Easel.ly create Inforgraphics...Or maybe Piktochart some info...Or Infogram some data: Infographic Creators

As for any products, there are many applications to get you to your final product. Today, I'm going to go over 3 web-based applications that can be used to create Infographics.

Infographics are ways to turn mass amounts of complicated data and information into a beautiful, flowing picture of information. The graphics create flow and add to the understandability and retention of the information in the infographic. in layman's terms: Pictures and words come together to help people gain knowledge.

As librarians and teachers, we know the power of using images to teach information. Students associate the pictures with the information and their ability to retain information goes through the roof. But let's look at infographics from the other side. If students created infographics, what would be the benefit? Students would be forced to summarize, evaluate, and create a visually stimulating piece of information from pages and pages of research. That takes real skill, skills that students need to practice often to master.

So to begin, you have to figure out which web-based application you will use to create infographics. There are many available, both free and paid. I'm going to review 3 options for you and your students.

1. Infogram

Infogram is for the expert infographic creator. It allows the user to modify all areas of the infographic, making it customizable to any project or assignment requirements.
Downsides: Because of its incredible customization abilities, it is difficult to use as a novice. There aren't templates like the other infographic creators, but instead, there are basic themes (color schemes) and blank pages for you to add individual pieces of information, text, and graphics.

There, Infogram would be a great resource for a class that could allow for the time needed to teach and entire unit on infographic creation. Students could get extremely creative using this app.

2. Next up: Piktochart

Piktochart was the first infographic maker I ever used. I was teaching an Advanced World Geography class for the first time and decided to make a very visual, map looking syllabus for this class. The result was really eye-catching and the students appreciated the change of pace from the usual "ton of words, too much information" syllabi given to them on the first day of school. Here are a few screenshots of that syllabus. 

                                   

I really enjoyed making this infographic because the free template was perfect, the customization tools were easy to use, and the interface as a whole was clean and uncomplicated. 

Downside: I really think the only downside to this site is that they have less free templates to choose from. 

3. Finally, we have Easel.ly

Easel.ly is also an easily customizable and clean infographic maker. It reminded me of Piktochart, but had a few a more templates to choose from. Again, the templates provide ready-made text boxes and images, allowing you to modify a lot or a little, depending on the purpose of the infographic. 

Verdict: I believe that Piktochart and Easel.ly would be perfect to use in any content classroom or library because they are easy to navigate and include templates to make the work easier and more simple for novice users. 

Taking all of this information into consideration, I used information from the Pew Research Center (see citation in the infographic) to create the following infographic using Piktochart. Piktochart had the perfect template, the best social media icons, and the easiest platform.

Here is a direct link to the presentation mode for this infographic as well.

Social Media Use Over Time

I hope all of this information will help transform your classrooms and libraries through the use of infographics! Please comment on your successes and failures when using infographics in the classroom and the library. We can always use more educated opinions to improve our students' success.

Blogs. blogs, everywhere!

RSS feed readers, blogs, Tumblr....I can barely keep track of my Facebook newsfeed and the latest Librarian to follow on Twitter, much less the billions of beneficial blogs for librarians and educators. 

In this post, I'm going to break down what an RSS feeder is, share the one I've chosen to use, and also share with you a few of the blogs I am currently following. Also, my newly created Tumblr account will be at the bottom of this post if you want to follow my adventures in blog following.

According to zapier.com, an RSS feed reader stands for, "Really Simple Syndication. It's a file that most websites update with their newest blog posts, videos, deals and more, so you can "subscribe" to sites and have new content automatically pushed to you." Basically, if you want to have a place to read all the most recent posts from your favorite blogs, choose an RSS feed reader to put all of the most recent posts in a single feed instead of clicking on a ton of blogs just to read one post on a page. 

I chose to use Feedly as my RSS feed reader because of its simplicity. The layout is clean and the search function is simple to use. This is what my current Feedly looks like at the moment. Each blog that I've followed is listed to the left under a "collection" I've created. This keeps my blogs even more organized by keeping them grouped. So far I have "Library Displays," "Literature," and "School Library." I'm a pretty simple social media junkie: I don't need frills, advanced search features, costly upgrades, or lots of customization. I just need the facts, ma'am. 

