Financial Literacy For This Generation - Visualizing The Future Of Wealth In America

Source: Chris Curtis

Financial literacy takes many forms. News headlines and candidate campaigns highlight the disparities of wealth between the "one percent" and the everyday Americans. In schools, traditional financial literacy classes teach older students about balancing their checkbooks and paying off their credit cards. These are noble messages, yet fundamental shifts are changing how young people spend and consume, from Bitcoin to online bill-pay.

Furthermore, financial literacy encompasses a much broader net of core fiscal issues, including stock investing, inflationary tendencies, surplus and deficit budgeting, bond and mutual fund accounts, and renting versus home ownership. Our youngest students need to be a part of this conversation, rather than waiting until high school or college, when it may be too late.

Source: Chris Curtis

Luckily, a host of digital resources exist to welcome all learners into the money discussion. A terrific explainer video from Chris Curtis, entitled "Wealth In America," tracks how life-long earnings vary for each generation. Moving from the proven past to the predicted future, this animated infographic addresses how collective wealth matters in determining future savings. The gauzy collage of photographs and stamps unites with compelling narration to inform today's students about their relative futures. This motion graphic of statistics and charts neatly blends STEM skills with the social sciences to prove that financial literacy is more than a single silo of curriculum.

Source: Chris Curtis

The video's creator, Chris Curtis, created this clip as part of his work with Deloitte University Press. As a director at Not To Scale in London, he has designed numerous short films that synthesize illustration with live action. He blogs at I'm Your Boss and shares visual and financial literacy ideas on Twitter via @imyourboss.

Source: Chris Curtis

As a whole, this video projects the dollar value of future household assets. It nods to the outsized influence of the Baby Boomers, and it highlights the fallout from the "Great Recession" of 2007. In particular, it teaches young people about earnings versus debt. The Millennials are sharers, non-idealogues, and social entrepreneurs. The salaries of these price-conscious, tech-nimble workers may rise steadily, yet their per capita wealth will lag prior generations. They will, however, force changes in the traditional marketplace that will realign how workers accumulate wealth.

Wealth in America from Chris Curtis on Vimeo.

For more ideas about teaching financial literacy, check out:

• Visualizing Wealth In America
• Resource Roundup: Finance And Economic Motion Graphics
• Financial Education: Where Literacy And STEM Meet
• Don't Save It For Later - Financial Literacy Through Infographics & Animations

The Currency Of Fairness — Why Aren't Women Allowed On The $20 Bill?

Source: Women On 20s

Who is on the 10 dollar bill? Who is on the 100? The 1,000? 10,000?

For the record, it's Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, Grover Cleveland, and Salmon P. Chase. Only one of them is a president, and he's an admittedly lesser known Chief Executive.

Most Americans use coins and dollars every day, but they can't tell you whose faces occupy their notes. Most people know who's on the penny (Abraham Lincoln), but they can't name who is on the dime (Franklin D. Roosevelt).

The one thing, however, that all Americans intuitively know is that all of these etched and sketched faces are of white men. Why aren't there any women on U.S. bills?

Especially today, as the U.S. Mint is rotating images in its 50 State Quarters and its President $1 Coins, it seems inexcusable that none of the nation's women leaders are celebrated on our currency.



One group is trying to change this — and they're getting a lot of buzz. News stories this week featured the organization "Women On 20s," which is trying to replace Andrew Jackson on the 20 dollar bill with one of 15 inspiring women who championed freedom, voting, rights, medicine, and justice. Although Jackson's legacy reaches to the War Of 1812 and Big Block Of Cheese Day, he is largely remembered for leading the Trail Of Tears and the Indian Removal Act. Surely the country can honor a hero who did more to elevate the progress of the aspirational.



March is Women's History Month. The conversation around women's exclusion from patriotic displays is critical toward continuing the conversations about equality. This campaign, led by Barbara Ortiz Howard, is trying to gain enough signatures on its petition to inspire action by the White House. You can vote for the candidates and add your name to the petition at the website.

Source: Nerd Wallet (click for full version)

The spotlight on the 20 dollar bill's likeness offers a valuable opportunity to blend in other activities about financial literacy. This moment invites relevant lessons in elements of U.S. currency, including national leadership, image symbolism, Latin mottos, serial numbers, Treasury secretaries, counterfeit prevention, the U.S. Mint, and the Federal Reserve.

