Infographic Inundation

The digital world that we live in has its advantages.  One of them is the amount of infographics that are being created by a growing number of designers and researchers.  What is an infographic?  It is simply a visual representation of information.  They have been around for a long time.  You would most likely find them in magazines as a way to engage the visual learner in us all.  The graphic designers of the world have latched onto this format, and have continued to create some excellent documents that lend themselves to great visual teaching.  There are many sites that feature collections of cutting edge and valuable infographics.  Three of these sites are GOOD: Infographics, Visual Economics, and visual.ly.

The format of using visuals to display information is one that is going to appeal to students right away.  Of course, the engaging format is only as good as the information that is provides.  One thing that I really like about this medium is the seed that it can plant with students as far as displaying information is concerned.  Students, and teachers, always need to keep in mind that there is not only one way to get information across.  Especially in today's world, we have so many creative opportunities to get our message across.  It never hurts to switch it up.  I would love to see the creative concepts that students and teachers can come up with to create their own infographics.  Not a graphic designer?...It's the idea that's important.  Give it a shot.  Make it a contest, have an infographic show, just have fun with it!  Most importantly - think about how ideas connect, how people perceive information, how to get your point across.  Along the way, you might even remember the information your presenting.