Once my Feedly was set up, I went hunting for great blogs to follow. Here are a few that I chose to add to my librarian survival kit:

1. Awful Library Books at http://awfullibrarybooks.net/
This one is perfect for a good laugh or maybe a list of books to weed from your library IMMEDIATELY! 

2. LISNews at http://lisnews.org/
The subheading says, "Scandalous Since 1999," which should be enough to get you reading. If not, just check out the international library news, book recommendations, and how to select new software. 

3. The Absolutely True Adventures of a School Librarian at http://www.nikkidrobertson.com/
Nikki Robertson presented at TLA2017 this year and I've been hooked her ever since. She has a heavy Twitter presence and many of the things she shares there originate on her blog. Her tips for new librarians, empowering your library through social media, and reading focuses are very educational and fun to read. 

4. The Adventures of Library Girl at http://www.librarygirl.net/
A superhero librarian full of wisdom is worth following. She posts about #futureready initiatives, book talks, and creating different things using online tools. Her blog is eye-catching and informational, containing a wide range of library related information.

5. YALSA's blog at http://yalsa.ala.org/blog/
As a (hopefully) future secondary librarian, reading YASLA's posts keeps me in the know bout current YA lit and YA trends. This blog provides programming ideas for STEM-related activities, updates on their programs focus, and articles about YA services. 

I hope this brief review of Feedly and some of the blogs I follow can help get you into the world of educational blogs to expand your network! And as promised, here is my recently created Tumblr for your viewing pleasure. 

https://www.tumblr.com/blog/funkyfreshpages

Newsfeeds and Tweets - Connecting with the Library using Social Media

In 2017, Facebook isn't the social media choice for students. They consider it the social media of their parents time. I don't blame them; I'm almost twice the age of some of my students and I am an avid Facebook user. But when it comes to using both Facebook and Twitter for the library, they are equally important and useful in getting information to everyone, both parents and teachers, as well as students of all ages.

When researching how school libraries use Facebook, the first thing I noticed was the small amount of likes for their pages, versus a number of followers on Twitter. I looked specifically at high school libraries and saw that most used Facebook to advertise library and school events, reminders and requests for students. Bookfairs, summer job opportunities, and reminders to turn in books for the year were all seen on the Facebook feeds. There was actually very little about new books, book reviews, new technology, or reading initiatives. Facebook was used as a billboard for events and not usually for resources or research. Although the Facebook pages I reviewed surprised me by their lack of book and technology news, Facebook is still the best way to get information to parents and older teachers. Facebook is part of their daily life because it was really the first social media outlet for everyone once they dropped their requirement for a college e-mail. Now Facebook is where proud parents post every snapshot of their child and plan high school reunions. It is much more social than Twitter, which allows for more professional collaboration and research to be shared.

Twitter: the social media outlet that connects professionals with research. When browsing the feeds of today's Ed Tech leaders, I noticed a few big things. Number one was that the majority of their feeds were reviews of new technology, practical application of technology in classrooms and beyond, and collaborative posts with YASLA or other library organizations. David Warlick's Twitter feed was more personal in nature and very political, which deterred me immediately. Gwyneth Jones used her Twitter not only to share tech news, but also to show the world what her students are doing in her library. Jim Lerman has an obvious love for collaboration, eBooks, and robots as seen in his tweets. Kathy Schrock is in love with virtual reality and 3D printing. Linda Braun shared articles on plagiarism, coding, and retweeted numerous tweets asking for people to write their politicians about library funding. Twitter is the way to reach students, period. They use Twitter socially, but with the right direction, they can be guided to follow educational Twitters, like ones set up or libraries and schools, to not only stay on top of things coming up, but to also see the successes of their classmates and their school.

To summarize, social media is the way people of all ages connect with the world. As librarians and educators, we must embrace it and use it. From sharing the news of the library to sharing articles about up and coming technology and resources, posting and tweeting are not only a great resource, but a requirement in 2017.