For other ideas about teaching financial literacy, we recommend:

• Don't Save It For Later — Financial Literacy Through Infographics & Animations
• Tax Day: Visualizations Of The Federal Budget To Teach STEM & Financial Literacy
• Resource Roundup: Finance And Economic Motion Graphics
• Financial Literacy, The Economy, And Holiday Shopping
• Financial Education: Where Literacy & STEM Meet

Financial Literacy, The Economy, And Holiday Shopping

Source: NBC News

We received a lot of questions from our students about "Black Friday" this fall. It seems the play up to the annual start of the holiday shopping frenzy grows earlier with each passing year. If your students are like ours, many did not understand the hype around this day, how it affects the economy, or for that matter, why it is so important to the bottom line of so many companies.

Source: NBC News

Many students are unfamiliar with the term  “being in the red,” so the concept of “Black Friday” makes little sense when it comes to the overall economy. The video from NBC entitled “How Badly Would the Economy Suffer If Holidays Were Cancelled?” illustrates just how much the holiday shopping season has an impact on the economy even though it is a small part of the total.



Sometimes we need to stop and explain the underlying lingo to help students realize the financial implications. It’s more than just shopping for gifts. It may be a small portion of the larger economy, but many people depend on the holiday shopping season to help make ends meet. The issue is not whether it is too much hype, but more importantly, how it affects others. Either way, we cannot assume our learners understand the economic impact based on the colors of red and black unless we educate them.

Real Time Lets Students Visualize Real Life

Source: Alibaba In Real Time

We've written about data visualizations in real time in the past, including the Internet In Real Time and Breathing Earth. Our students are always amazed to watch the speed at which the data changes, and they're even more curious about how it is compiled. While the numbers are staggering for the sheer volume of data for social media and the Internet, they pale in comparison to those for the Chinese company Alibaba in real time.

Since we play The Stock Market Game in our classes, our students were well aware of Alibaba and its initial public offering (IPO) this fall. They know that it was the largest IPO in history and that it trades on the New York Stock Exchange. Now they know why.

We had the students open two screens to compare Amazon data on the Internet In Real Time with Alibaba to see just how big this global wholesale trade giant is. At the end of one class period, Amazon orders were 160,000 compared to Alibaba’s 1.7 million. That got their attention and drove them to make more comparisons with other information between the two sites. It also led to discussions about the role social media plays in financial success.

Source: The Internet In Real-Time

Real time data visualizations provide kids with real world connections to what they know and recognize. They pique their curiosity; that's their power. As with other visual content, there are a host of possibilities for using them in the classroom to demonstrate the strength numbers have on perception and success.

Aside from the fascination in watching the aggregation of data, it also is a pointed reminder that this could be done for an individual as well.

For other resources, please see:

• Collective Consumption: Social Media And Active Learning
• Visualization Of Current Events: Drone Attacks In Pakistan
• Tax Day: Visualizations Of The Federal Budget To Teach STEM And Financial Literacy
• Graphicacy And Teaching The Art of Seeing

Don't Save It For Later - Financial Literacy Through Infographics & Animations

Source: History.com and Column Five

Financial literacy is about much more than balancing one's (online) checkbook. Financial literacy represents a cross-curricular mindset, a sophisticated understanding of how money, media, and messaging unite in the public sphere.

Source: History.com and Column Five

Courses in economics or life planning typically target high school students in order to instill values of earning and saving. These are noble and much-needed goals. Authentic financial instruction, however, should begin much earlier, as children first become aware of sales taxes on their lollipops and marquee ads during the Superbowl. True financial literacy embodies the cross-section between business and consumerism, entrepreneurship and federalism, investing and gambling.

The videos and infographics below provide excellent ways to introduce financial literacy at the elementary and middle school levels. These topics can be woven into any course of study, from mathematics to social studies. They are great ways to kick off a morning's discussion or to enrich students who always seem to finish their work early.



The TED-Ed video, "What Gives A Dollar Bill Its Value?," from educator Doug Levinson and animator Qa'ed Mai, offers a superb overview of how America's currency functions. Specifically, it traces the value of paper tender in its transition from gold-based notes to faith-based cash.

This TED-Ed animated cartoon is a prime companion to the History Channel's infographic about "The Story Of Money." Produced in partnership with Column Five, this detailed visual narrative parades a fascinating series of monetary facts, from the legend of the first penny to the largest bill in human record.


