Gather sets of data that relate to a technology-related issue and find ways to represent it through creating infographics.

What are infographics, and why are they important?

Data is available to the public every minute of the day and can be overwhelming. Depending on the type of presentation of the data, it can be difficult to understand. This challenge is developing the knowledge and understanding of infographics to present information using visual and written language in a way that students can understand.

The value of data visualisation: How do we find the meaning, find the story, share the story—infographics – where data meets design. Simple changes make comprehension almost instant. Colour, size, orientation, flicker. Visual clues that the brain processes quickly. Patterns, colour to show correlation, size to show quantity. Orientation to show trends. Processes, hierarchy, anatomy, chronology. Your message is only as good as how you share it. https://vimeo.com/29684853

Chiara Ojeda: creating an infographic requires analytical skills. Have detailed (not complex) visuals that match strong and compelling data.

Draw a mud map that describes how I collected data, interpreted data, summarised important data and put data into an infographic including pictures, words, colours, patterns etc. see number 2.

Resource link of infographics to curriculum: Developing student abilities in visual literacy and information management. Critical concepts for developing 21^st Century Skills and literacies. There are three ways to use infographics (as source information, a tool to teach visual and critical literacy, students to express their data).

• List – top to bottom. Supports a claim through a series of steps. Left to right.
• Comparison – two studies or things. Prove how one option is better than another.
• Flowchart – personalised answer for readers
• Visual article – make a piece of writing more visible and easy to read.
• Map – data trends based on location.
• Timeline – tells a story through chronological flow. Changed over time or simplifies the long story.
• Data visualisation – data easier to present and understand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6_7zC0mB9w

So, for this one, I may make a list to support the claims in the article or a visual story to make the article more visual and exciting:

1. A visual explanation for people to understand or find something in the infographics.
2. Visual and, when needed, integrates words/pictures in a fluid dynamic way.
3. Stand along and completely self-explanatory.
4. Reveals information formally hidden.
5. Designed to make understanding quicker.
6. Universally understandable.

Infographics can be used by all levels of students, as seen on the website. So this may mean discussing how can use this concept for many different classrooms.

Create two versions of an infographic.

Represent the same set of data in two different data sets. So this means doing the list and the visual article. The challenge suggests two programs, but I think I might choose Abode.

Reflection: reflect on the potential infographics that combine design and digital technology in presenting data to an audience. Find links to the curriculum to reflect upon for the application to the classroom. Remember to look through the design technology topics and add any information from here.

Table of Ideas

Idea development

Define the audience.

Define and refine the idea (to be read or interpreted within 30 seconds to 4 minutes).

“Is it More Than Just a Digital Divide?”

Show it is not just the digital divide that affects learning. Instead, it is an added burden on top of existing difficult learning situations, especially for low socioeconomic schools with diverse students with complex needs.

Reflection: I really struggled to pinpoint the items I wanted to portray in the Infographic. There is so much in my head that I think I was inconsistent in the messaging. While I may not have consistently presented the message, at least upon reflection, I am aware of this and can make changes in the future.

I have learnt a decent amount through this experience and can use it in my classroom when creating educational infographics.

Scripting

Have clear goals and messaging.

Chose type of infographic

• Data on divide
• Data on other aspects affecting learning.
• Data on educational outcomes. Based on socioeconomics from both schools and family.
• Data on EF on learning (NT, neurodiversity, disability)

Informational: clearly communicating a new or specialised concept or give an overview. Generally divided into sections to help design flow.

Visual story, Flowchart or Timeline: visualising the history of something or overview of events. Visual aids like lines, icons, photos, and labels explain points of time.

Best infographics for teachers – consider types of learners – visual, kinaesthetic, auditory, stress, ease, scribble, trust, teach, copy. To make boring and technical information fun and hang in the classroom.

Reflection: This was the original script; however, it did change during the infographics creation. As I stated above, I found it difficult to translate my idea into infographics.

Storyboarding

Picture of student/s looking up at the cloud of successful learning outcomes. With two layers of barriers in between.

The first is educational barriers of socioeconomic and other complex needs.

The second is the digital divide created due to socioeconomic barriers and other complex needs but adds another barrier to successful learning outcomes.

Reflection: see storyboard below. I didn’t fill out the storyboard with my ideas. Instead, I filled it out with tips and tricks from the Venngage website. I then looked at the storyboard to help with ideas when creating the infographics—a little like a checklist.

Editing

Reflection: I really struggled with the first Infographic titled Digital Divide. I didn’t know how to represent all the ideas I had in my head in a reduced coherent manner.

I then realised I was struggling because I had too much information, so I reduced the data. I realised I was trying to add comparing statistics to prove the differences between the haves and the have nots. I reduced this data just to reflect the number of disadvantaged students.

Posting online

Digital Divide

• Separation of data into grids/boxes of two different colours. Blue for the digital divide and green for all other barriers.
• Large title with subtitle setting out a summary of the infographic.

All Learners

• One large sheet using shapes and font size to imply a sieve.
• At the top, it implies all learners begin their learning journey. At the bottom, it means only a few students end their journey as successful lifelong learners.
• On their way through the sieve, they hit barriers to their learning. Unfortunately, not all learners become successful lifelong learners.  

Background

Icons/pictures

Inform

Change

Compare

Organise

Reveal relationships

Explore

Icons/symbols have meaning – and can be checked here https://venngage.com/blog/how-to-make-an-infographic-in-5-steps/#4

Example – to help see https://venngage.com/blog/how-to-make-an-infographic-in-5-steps/#3

Digital Divide

• Scales/weights to signify percentages of disadvantage
• Large icons with titles underneath to list other barriers. Then next to them are the scales/weights.

All Learners

• Student icons starting with a large number of students and dwindling with every barrier they come across.
  • The orange sieve-like shapes at each corner. Three orange circular shapes reducing in size going down the page to imply a sieve. Inside the circles is the word barriers with a list of barriers students on their learning journey.

Data/Information

Readable font

Big header, section headers, data highlights to ensure gist of Infographic is apparent

Other

Repetition, consistency, alignment

Use of grids (boxes) for data and flow. Repeat these grids for consistency.

Icons to reinforce information and consistency – colour, style, size. Also, consider background icons (size, consistency, meaning, colour etc.).

Think of colour to communicate meaning (green/red or linking data through same colour grids/boxes etc.