Description

 

Piktochart is free to use graphic design software that can create presentation slides or design infographs.  The Freemium service allows users to create and store up to five visuals.  The software comes with a wide range of templates to create infographics, reports, posters and flyers.  Users can upload content or use pictures, backgrounds, graphics and a creative selection of clipart provided by Piktochart.  Text, charts, maps and videos can also be added.  Once created content can be stored online for later edits or downloaded as a .png or .pdf file.  The software is simple to use and can produce a high-quality product.

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Examples and Rationale

 

In class I used Piktochart to create an infographic about digital literacy skills.  Infographs can effectively communication information with little to no words.  Workers hazardous materials information systems (WHMIS) is an example of using graphics instead of words to convey risks associated with chemicals (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety n.d.).  They effectively convey important information and can serve as reminders of previously learned concepts.  The same rationale can be used in classrooms when teachers and students develop and use infographics. 

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Like WHMIS, educators can use infographics to remind students of important safety information.  This is especially important in a classroom laboratory setting.  Pasquale Di Raddo has written numerous articles advocating for the use of comics in science including lab safety instruction (2006).  I believe most of his arguments apply to infographics as well.

A program like Piktochart is simple enough for students to design their own infographics.  Student generating infographics for assessment could be an effective tool in a classroom with differential learning requirements.  It could also be a fun and creative alternative to more traditional written and oral presentations.  By SAMR evaluation Piktochart represents an augmentation level of enhanced function over other free programs that can be used for design like Microsoft Paint or Google  Slides (Puentedura, 2013).

 

Resources

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Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (n.d.) [website] retrieved 2019, November, 16 from https://www.ccohs.ca/teach_tools/chem_hazards/symbols.html

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Di Raddo, P. (2006) Teaching Chemistry Lab Safety through Comics. Journal of chemical education. 83(4), 571-573.

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Puentedura, R (2013, January 7) Technology in Education:  A Brief Introduction [video] retrieved from https://youtu.be/rMazGEAiZ9c