As young students plan their futures, they can appreciate the sobering facts about saving for college via the NBC News video, "How Bad Is The Student Debt Crisis?" Part of its winning Show Me series, NBC explains the crushing costs of tuitions, fees, and textbooks as impediments to twenty-something progress.

Finally, as many teens play variations on the Stock Market Game in their math and social studies classes, the real truth about modern equity emerges in the infographic, "How High Frequency Trading Works." Also designed by NBC News, this illustration illuminates how hyper-speed data processors rig high-volume trading to favor computational efficiency. The casual investor is no longer a factor in moving the market.

Source: NBC News

For other ideas about teaching financial literacy to younger learners, we recommend:

• Tax Day: Visualizations Of The Federal Budget To Teach STEM & Financial Literacy
• Answering Questions About The National Debt
• Resource Roundup: Finance And Economic Motion Graphics
• Project-Based Learning: Entrepreneurship, Finance and Design
• Financial Education: Where Literacy And STEM Meet

An Animation Of Easter Chocolate - Teaching Media, Finance, & Global Trade

Source: NBC News

If you're like us, you indulged during this past week of spring vacation with some welcome sun and possibly some holiday candy. If you're also like us, you're now returning to a classroom full of restless students who can see the end of the school year in sight.

Luckily, the animation wizards at NBC News have once again offered up a timely treat to engage students' eyes (and taste buds) on their first morning back from break. The motion graphic, "The Business Behind Chocolate Easter Eggs," offers a surprisingly rich educational tour in just under a minute and a half. The video is not even really about Easter, so it is worthy of showing to any diverse classroom.

Instead, the clip is a visually gripping survey of the worldwide chocolate business. The narration touches on a wide range of useful learning points. It teaches mathematics and financial literacy in exploring the percentage growth of chocolate sales and the economics of futures markets. It pinpoints geography and global trade in highlighting the sources of cacoa beans. It touches on the devastating effects of human slavery in mentioning the ethics of forced labor. And, finally, it offers insight into media literacy and marketing in showing the spike in seasonal bunny rabbit advertising.

For another way to incorporate the Easter holiday into the classroom, check out "Everyone Loves Peeps, Easter Infographics & More."

Tax Day: Visualizations Of The Federal Budget To Teach STEM & Financial Literacy

Source: Visual Budget

Tax day is rapidly approaching. April also happens to be Financial Literacy Month. It makes sense, therefore, to tap into the annual angst of April 15 to teach students about the nuances of the federal budget and the impact of income tax dollars. Aside from offering relevant windows into the priorities of the national government, the visualizations and motion graphics below also provide keen tools to practice mathematical analysis and the graphic charting of data.



The video (above) from Visual Budget lays out a clean presentation of federal dollars, tracing the allocations of taxes coming into the national coffers and then being assigned to specific programs. Funded by a Kickstarter campaign in 2011, Visual Budget aims to make "complex, dense data engaging, exciting and interactive." The sophisticated animation depicts a helpful breakout of taxes paid by each percentage group along the earning spectrum.

Source: Fred Chasen

To personalize the tax-paying process, a clever interaction called "Every Day Is Tax Day" allows users to enter their own salary information to see exactly where their withholdings end up. An award winner in the 2011 Data Viz Challenge, this site from Fred Chasen invites students to click on any colored slice in the data ring to see how funds are spent via government work hours.

Source: Can I Get A Receipt With That

An honorable mention in the Data Viz Challenge that students will appreciate is "Can I Get A Receipt With That." This seemingly simple site from Adam Albrecht and Kevin Mack permits users to input personal earnings to get a printed "receipt" of which federal departments use their tax dollars. The fun is in clicking on the relevant comparisons, such as in seeing how many Chipotle burritos are "spent" on national defense.



Finally, all of these resources are a far cry from the 1954 cartoon (above) produced by the United States government that attempted to make citizens feel better about paying their taxes. In classic retro style and gravelly narration, the clip walks students through the complexities of the national budget.

For more ideas about teaching with taxes, check out "The 1040 Form Turns 100: Resources To Explain Income Taxes."

