Infographics/Easel.ly

Infographics

I remember my first year teaching and being introduced to Dina Zike's foldables (http://www.dinah.com/index.php) at a G.T. conference. She provided graphic organizers that children could create with simple tools: a paper, pencil, scissors, a glue stick, and markers (to make it more interesting and colorful). These would help children organize information in a way that made for sense for them and then glue them to a journal to keep all their work in one place. Dina Zike is definitely a genius! I couldn't wait to go back to the classroom and implement all I had learned. Fast forward ten years later! Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! Today, I am introduced to foldables on steroids: INFOGRAPHICS. Infographics remind me of those foldables but allow children to use the technology that surrounds their everyday lives. They are visual representations of information that tells a story of what they have learned. It allows students to use graphics and lots of color to share with others data that may be confusing if just explained with words. There a different sites that allows children to create these for free. I will be discussing three: Easel.ly, Piktochart, and Infogr.am. My favorite one is (drum roll).....Easel.ly! Why? It is simple and great for beginners! My students would start with Easel.ly and then let them experiment with the others once they are comfortable with infographics.

Easel.ly

Easel.ly provides you with different templates that can be easily modified to your needs. You can experiment with it and have lots of fun posting objects, changing the template's color, adding images from your files, and even adding a header to type all your teacher requires of you to let her know it is your work. It is pretty simple to use, but don't panic if you are a little confused. What I loved about Easel.ly is that if you get stuck they share with you resources to help you move forward such as Tips on Creating Infographics (on the bottom, right corner) and a live chat. If you feel you are an expert, go ahead and get the Go Pro membership for only $3.00 a month and have a lot more access!

Piktochart

Creating an account on Piktochart was easy since I logged in with my already existent Google account. It does give you the option of logging in with Facebook, but I simply chose Google. As soon as I created an account, it welcomed me with a pop up message that provided an e-book and in their own words, "to help me create beautiful content." Piktochart gives you the option to create different items: infographics, reports, banners, or presentations. It offers free and paid templates with a variety of themes and allows you to add charts, maps, videos, and other neat stuff. When you are done creating your masterpiece, you can share it via e-mail or on social media.

Infogr.am

Creating an account for Infogr.am was also very simple. If you get overwhelmed with a very busy site or with a colorful background, Infogr.am may be perfect for you. As soon as you create an account, you see a dark background with only a few items to choose from. You can create an infographic or report, a chart or graph, or a map. When creating an infographic, you won't be bombarded with an overoald of choices since you have 10 to 11 themes to choose from. If you want more choices, I suggest you upgrade and have access to ProThemes. Infogr.am allows you to include charts, pictures and videos from YouTube. And if you can't wait to show your friends your creation, you can certainly share it on social media.   

Sources:

Rainie, L. (2013). Parents, Children, Libraries, and Reading. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/05/01/parents-children-libraries-and-reading/

Create and share visual ideas online Easel.ly. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from https://www.easel.ly/

Create Easy Infographics, Reports, Presentations Piktochart. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from https://piktochart.com/

Create online charts & infographics infogr.am. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from https://infogr.am/