury of infographic examples.

iPads vs Textbooks
A school-budget-related example of an infographic designed to persuade.

Multitasking: This Is Your Brain On Media
Grab their attention while you can. This infographic shows just how tough it is!

Pasta, Not Bacon, Makes You Fat. But How?
Just what it says. This is a good science or health example when challenging students to apply what they have learned in class and to research in connection to a real world situation.

Scale of the Universe
This is far more than an infographic because it is interactive, but it does show the power of scale and proportion in visual communication about anything quantitative. If you are trying to get students thinking about the importance of size in their infographics, project this ask how depicts numerical differences.

Students Want Social Media in Schools
An example certain to draw reaction both for its topic and for the information it conveys. Grab student attention as you dissect how an infographic “works.”

Valentine’s Day Spending
An engaging example certain to interest some of your socially oriented students!

What’s Wrong with the Teenage Mind?
This one will grab student attention for sure. This simple example shows how to use a silhouette diagram to provide instant context for text information.

Wikipedia: Redefining Research
An interesting graphic about Wikipedia’s effect on research. This one will get students talking.