Answering Questions About The National Debt

Source: The Guardian

One of our guiding questions in our history curriculum this year is, “How do economies affect the rise and fall of empires?” So in a room full of middle schoolers learning about the fall of the Roman Empire and its trouble funding its expenses, questions about the United States government defaulting on its debt were bound to come up in the class discussion.

We have to admit that our push to include current events on a regular basis has made our learners aware of the government shutdown, as well as the impending crisis looming over the country regarding the debt ceiling. While the United States is not Ancient Rome, the students were quick to see some comparisons in not being able to make payments on the government’s expenses.

Since financial literacy is also an integral part of our curriculum, we continually remind our students that you need to have the money to buy the things you want. Indeed, when they play The Stock Market Game, many do not touch their margins so as not to go into debt.

To help them better understand just how much money the government owes, we showed them this clear and concise infographic from NPR. This visual graph, called a tree map, made it easy for the students to see the breakdown of the $16.8 trillion debt for foreign and domestic expenses.

Source: NPR

For other posts on current events and financial issues, please take a look at:

• Visual Resources To Teach About The U.S. Government Shutdown
• Resource Roundup: Finance And Economic Motion Graphics
• Talking To Our Kids About Syria: Visual Resources For Learning

Resource Roundup: Finance And Economic Motion Graphics

Over the course of our research, we've gathered a number of resources to help explain financial and economic information to our students. These short motion graphics captured their attention and engaged them in the learning process far beyond our expectations. Since the videos are scattered throughout our posts on financial literacy, we decided to do a quick roundup here for the sake of convenience. Feel free to click on each of the headings below for lesson plans and project ideas related to each topic.

The United States of Financial and Economic Literacy

This motion infographic prepared by the Council for Economic Education shows the alarming statistics about monetary awareness. It brought to light the ever-growing need for more financial literacy in our schools. Even though many states have recently enacted requirements for students to take an economic or personal finance class to graduate high school, we should push for curricula in the middle school years when financial habits are beginning to form.

I, Pencil, The Movie

This animated film on economics and the interdependence in producing manufactured goods in a free market economy captivated our students. By using a low-tech tool that all kids use, the presentation provided an insightful look at the intricacies that go into producing a pencil, and it gave learners a real-life look at the many people who worked together to make it.

Wealth Inequality In America

This motion graphic highlighted the reality in earnings between the rich and the poor, which is quite different from the perception of most Americans. This visualization used charts, graphs, and images to give the students the hard reality of the distribution of wealth in the United States. Our students were quite surprised at how skewed the reality is from what most believe to be true.

U.S. Debt Visualized As Physical $100 Bills

Demon-Ocracy Info produced the following powerful, animated video to visualize the debt in the United States as physical $100 bills. Somehow the swallowing effect created by the bills engulfing Lady Liberty really hit home with our students. It set in motion a host of questions, particularly with regard to the "fiscal cliff" earlier this year.

100th Anniversary Of The Income Tax

Last year the 1040 Tax Form reached its centennial anniversary. This short video paved the way for kids to learn how the federal income tax works and who pays what percentage. They quickly learned why "tax day" on April 15 is not something working Americans look forward to every year.

Project-Based Learning: Entrepreneurship, Finance and Design

Source: PaperStopper, ASIDE, 2013

Our third fifth-grade Entrepreneur Fair just ended, and we could not be more thrilled with the diversity of ideas by these young minds. It came as no surprise that so many of them paid close attention to every detail of their companies. From their initial business plans to their final presentations, the students worked to bring their ideas to fruition.

These young entrepreneurs took on this project-based learning assignment with great enthusiasm. They worked through problems in the design process to come up with solutions, often revamping their prototypes again and again. Equally rewarding was watching the “ah-ha” moments when they realized they were on to something.

Source: Tree Bark Edibles, ASIDE, 2013

Perhaps the toughest part for them was figuring out how to finance their ideas. Francine Wisnewski, who is one of the lead teachers for this project, worked tirelessly on the financials with the students in math class. Many quickly realized that the cost to make their products exceeded what they could realistically charge to make a profit. Occasionally, too, some had to scrap their ideas and start afresh.

Source: Lights: Out, ASIDE, 2013

The final phase of the project was marketing their goods, complete with brand messaging, packaging, and display. It’s where we hoped all the lessons in media literacy they’ve learned through the years would come together. They did not disappoint us either. To help advertise their wares, they wrote jingles in English class with their teacher, Barbara Thomas, and recorded them in GarageBand with the technology teacher, Leslie Gulbransen.

