With Alan Weintraut set to talk later today about ways to incorporate graphics, I want to make a pitch for Infogr.am, a source for interactive graphics that can be embedded on your websites.
It's free, though you can pay to get a little more out of it (including not having an Infogr.am tout appear with your graphics). We don't pay.
I was amazed at how easy it is to learn – all it takes is a little delimited data (that is, it would appear orderly on a spreadsheet) – and how quickly my students picked it up and began showing me even better ways to harness it.
See below how Cronkite News reporter Kelcie Grega used it to present traffic citation data. It sure is more interesting than figures in a static graphic. I couldn't do several things she did in here until Kelcie showed me.
I love how the graphics pop (hover over elements for information and interactivity). I love how many options Infogr.am offers. I encourage you to take a look.
I know there are other free options for making interactive graphics. If you use one, please share it.
Steve Elliott
Arizona State University
Phoenix
Piktochart and Easel.ly are great too! And Easel.ly had an iPad app!
ReplyDeleteErinn Harris
TJHSST
Alexandria, VA
Thanks for the tips. I'll try them.
ReplyDeleteSteve Elliott
Arizona State University
Phoenix
Easel.ly is part of my presentation today, too.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteErinn I use Piktochart as well and it's a great website with a number of free templates (there is a paid version but the free stuff is just fine). This last year my students and I looked at creating an infographic for an email blast telling people what is in the paper. I have refined this practice yet but we'll see how it works out this next year.
ReplyDeleteJill Cavotta
Mater Dei High School
Santa Ana, Ca
Interactive graphics as a concept are so engaging and the tools to create them seem so smooth that I will try to work in their use in my core English classes as well. I teach the research paper and this could be a nice addition. Also, it's yet another opportunity for me to plug journalism and recruit from those class.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great ideas. My question is how are these perceived by critiquers when books are evaluated? I was thinking they may be a good way to teach my students to create their own. Thoughts?
ReplyDeleteDebra Klevens
Parkway West High School
Ballwin, MO