RM Winter 2016 FLIP

71 / 88

Reading Matters
Technology Matters
Reading Matters | Volume 16 • Winter 2016 | |69|
notes to hold their thinking, as summarizing strategies, as ways
to connect and extend their learning from multiple sources, as
a solitary or collaborative presentation tool to share what they
have learned and what they are continuing to wonder about
with an audience wider than their classroom walls. Including
catchy titles and accurate, concise captions, descriptions,
and other text features a well-designed infographic does
precisely what its name suggests: it combines information in
a powerful graphic mode, blending media to reach learners.
With multiple platforms such as and Picktochart,
how-to videos and instructions if the user needs assistance, and
a variety of uses in the classroom, infographics can be quite
useful for classroom teachers in grades kindergarten through
twelve. In fact, infographics allow opportunities for students to
demonstrate understanding (Abilock &Williams, 2014; Fowler,
2015), engage in evaluation (Toth, 2013; Fowler, 2015), and
gain experience with the ever-important 21st century skills.
References
Abilock, D., &Williams, C. (2014). Recipe for an Infographic. Knowledge Quest,
43(2), 46-55.
Anstey, M., & Bull, G. (2006).Teaching and learning multiliteracies: Changing times,
changing literacies.Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Fowler, K. (2015). For the love of infographics. Science Scope, 38(7), 42-48.
International Reading Association. (2009). New literacies and 21st-century
technologies: A position statement of the International Reading Association. Newark,
DE: Author.
Karchmer-Klein, R. (2013). Best practices in using technology to support writing
In S. Graham,
C.A. MacArthur, & J. Fitzgerald (Eds.), Best practices in writing instruction (2nd ed.,
pp. 3-25). New York: Guilford Press.
Knobel, M. & Lankshear, C. (2014). Studying new literacies.Journal of Adolescent &
Adult Literacy, 58(2), 97-101.
Mills, K.A., & Levido, A. (2011). iPed: Pedagogy for digital text production. The
Reading Teacher, 65, 80-91. doi: 10.1598/RT.65.1.11
South Carolina Department of Education. (2015). South Carolina College- and
Career-Ready Standards for English Language Arts. Retrieved from:
Stover, K., Yearta, L., & Sease, R. (2014).“Experience is the best tool for teachers:”
Blogging to provide preservice educators with authentic teaching
opportunities. Journal of Language and Literacy Education. *
Toth, C. (2013). Revisiting a genre: Teaching infographics in business and
professional communication courses. Business Communication Quarterly, 76(4),
446-457.
Vygotsky, L. (1978).Mind in society: Development of higher psychological processes.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Wilber, D. (2012). Trying to get ahead of the curve: Raising and understanding
current themes in new literacies practices. The Educational Forum, 76, 406-411.
Yearta, L., & Stover, K. (2015). Beyond the classroom walls: Blogging to increase
literacy engagement.Reading Matters. *
Infographics Cited
& Column Five (n.d.). D-Day by the numbers. Retrieved from
Union of Concerned Scientists. (2012). Plant the plate. Retrieved from: 
Dr. Lindsay Yearta is an Assistant Professor at Winthrop
University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. A former elementary
school teacher, her research interests include digital literacy,
vocabulary acquisition and retention, and using digital tools in the
classroom. She can be contacted at .
Dawn Johnson Mitchell has spent the last fifteen years
working with both students and teachers in multiple schools
and grade levels. For the last three years she has worked in
instructional services in Spartanburg School District Six and
as a teacher consultant and partnership coordinator with
the Spartanburg Writing Project, housed at USC Upstate.