RM Winter 2016 FLIP

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Reading Matters
Technology Matters
Reading Matters | Volume 16 • Winter 2016 | |67|
principles. New literacies allow for ample revision, communication,
collaboration, feedback, and encourage a “sharing of resources”
(Knobel & Lankshear, 2014, p. 98). Specifically, digital tools
can better enable teachers to provide students with authentic
literacy practices (Mills & Levido, 2011). Therefore, when thinking
about new literacies, it is important to consider how the tools
can be used to enhance communication and collaboration.
Clearly, it is imperative that classroom teachers become
fully versed in these technologies so that the new tools
can be integrated into the curriculum. One digital platform
that teachers can utilize in the classroom is infographics.
Infographics, or information graphics, are fairly new in the
world of education but have been used by newspapers and
magazines for some time (Toth, 2013). Fowler (2015) found
that “asking students to create infographics provides a vehicle
for teaching them how to filter information, communicate
through visual aids, and develop creative presentations using
technology” (p. 44). While Abilock andWilliams (2014) found
that many classroom infographics are simply digital posters,
below we suggest several ways to utilize infographics to
promote creativity, collaboration, and comprehension.
Infographics in the Classroom
Building opportunities for students to be creative, collaborate
with one another, and increase comprehension is important
and is highlighted in the new English Language Arts standards,
recently published by the state of South Carolina. Specifically,
students in South Carolina are expected to be able to “interact
with others to explore ideas and concepts, communicate meaning,
and develop logical interpretations through collaborative
conversations; build upon the ideas of others to clearly express
one’s own views while respecting diverse perspectives” (South
Carolina Department of Education, 2015, p. 32). Students should
also be able to “construct knowledge, applying disciplinary
concepts and tools, to build deeper understanding of the world
through exploration, collaboration, and analysis” (South Carolina
Department of Education, 2015, p. 37). Before students create their
own infographics, we suggest they review examples of previously
created infographics. Then, lead students in a discussion as to
what makes an infographic effective (Fowler, 2015). Effective
infographics most likely include visuals, accurate information, and
sources. They will be simple to read and navigate. The purpose
of having students discuss and practice reading infographics,
or electronic texts, is that electronic texts are different than
traditional texts and often require that students utilize more than
one processing mode in order to comprehend the information
(Anstey & Bull, 2006). Electronic texts can be continuously revised,
shared with an authentic audience, multimodal, and do not follow
a linear, step-by-step progression (Karchmer-Klein, 2013). Once
students are familiar with the layout and purpose of infographics,
the uses in the classroom are seemingly endless. Read below
for ideas on integrating this digital tool with the curriculum.
Infographics can be used as a teaching tool or a
presentation tool, an authentic alternative to Powerpoints
or flipcharts. For example, when learning about World War II,
specifically D-Day, teachers could discuss an infographic such
as this one,
done by The History Channel.
When learning about persuasive writing, teachers could have
students analyze the“Plant the Plate”infographic, http://www.
the-plate/Plant-the-Plate-Infographic-full.jpg. This could help
develop students’critical literacy skills as they learn to recognize
some of the techniques that authors use to persuade readers.
Many teachers encourage their students to become experts
in a variety of topical areas in which individual students express
an interest. This interest can take the formof an“expert project.”
With the expert project, students can conduct research and
present their learning to their classmates. Historically, these
presentations have taken the formof Powerpoints, colorful
posters, and reports. Having students present their expert
projects with an infographic means that they can still share their
information with classmates, using a smart board, but can also
present their learning to a much wider audience. Furthermore,
students can imbed links to videos and informational websites,
increasing their classmates’access to information.
Many students are visual learners and as more students gain access
to technology in the classroom, infographics can be used as a place
to keep a record of learning as the unit progresses. Unlike notes taken
with traditional paper and pencil, notes taken on an infographic can
include links to other sources of information, images that represent
knowledge, and space for comments fromother learners. Learning
is social in nature (Vygotsky, 1978) and when students use this
digital tool, note-taking can become less of an isolated activity.
Infographics can also be a genre study in which students
focus on infographics as real-world, authentic written products.
First, students can study the specifics of the genre such as text
features, the layout, and the conciseness of the craft. Then, after
getting in collaborative groups, students could create their
own infographics on self-selected or content-related topics.
Finally, infographics can be used as assessments. They are
authentic ways to determine what the students have learned
in a given unit of study. After completing the infographic, the
student could email the link to the teacher. Then, students could
easily share their learning with a wider audience by posting the
link to a blog or website. When students know that their work
is going to be shared with an authentic audience, their sense of
responsibility for learning is greater (Stover, Yearta, & Sease, 2014).
Teachers, when they are ready to begin using infographics
in the classroom, have a variety of sites to choose from.
The following section offers a review of several student-
friendly infographic websites. While the list is by nomeans
exhaustive, it provides a place for teachers to begin.
Infographic Sites
, is a site that offers ready-made
templates and a host of editing tools. There is a short,