Thursday, October 13, 2011

Why Use Infographics?

Recently a colleague said to me that infographics are nothing but advertisements. And this is precisely why they are so valuable to use in education. Students often look at statistics as facts. Couple statistics with graphs and images, and very rarely will students question the authenticity and reliability of said infographic. Students must take a critical literacy stance by asking themselves these questions:

What is the source of the information?
What bias might be present?
Whose voice is present? Whose voice is missing?
What techniques does the author use to persuade?
Are the citations reliable?

As teachers, we have to help our students navigate the world-wide web and Infographics provide stimulating inroads into those invaluable lessons.