Producing Infographics for the Classroom

Infographics are a fabulous way for students to engage with data and the real-world. Here are some suggestions for getting the most out of them in the classroom.

Infographics for teaching

The theory behind Dual Coding suggests that presenting information graphically in a visually-appealing way can really enhance understanding and learning. Infographics will be relevant and useful for illuminating topics in a range of subjects. They can easily be projected onto a whiteboard, printed out and distributed to students, or shared online in presentations / VLEs and other assignments.

If you've not tried using them before, here's a starter-for-ten for finding some crackers:

• Visual.ly has an extensive portfolio of infographics on almost every topic and subject imaginable
• Pinterest - not just a great source of interior design and cake-decorating ideas, there are tonnes of fabulous infographics lurking here
• Daily Infographic - the name says everything really, and there are tonnes of fun and quirky infographics on here

Infographics for assessment

Not only can infographics be a great teaching tool, but students can really get stuck in to designing their own infographics to represent information covered in class and its application. They don't need any great design or drawing skills either anymore, as there are a whole host of online tools that they can play with. Producing great graphics is a creative way to engage students, and enliven independent learning, as well as equipping them with transferable skills that could be useful in their future workplace.

Some great online tools for students to use to create their own infographics

We really like Visme. Not only can you produce infographics, but you can also jazz up presentations and produce GIFs. Visme has a useful free option and there is cost-effective educational pricing too for the premium features.

The design company Canva has introduced an "educator" option, providing free access to their design tools for designing effective posters, including infographics. It uses a simple "drag and drop" approach so should be pretty user-friendly.

The incredible Tableau Public is an infographic-lovers idea of heaven. It's completely free, and allows you to easily share your creations with the world. It's also stacked full of awesome infographics produced by its users.

Why not give it a go?