Two of our most innovative ideas that tried to solve real problems were Lights Out and PaperStopper. Some displayed incredible handiwork in crafting their products, such as Spark Accessories and DnA Bows. Still others, such as Tree Bark Edibles, took a snack recipe and packaged it with an environmental note. Each entrepreneurial idea carefully thought out the packaging, logo design, and branding that showed a continuity worthy of any business. 

Source: DnA Bows, ASIDE, 2013

The pride in what they had accomplished was evident on the day of the fair. They were beaming with joy, and all the practice shined through in their customer service. As teachers, it was an emotional high for us to see it come together. These young entrepreneurs learned far more than they realized, but most importantly, they learned they could do anything if they put their minds to it.

Source: Spark Accessories, ASIDE, 2013

Project-based learning that brings together multiple disciplines allows students to work through ideas, encourages risk-taking, and engages kids on multiple levels. It integrates financial and media literacy into the process and challenges kids to think like designers. It’s more than just a project; it’s a life lesson. All of this is done with a network of dedicated teachers collaborating with one goal in mind, learning.

The 1040 Form Turns 100: Resources To Explain Income Taxes

Source: Visual.ly

Who knew that paying income taxes had its centennial in 2013? Could it be that most adults would prefer not to remember? For that matter, how many of us realize that in 1913 the tax code was only 170 pages long, as opposed to 17,000 today? Exactly!

Well, in 1913, the 16th amendment was passed, giving Congress the right to impose a federal income tax. Students hear a lot about taxes, but most don’t understand just what “tax day” is, or for that matter what “income tax” really means. Since financial literacy is part of our history curriculum, it made perfect sense to include this topic as part of their learning.

Source: Turbo Tax

We took the opportunity to talk to our students and explain income tax withholdings and the reasons why United States citizens are required to pay them. Needless to say, they were quite surprised at how taxes are taken out of earnings, particularly as income graduates through the tax brackets. Of course, as the discussion progressed, the political opinions and remarks reflected the parental sensibilities of the students; but all in all, they were quite interested in the way the process works.

We began by watching The 100 Anniversary of the Income Tax video on the Tax History website produced by Tax Analysts. This generated lots of questions, particularly with regard to the percentages people were asked to pay at different points in history. Most knew that taxes have been around since civilizations began, but many did not understand how they exactly they worked. Boy, were they surprised.


It was worth taking a small divergent approach to include such an important aspect of our economy into our students' learning. It guaranteed that they were more aware of why "tax day" is not exactly a favorite on the calendar. With eyes wide open, they learned a lot more than they realized.

For other resources, check out the following resources:

• Images in Tax History
• The 1040 Form 1913 - 2006
• The Power to Tax and the Federalist Papers

March Madness In The Classroom - Teaching With Tournament Graphics

Source: ESPN (click for detail)

Our weeks are currently consumed with the NCAA basketball tournament. March, however, brings its own kind of madness in the educational world. Kids feel the first tug of spring, and all the cooped-up energy of icy months comes spilling out in the final throws of the semester. Teachers and administrators try to wedge in all those initiatives that haven't yet made it onto the calendar, and the ensuing months of April and May are a downhill rush of hectic scheduling. We could make our own school bracket of opposing educational forces: field trips vs. finals, fairs vs. field days, projects vs. parties, testing vs. technology.

Given the focus on March Madness and bracketology, it makes sense to incorporate these tantalizing distractions into the flow of the classroom. Half of our students seem absorbed with their picks, and the other half seem oblivious of televised sports. But whenever a mass media event takes over the airwaves for a period of time (like the Super Bowl, Inauguration, State Of The Union, or Mayan Apocalypse), it presents a prime opportunity to forge real-world connections with critical skill development.

Infographics offer especially appealing tools to grab kids' attentions and visualize the details. Here are a few possible ways to make March Madness the centerpiece of expanded learning:

Geography

Source: Visual.ly (click for detail)

If nothing else, the annual tournament is a great re-introduction to familiar names that defy familiar locations. We hear their names heralded on CBS, but unless you happen to be an alum, do you know where to find Gonzaga (Spokane), Creighton (Omaha), or Valparaiso (Indiana)? In your bracket, who will win the battle of vague geography? Southern U or NW State? Pacific or Florida Gulf? One Ohio third-grade class had the solution to pull down the wall map and pin each contender. Another idea is to map each team's journey, from Round One to the Finals, with old-fashioned pins and string or modern Google Maps.

