Technology Challenge 9 – Representing data through infographics

This challenge required me to create two versions of an infographic based on pertinent issue around technologies and education. I chose to use the same topic that I used for my ‘conversation’ style opinion piece:

LEARNING THROUGH A SCREEN – Are iPads in schools hindering children’s development?

The data that I used for first infographic outlines the five main developmental areas that are being affected by iPad usage in schools – focus, reading, handwriting, communication and losing touch with the real world.

I chose graphics that represented each area and a consistent colour scheme to make the infographic sleek and engaging. See my first infographic below.

The second infographic I created was based off data found from the 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment. This data outlines the affects that iPads are having on children’s education, specifically in Australian classrooms. I chose a different colour scheme for this infographic and included relevant graphics to support the content and create a seamless design.

AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM LINKS
The teaching of infographics is included in the Australian Curriculum: Technologies across all year levels. The relevant content descriptors are:

Foundation to Year 2
– Recognise and explore patterns in data and represent data as pictures, symbols and diagrams (ACTDIK002)
– Collect, explore and sort data, and use digital systems to present the data creatively (ACTDIP003)

Year 3 and Year 4 
– Recognise different types of data and explore how the same data can be represented in different ways (ACTDIK008)
– Collect, access and present different types of data using simple software to create information and solve problems (ACTDIP009)

Year 5 and Year 6 
– Examine how whole numbers are used to represent all data in digital systems (ACTDIK015)
– Acquire, store and validate different types of data, and use a range of software to interpret and visualise data to create information (ACTDIP016)

Integrating infographics into the classroom would be a wonderful way of showing students how data can be displayed and shared in a variety of styles and forms. Infographics allow students so many opportunities to get creative and find engaging ways to share information and could be included across many subjects in the Australian Curriculum, not just Technologies.

REFLECTION
I am a visual thinker myself, and find that I much prefer data to be displayed in the above infographic style rather than plain text. I enjoyed designing the different infographics above; thinking about the colour schemes, the text styles, choosing graphics that complimented the content and making them engaging and interesting, but also informative. When data is presented in this way, it combines both design and digital technology so that the audience can comprehend it easily. I chose to use two different sets of data rather than the same data for both infographics as I wanted to challenge myself to create two different designs. This task also gave me the opportunity to do further research for my opinion piece and allowed me to gain a deeper insight into the topic of iPads in the classroom.

REFERENCES
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2019). Technologies, Digital Technologies. Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/technologies/digital-technologies/

Jacks, T. (2015). Are iPads in schools a waste of money? OECD report says yes. Retrieved from: https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/are-ipads-in-schools-a-waste-of-money-oecd-report-says-yes-20150915-gjmnqf.html