Technology & Assessment: Infographics

On the surface, Infographics appear to be a bit of a fad these days. Cute, colorful, visual representations of information and statistics intended to amuse, titillate, and capture the attention of their 21st century audience. But there is more to infographics than meets the eye, and this presents some interesting possibilities from an assessment point of view.

Infographics as Visual Language

Italian designer, Fancesco Franchi, sees infographics as a narrative language -- as "representation plus interpretation to develop an idea". The designer interprets content and adds his/her interpretation in order to make the content meaningful for the audience. Using this medium, the story doesn't need to be linear or one-dimensional (like a Powerpoint presentation), but can provide multiple entry points for the viewer to engage with the content and make his or her own meaning. This requires something much deeper and more complex than just adding clever graphics to some information!

Making Student Thinking Visible

As a classroom teacher, I can appreciate that this type of "new language" requires time, practice and feedback to master, but I can also see the tremendous potential it contains for seeing the complex thinking processes of my students.  And while I may struggle to fully comprehend how or why a student represented something in an infographic in a particular way, it certainly opens the door for conversations about the thinking that took place. As such, infographics can be a rich tool for making student thinking visible and engaging in metacognitive conversations!


Tools and Other Resources for Creating Infographics

Eight Types of Infographics Teachers Should Know About - Interesting and comprehensive article by Educational Technology & Mobile Learning

Teaching With Infographics: Places to Start - NY Times, August 23, 2010

Easel.ly - Read a review of this product on the Lethbridge College Learning Connections website

Piktochart - Read a review of this product by Common Sense Media's website: Graphite

Visme (formerly EWC Presenter) - Read a review of this product on the Teacher's First website

Infogr.am - Read a review of this product on the Lifehacker website

Technology & Assessment: Digital Forms for Assessment

Assessment of student learning is an ongoing task for teachers. Making the collection of assessment evidence a seamless part of a teacher's workflow has never been easier with the growing features available in digital forms.

Digital forms allow users to capture, sort and transmit data easily and securely, and can eliminate the need for paper forms. In a busy classroom, this can prove to be both efficient and effective. Additionally, digital forms can be used for a variety of different purposes in the classroom as far as assessment is concerned, and while digital forms are often used exclusively for summative purposes, they can be used for a myriad of formative applications as well. It is worthwhile mentioning, however, that while digital forms can be very useful in the busy classroom, I am not suggesting that all methods of assessment should be replaced with digital forms.  A variety of assessment methods is always preferred, and digital forms can simply be another way to gather evidence (formatively or summatively) of student learning.

What's the Purpose?

When creating a digital form, it is important to identify your purpose for gathering evidence.  Will the form be used for judging and reporting on a student's performance in relation to the curricular standard(s)(summative purpose)? Or will the form be used to determine where a student is in relation to the standard and to guide decisions about what next steps will be taken to move the learner forward (formative purpose)? There are many different classroom purposes for using forms, and consequently, there are many different forms that can be created to meet those needs.

Examples of Different Forms for Different Purposes:

Examples of each of the forms in the table above can be found as links on the AAC Key Visual below. To access the examples, simply mouse over the visual to locate the links to the forms, and notice where they line up with the assessment processes they are next to on the visual. 

Explore the connections between Assessment and Digital Forms by clicking on the coloured icons located at various locations on the interactive AAC Key Visual above.

FREE Gift to You! A Collection of Google Forms for Assessment:  http://goo.gl/Yn3Ql6

Click on the link above to open a shared folder containing a variety of forms that you can make a copy of and use on your own can.

NB. BEFORE YOU DOWNLOAD, MODIFY OR DO ANY THING ELSE WITH THESE SHARED FORMS, PLEASE MAKE A COPY OF THE FORMS YOU WANT AND MOVE THEM INTO YOUR GOOGLE DRIVE!

Sound Assessment Practices within Technology Rich Environments - a Collaborative Partnership with 2Learn.ca

AAC and the 2Learn.ca Education Society are once again participating in a collaborative partnership, funded by a grant from Alberta Education.  Through a variety of technology mediated processes, this project supports Jurisdictional Technology Contacts and other lead individuals who are working to support teachers in the classroom. A series of free, 45 minute webinars linking assessment and technology have been delivered this year, with two more remaining before the end of the 2013-2014 school year.

Past webinar topics have included:

• Mobile Devices: More than Apps 
• Digital Feedback Tools 
• Data Collection Tools: What Do They Really Tell You?
• Infographics: Don't Be Fooled by Appearances 
• Digital Forms and Assessment 

Please note: Webinar support materials can be found on the AAC website with additional resources being posted as they become available. Check back often for updates. 

The remaining 2013-2014 webinars are:

April 23, 2014, 3:45 - 4:30 PM - Your Learning Story Done Differently: ePortfolios in the Classroom

• This is not your typical ePortfolio session.  In this session we will share a variety of tools, strategies and principles that teachers can use to help students personalize their ePortfolio stories. Participants will learn how students can share their stories using tools that complement their learning styles and mobile lives. NOTE: To register for this webinar, please click on the webinar title above.

May 14, 2014. 3:45 - 4:30 PM - Visual Thinking Tools/Assistive Technology

• Assistive technology can be a powerful tool in the classroom that supports the success of all learners.  In this webinar we will look at one form of Assistive Technology, visual thinking tools, and explore how VTT’s can help students organize their thinking and provide a gateway for students to express what they know, what they can do, and what they understand. NOTE: To register for this webinar, please click on the webinar title above.

If you would like more information on any of the webinar topics, please contact sid@aac.ab.ca, pete@2learn.ca or daryl@2learn.ca. We would be happy to chat with you and support you in any way we can.