2014 Posts You May Have Missed

In case you were rushing through the year and missed some digital resources that can be used in your classroom, see 10 Faith 4ward posts from 2014:

1. Connected Educators - Take time to grow your personal learning network and connect with other educators with tools such as Twitter.
2. Chatterpix Kids - Chatterpix Kids is a fun iPhone/iPad app with many possibilities for many curricular areas.
3. Journaling Apps - This post spotlights the Things to Think About app and the Write About This app.
4. Poetry Month - This post from April spotlights nine poetry apps.
5. Infographics - This post covers infographic design, ideas for using them, and tools to create infographics.
6. Flipped Classroom Resources - This post highlights two resources that embed interactivity into video - EdPuzzle and Educanon.
7. Book Creator - The Book Creator app is a tool that allows students to publish work in an epub format.
8. Brain Breaks with GoNoodle - GoNoodle offers a variety of brain break activities for any grade level.  Do not miss this post as this free resource is way too much fun!
9. Differentiation with Stick Pick - The Stick Pick app is similar to the old fashioned can of popsicle sticks, but teachers can utilize the Bloom's question stems found in the app to focus on students' various cognitive levels.
10. Tackk - Create flyers, presentations, projects, blogs, and lessons with this digital resource.

Infographics

I attended a session on Infographics awhile back at the Fort Worth Technology Conference.  The presenter, Marcia Hensley, proved a very valid point - looking at a well-designed and easy-to-follow infographic may be easier for some (maybe most) students than reading large amounts of text.  After attempting my first infographic, I realized they MUST be well planned and made with a goal in mind.  Having students create an infographic to present data and content would involve most (if not all) of the 4 Cs - communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity.

Ideas for Using Infographics

Kathy Schrock has published a great video on Infographics as a Creative Assessment.  She includes many other infographics resources on her Infographics as an Assessment site.  In addition, Professional Learning Board has listed ways to use infographics in the classroom.

Infographic Design
The anatomy of an infographic, explained here, consists of three parts - visual, content, and knowledge.  In addition, EdTech blogger, Richard Byrne, posted Seven Essentials on Good Infographic Design.

Tools to Create Infographics

1. PiktoChart - PiktoChart offers limited themes, graphics, and upload capabilities.  The free version and Educator Discount upgrade (currently $39.99/year) is explained here.
2. Easel.ly - Explained here - "ideal for educators, students, business owners, and executives who need to convey a thought, lesson plan, or concept in an easy-to-follow visual form"
3. Infogr.am - This online tool allows users to create interactive charts and infographics 
4. Creately - Creately allows users to create 5 public diagrams; Read more here
5. Visme - Free account provides 3 projects; Read more
6. Canva - Read my previous post here
7. PowerPoint - Find directions here

Places to Find Infographics
In addition to some of the online tools mentioned above, example infographics can be found on the following sites:
http://elearninginfographics.com/
http://dailyinfographic.com/
http://www.infographicszone.com/
http://www.discoverinfographics.com/
http://www.infographicsmaze.com/