Teaching With Infographics

s regular readers of this blog know, we've been fascinated for a long time with infographics as teaching tools. We like their interdisciplinary nature and their union of data and text to broaden students' learning. They also woo the eye with tantalizing designs that engage children in discovery.

Until recently, infographics had saturated the business and blog communities but were late to most schools' curricula. In the past few months, though, more and more practitioners have adopted infographics into their teaching tool kits.

For ideas about using infographics in the classroom, check out these tips and suggestions. For extensive lists of infographics in every subject and discipline, browse this curated list.

Create With Students

Source: Anum Hussain, Hubspot Blog

To see colorful examples of student-generated infographics, take a look at "Designing Infographics Easel.ly." Susan Riley at Education Closet also reinforces the value of hands-on artistry in her post, "Creating Infographics In The Classroom." She offers a clear tutorial video on how to produce graphics via the free online portal Easel.ly.

Anum Hussain at the Hubspot Blog presents another painless method for creating images with his free downloadable template. His guide provides three different types of easy-to-make, good-looking infographics using PowerPoint, which is familiar and accessible to most teachers and students. 

For more advanced experimenters, check out The Top 20 Data Visualisation Tools from Brian Suda at Net Magazine. Suda lays out the array of instructive resources, many of them free, ranging from professional applications to interactive GUI controls.

Use In Teaching

Below, we've gathered together several Slideshare presentations about how various educators are approaching graphics in their teaching. Slideshare is a terrific, efficient resource for sharing PowerPoint and other linear media with viewers across the web. These slides offer approachable introductions to the possibilities of visuals in the classroom.

Web & Social Media Infographics from Stefano Principato

Visual Communication through Infographics from Ecaterina Valica

Visual Literacy: Part 1 from The Ohio State University, College of Education and Human Ecology

Visual Literacy: Part 2 from The Ohio State University, College of Education and Human Ecology

Teaching with Infographics. from Lisa Marie Johnson, Ph.D.