Create Infographics with Photovisi

I'm a big fan of Infographics. I think infographics are a good way for students to learn, review, and share what they know. Creating infographics is not busy work, its work that requires thinking and planning, not to mention writing and reading. An infographic is simply a product that has information and graphics. Some might call this a collage, but a collage is more of a "picture only" type of thing. I by no means invented the idea of Infographics or any of the infographic creating tools. However, I do like to search for infographic creating tools other than paper/pencil. Unless a student is an awesome drawer, computer infographics are way more effective. Photovisi is a great tech tool that students can use to make an infographic. 
Great things about Photovisi: it's free. Students do not need to log in. Students can easily save their project. Students can pick from a wide variety of templates and options. Students can use pictures off the internet. Students can add typing/captions. Students pick up on how to use photovisi quickly, so instruction time is minimal and creation time is optimal. So, find a computer lab and give Photovisi a try. Students will enjoy using it and get something out of it. Photovisi's can be as in-depth as you want to make it. General overview of a topic or a dynamic, in-depth project. 
Application for Education:
-students research a new topic and create a photovisi
-students create a photovisi as a review tool
-students share their photovisi with their classmates to learn about new topics through their peers
-teacher creates a photovisi to present information/new topic

Examples:

Example of an Interesting Infographic: Girl Scout Cookies (Thin Mints, Please!)

I've been asked a lot recently to buy girl scout cookies, so I began thinking, what is the most popular kind of girl scout cookie? Here's an infographic that shows some interesting things about the famous Girl Scout cookies. Which is your favorite? I say Thin Mints. But the coconut one is a close second :) 

Canva: A great option for creating Infographics

Canva is a great option for creating infographics. Infographics are just that: information and graphics. Students can put together the two elements to create a dynamic learning or review piece. Students can do this on paper but many students struggle with drawing, so their pictures are often times unrecognizable, which takes away from the learning. Using infographic makers online gives the students a much richer experience in creating a product. Students can use pictures off the internet to add a greater dynamic to the learning experience. Canva gives the students a wide variety of templates, options and capabilities in making an infographic. After registering for a free account, Canva guides you to choosing a template to get started. You can use a pre-made template or start from scratch. With your project open, you can design your canva/infographic with images from canva or uploading your own. You are given many different types and styles of text boxes to add information to your project. You can change the background and also add "pages" to your infographic so you can add more detail/information. Many other infographic sites limit your work to just one page. Canva gives you more space. 
Application for Education: Canva can be an online tool that your students use to show you what they know about a certain topc: Battle of Shiloh during the Civil War, character profile of Tris is from Divergent. Helpful tips and tricks to solving math problems, etc. As a teacher, you can also create your own and share them via the web for your students to benefit from. Sharing options include a link, and image, or a pdf.

Example of Canva

Infographic: Why Teachers Love Technology

Allison Morris from OnlineUniversities.com sent me this infographic to review so I thought I would share it with you. It's interesting to look at the various aspects of teachers and technology. One thing that can never be lost in the technology in education discussion is the need for support and training. Districts can not just hand teachers a bunch of devices and say, here you! Start using technology! There's got to be a support system and support people ready to help them use it effectively and in a way that ENHANCES their teaching.
Please Include Attribution to OnlineUniversities.com With This Graphic

Infographic: What if the World was only 100 people? (fascinating)

If the world only had 100 people, what would it look like? Breaking the world's population down to only 100 people gives us a MUCH clearer picture of what this world is like. This interesting inforgraphic was published by 100people.org 
Some highlights: Only 7 people would have a college degree. Only 5 people would be living in North America. 48 people would be living on less than $2 per day yet 75 of the 100 people would be cell phone users. Check out the infographic for me.  
Application for Education: This could be a great discussion starter, writing prompt, or a tool to have your kids practice analyzing or interpreting data from a graph.

If the World were 100 People infographic by KVSStudio.

Infographics: Great tool to create and learn

This is an Infographic I made about Otzi the Iceman using Easel.ly

Infographics are a great way for teachers to present information to students, but also a great thing for students to create to show learning and understanding. Infographics are great to share, allowing students to teach each other in a way that doesn't require long, boring presentations or by using a dull speech nobody listens to. Infographics give the student (and teacher) a creative way to learn and share. Infographics are pictures and text designed and arranged in a way that provide information. Infographics can be created with a multitude of ways. To make an infographics, all you need is a topic and a way to put pictures together with words. You also have to use something that allows you or the student to share the infographic. One tool that I have been using, which I really like, is the website:  Easel.ly.  This website gives me templates I can customize to fit my topic or the option of starting from scratch. You can add pictures, text, shapes, and graphics. These can be time consuming to make, but it's worth it if the students can learn more. Infographics with Easel.ly: Creating, organizing, thinking, writing, reading and sharing...sounds good to me.