Math

The mathematics of probability feature prominently in choosing between the seeded teams. A student can calculate the chances of advancing from the first to the final round to become a bona fide NCAA-strodamus. Learners can then add layers of complexity based on a team's regular season record. They can also recreate the RPI index rankings for themselves. Or they can figure out why it's statistically more probable to win the Powerball lottery or become a saint than to pencil in a perfect bracket.

Science

Source: Visual.ly
(click for detail)

The art of winning the office pool is the science of making predictions. How about setting up a classroom pool based on clear hypotheses to test the scientific method? Even though buzzer-beaters have little to do with physics, the arcs of the shots do. And even though the psychology of halftime speeches might not make it into college textbooks, the process of data collection can be graphed in a lab.

Financial Literacy

Source: Midwest Sports Fans
(click for detail)

The NCAA tournament reaps millions of dollars for participating schools and broadcast networks. For real-world ways of teaching financial literacy, teachers can analyze the exact team earnings or TV ad revenue. They can also explore the price of arena attendance or the cost of lost productivity at office cubicles. History or economics classes can investigate the accusations against the NCAA of running an unfair monopoly over merchandising, participation, and earnings. Many analysts, for example, argue that the players deserve compensation for the money they raise.

Media Literacy

Partnered with the advertising revenue of the tournament is the media "selling" of each team. The highlight packages in slow motion revel in hero athletes who might become star NBA players. The school logos get paramount placement on scoreboards and parquet floors. In this vein, classes could design their own mock brackets for real consumer brands.

Source: Ultimate Coupons

Technology

Which teams are getting the most social media buzz? Which media applications are the most popular for tracking the winners? Which prime time moments are receiving the most Twitter mentions? All of these questions offer interesting angles to explore pop culture and technology saturation. Check out the "Facebook Buzz March Madness" or "The Social Side Of March Madness" on Mashable.

Graphic Design

Each tournament interface and online tool seems to feature its own style of bracket. Computer programmers can learn the coding of menus and progressions. Artists can learn the technology skills of appealing graphic design. Students of any age can compare bracket versions to understand visual thinking and graphic organization.

Source: I Love Charts

Sociology

Source: Media Behavior Institute

The demographics of viewers and players provide a rich trove of statistics. Cultural observers can parse the facts of gambling and watching. They can trace the passion for teams across the nation's regions. Check out "The Straight Scoop On College Hoops" on Only Infographic.

English

Language instructors can have a little linguistic fun with the annual battle of school initials. As one prognosticator we know always asks, "Will NC A&T beat VCU ? Will UNLV trounce UCLA?" Teachers can also adopt the bracket formula to make a tournament on an unrelated class objective, such as this poetry face-off or this U.S. Senator contest.

College Applications

Juniors thinking about which college to attend should use the publicity of the tournament to assess schools. They can track the admissions stats vis a vis the tournament wins to find the best student athletes. Or they can view student-to-teacher ratios in their own scholarly bracket. Take a look at "Brackets For The Unconventional" or "Brains Vs Wins" to see more details.

For other possible applications of March Madness in the classroom, check out these Education World lesson ideas.

Financial Education: Where Literacy & STEM Meet

Source: CEE

If you ask a roomful of educators, they'll all insist that personal finance education is vital for the recession-era generation. If you ask a roomful of superintendents, however, they'll likely grouse that their districts don't have the time, training, resources, curriculum, testing, and/or support for financial literacy classes. Even as this week's news has highlighted the emerging economic standards for K-12 students, many teachers feel ill-supported to incorporate the ideas of budgeting and investing into their lessons.

Fortunately, the Council For Economic Education (CEE) has prepared an array of carefully conceived resources to blend financial literacy into state curricula. We've long been advocates for folding the ideas of stocks, inflation, trade and consumerism into any existing class.


The United States Of Financial & Economic Literacy from Plusign on Vimeo.

