Infographics

Infographics are a fun and creative way to display information. There are many options for users who are interested in creating an infographic. Infographics are a great way for educators to teach information. Students can also create infographics as a way of learning and internalizing information. 

Here are three web apps for teachers and students who are looking to try creating an infographic. You can click on the web app name, and it will take you to that website to browse around. 

• Easel.ly is easy to set up and can be accessed through your Google account. It provides blank templates to choose from. Users can choose from categories like resumes, timelines, comparisons, holidays, etc.  When creating a new infographic, templates can be easily dragged and dropped into a blank infographic.  There are not many backgrounds to choose from unless you upgrade to Go Pro. The pricing is as follows students $2, individuals $4, and a business $5.  Users can add shapes, media, lines, text, graphs/charts, and a grid to align.  The infographic can be downloaded to a PDF and shared.  I like that the infographic can be resized and can be accessed using an Ipad.  All of the examples are very eye-catching and would definitely get the attention of teens and adults.

• Piktochart is an easy-to-use infographics creator that provides the user with step-by-step instructions on creating, managing and sharing their designs. You can log in by using your Google email. You do have to answer some quick questions about how you will be using Piktochart for. Piktochart has a limited selection of templates and graphics to choose from in the free version. You can purchase Piktochart PRO with an annual fee of $39.99. Users can choose templates and easily change text, pictures, and upload images. I liked that it had PDF download capabilities, charts can be created and inserted, data can be plugged in or imported, use icons to portray data, and the infographic can be shared and embedded.
  
  
  
  

• Infogram has fewer options than Easel.ly and Piktochart. You can log in using your Google email for quick login. You do have to answer some questions before you can use Infogram. There are not many free templates to choose from. Infogram has a flow chart, step-by-step chart, and a timeline template available. Any infographic created with the basic account will be public on the web with no privacy controls. You get up to 10 free graphics per project. I liked the autosave feature, but it is kind of difficult to maneuver. If you want to purchase Infogram Pro, you will pay $19 a month. This will give you more features to use, such as up to 100 projects, 100+ templates, privacy controls, and advanced imaging features. It is not available to use on mobile devices. 

And the Winner is... 

Easel.ly.   

I have never heard of infographics and after going through each of the three different infographic web applications, I found that Easel.ly was the easiest to use. I loved the cartoon-like graphics, and the templates were easy to customize, and if I wanted to go Pro, it would only cost me $4; not too shabby.  My primary students/teachers will love viewing the infographics made using Easel.ly. The information presented in my infographic comes from a Pew Research Center report about teens and their experiences on what they are posting on social media. This is great information to have as more of our students are using social media. My infographic report shows what teens are most likely posting to their social media accounts. 

Resources

Anderson, M. (2018, November 28). Teens' Social Media Habits and Experiences. Retrieved March 23, 2021, from https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/11/28/teens-and-their-experiences-on-social-media/ 

Easel.ly information  https://www.easel.ly/ 

Infogram information  https://infogram.com/

Picktochart information https://piktochart.com/