Thing 23: Infographics & Data Visualization

To begin, I compared the data visualization vs infographic examples to make sure I understood the difference between the two things.

• 20 Inspiring Childrens Book quotes – Infographic
• Annual Library Usage Compared to Per Capita Expenditures –data visualization

I am still preparing for my upcoming Board of Ed presentation, so I considered that when selecting a topic for my project. Since we are in our first year with increased library staffing (3 full-time library media specialists), I decided it’d be important to show how circulation has increased since this change. As K-12 Coordinator of Library Services for my District, I have access to many reports for each of my four school libraries. I wanted to learn how to create a data visualization that encompasses all four schools, and hopefully reflect an increase of usage/circulation.

To get started, I explored some of the resources listed in this “Thing”:

“Dissecting an Infographic ” was interesting and one I might use with my students to show how even the most “official” or realistic looking graphics may still be deceiving. Only the most perceptive people may notice the publication date, which proved to be critical to the accuracy of the information regarding plane crashes & deaths in a given year. Creating content in March and making a claim for the entire year is rather premature (and inaccurate!).

“Infographics Lie. Here’s How To Spot The B.S.” was also a helpful tool and one that I may take content from for my own classes. I particularly noted the importance of the quote: “time and time again we have seen that data visualizations can easily be manipulated to lie. By misrepresenting, altering, or faking the data they visualize, data scientists can twist public opinion to their benefit and even profit at our expense.”  So important for the public to remember!

The Complete Guide to Creating Infographics for Non-designers was very helpful. At first I almost stopped exploring it due to the rather dry beginning, but am so glad that I decided to skim down a bit. The “quick snapshot of services” was easy to read through and explore.

I also started following the #slscooltools “conversation on Twitter and instantly found some great infographics to share. My eye was drawn to the post called: 7 Characteristics Of Teachers Who Effectively Use Technology http://buff.ly/2jNb3PG  #slscooltools and I retweeted that out to my followers. I found the information to the point and relevant to teachers sometimes struggling to include technology in their curriculum.

To create my own infographic, I thought about what information would be helpful to share. Rather than create a report like I had at first thought about doing, I decided to create an infographic for an upcoming Board of Education presentation I am doing. To do so, I decided to use Venngage to create a basic infographic using one of their “beginner” templates. I created a free account and watched the tutorial. Venngage seemed pretty easy to use, so I moved forward and created an infographic called “K-12 Library Program: Increasing Student Achievement: Three Primary Roles”. It was super easy to use their template, and I was able to figure out how to bring in images fairly easily. The most challenging part was getting a printable version, as the ability to export/download your work in Venngage is only possible if you purchase an upgraded account. This was disappointing, as I wanted a printable copy to share as a handout during my presentation. I used the vendor’s “chat now” feature to inquire about printing options, and was instantly replied to by a helpful customer service agent. She provided me with a “one time courtesy” PDF file that I successfully downloaded and printed. I really like Venngage and send the Educator pricing information to my District Technology Director in hopes of having the district pay for a subscription next year! I can see myself using this tool with students when studying infographics as part of my Digital Literacy course; and maybe even having them create their own on various topics. Thanks for exposing me to this great tool! Here is the URL for the infographic I created:

https://infograph.venngage.com/p/216617/k-12-library-program-mcsd