Source: CEE

On March 1, 2013, we had the opportunity to attend the Annual Conference of the New York State Council for the Social Studies. We heard from Rick Fenner, a professor at Utica College and Director of the Mohawk Valley Center For Economic Education. Fenner introduced us to economic topics from U.S. history as well as the terrific site, EconEdLink. Developed by the CEE, EconEdLink presents free videos, links, data, and home extensions on a range of topics from advertising to entrepreneurship. It also allows for free personal accounts to save customized lessons and notes.

Source: Survey Of The States

The motion infographic (above), entitled "The United States Of Financial And Economic Literacy," was prepared by the CEE and designed by Plusign to broadcast startling statistics about today's monetary awareness. Meant as a companion to the "Survey Of The States" interactive website, the clip illustrates the urgent need for more financial literacy in our schools.

For an important reflection on the history of "money" education, we recommend "Why Financial Literacy Fails," by J.D. Roth in Time magazine. For other guidelines about layering economics into your lessons, check out the Jump$tart Coalition For Personal Financial Literacy.

Source: CEE

Visualizing Wealth In America

Source: Digital Aptitude

Since we integrate financial literacy into our program wherever we can, we keep an eye out for visual resources to aid our students in comprehending complicated ideas. It also helps provide a greater understanding of things they hear about in the news. For months they’ve listened to the constant political fight in Washington over taxes, the fiscal cliff, and sequestration. So it is no surprise that students cannot fully grasp what the wealth distribution in America actual looks like, particularly the top 1% that is so often referred to in these debates.

We recently came across this excellent motion graphic called Wealth Inequality in America from Visually. It highlights the reality in earnings between the rich and the poor as opposed to what most people think. What most Americans perceive is not quite the reality. The visualization begins with percentages comparing the ideal distribution with what people believe. Then it hits the reality of the discrepancy. It reinforces the comparison with multiple charts and images to drive home the point. The actual distribution of wealth is significantly skewed far more in reality. This powerful visualization puts things in perspective for students.


Other motion graphics we’ve used to enrich our students’ awareness of financial issues include the following:

• US Debt Visualized in Physical $100 Bills
• I, Pencil, The Movie

The Mayans And The Fiscal Cliff In Infographics

Source: Good.is

So what do the Mayan calendar and the Fiscal Cliff have in common? Perhaps nothing more than counting down the end of days for the world or allowing taxes as we know them to increase. There's certainly no shortage of information in the media, and it seems hard to avoid talking about these "events" with our students.

Source: KarBel Multimedia

The presidential election was no sooner over in November than we started heading for the precipice. Judging from the current state of affairs in Washington, we just might fall.

Nevertheless, we are always looking for ways to keep our students engaged as we approach the holiday break, and there are plenty of dynamic infographics available. Here are some of our favorites that we've shared with our students, and as always, they can be used in a variety of disciplines.

It's the End of the World As They Know It from Good.is has some interesting statistics regarding countries that believe the apocalypse is coming and the dire predictions of how it will happen. Another is the visualization called Countdown To 2012 from KarBel Multimedia. This design shows the ticking away to the end as gears inside a clock. There are others, such as the End of the World or the believers and skeptics infographic, which parallels the views from both sides about the prophecy, celestial significance, cataclysm, and consciousness shift.

Source: Demon-Ocracy Info (detail)

As for Fiscal Cliff infographics, there are plenty that do a nice job of showing the two sides of the issue, both on the tax increases as well as on the political points of view. Any of these visualizations make for great discussions about economics, finance, and politics. It's hard not to see how they would fit into any social studies class.

One particularly interesting visual is The Fiscal Cliff - 2013 - Cheat Sheet by Demon-Ocracy Info that uses mounds of $100 dollar bills to illustrate the financial situation. It also produced the following powerful, animated video using the same concept of using $100 dollar bills to visualize debt in the United States.



A few others include the infographic from ABC News, incorporating the red and blue color scheme to highlight the political affiliation, and The Fiscal Cliff: What Does It Really Mean?, showing a different representation of the information.

Source: ABC News

In all of these designs, it's important to carefully dissect the details. One of the things we do with our students whenever we use visualizations is to compare the data and information for discrepancies.

A key component in our curriculum is media literacy, and it's important always to include the core concepts of media literacy whenever students are looking at infographics to check for possible biases or misinformation.

Source: Colorlines (detail)

In addition, we continually want to reinforce the skills of graphicacy to build our students' abilities to be visually literate and to be visual thinkers. So much of what they see depends on a solid foundation in these areas.