Apps for Infographics

For this post I reviewed three different graphics applications that allow users to create infographics. For each of three sites I looked at usability and features provided with the free version of the app.

Piktochart

Piktochart was the first one I tried and, I’m just going to say it now, it was my favorite of the three.  I would rate this app high for usability.  This was my first time to use it and even without being able to access the tutorial, I was able to figure it out without too much difficulty. The dashboard was laid out well and marked with recognizable icons.  All of the buttons for saving, sharing, and previewing were well marked and in plain sight.  No searching necessary.  As far as features go, this application offers a wide variety of features with the free version but there is an upgrade option for those who want to pay a monthly fee.  This app allows users to create a variety of products such as flyers, posters, infographics, reports, and presentations.  I like the fact that a person could create a series of different products with the same theme.  For example, a librarian who wanted to promote a summer reading program might want to create flyers, posters, presentations, etc. using the same theme.  I feel that this adds a more professional quality to the promotion materials. The tools were easy to use.  I created a bar chart for my infographic and found that this app made it very easy. This app provides a lot of different options for text frames and icons, some are generic while others are specific to holidays, sports, and hobbies.  There are many templates for new users to choose from but for those who want to create from scratch, there are many possibilities for fun, innovative creations.  I did have some trouble manipulating my design to match the one I had pictured in my mind, however, with practice it gets easier.

Easel.ly

Easel.ly was the second infographic app I tried and it took a little longer for me to figure it out.  I found the opening screen to be a little confusing because I could not see the dashboard until I actually started a project.  Also, I found the “public visuals” to be confusing.  Are these templates that can be modified?  I wasn’t sure so I started a project from scratch.  Once I got into the project it became easier but I wasn’t able to change the font size or color without asking for help.  The help button is easy to find and I did find an answer to my question without actually having to contact tech support.  This app also has a lot of product options but not as many choices for backgrounds, templates, icons, or text frames.  They advertise the paid version heavily and it offers a lot more options.  I might like this app better if I were paying for the upgraded version.  I will say that I embedded a YouTube video in the infographic I made with this app and it was so easy.  I did not use the charts, graphs, or maps with this app so I am not sure how easy they are to use.

Infogram

Infogram was the last app I tried out and I like it better than Easel.ly but not as much as Piktochart.  The dashboard was easy to see and use without needing a tutorial to figure it out.  The help, save, share, and preview buttons were clearly labeled and easy to see.  This app also allows for multiple products but has a really impressive range of icons, including the ability to customize an icon.  There are many pictures, text frames, backgrounds, templates, etc. but one of the options that I found to be really fun is the stickers.  They are animated and very cute.  Another thing that I liked is this app allows the creator to check for accessibility and viewer experience.  I did not see those options in either of the other apps I reviewed.  As with Easel.ly, the free version of this app is limited but they don’t seem to advertise the upgraded versions as much.  I was not as happy with the infographic I created with this app and eventually just stopped before finishing it. I will try this app again, though.

Please check out my infographic made with Piktochart below.

References

(May 2013). Parents, Children, Libraries, and Reading. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2013/05/01/parents-children-libraries-and-reading/

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Facebook

In my review of school library Facebook pages, it appears that the primary audience for this social media platform is largely made up of parents and teachers.  Though not as popular with teens currently, there are still benefits for school libraries in maintaining a presence on Facebook.  One of the main benefits I see is that of keeping parents informed about what is going on in the library.  It is great place to post reminders about book fairs, visiting authors, or special library events such as Read Across America.  It is also a great place to post information about reading lists, book reviews, and your reading promotion programs.  Links to helpful resources, volunteer information, and, of course, lots of pictures are some other things that would be helpful in promoting the library.

Twitter

I have had a Twitter account for several years now, and though I am still merely a “follower” not a “tweeter”, I love the feeling of community that Twitter provides.  It reminds me of the feeling I get in church when a number of people say “Amen” to a thought-provoking comment made by the minister.  There is a comfort in knowing that others, who I do not know, share a similar way of thinking.  That is not say we all think alike but rather that we share a common goal.  The people I follow on Twitter are, for the most part, all connected to education in one way or another.  They are teachers, authors, speakers, activists, publishers, etc. and I love their willingness to share their thoughts, knowledge, and expertise in the hopes of making education better for all.  For me, there are two big disadvantages to Twitter.  First, I am often overwhelmed by the number of tweets I receive.  I want to read everything but can’t because there are not enough hours in the day for me to read everything, not matter how short, and still get my work done.  The second is that I lose track of time.  It is easy to pass several hours without even realizing it just clicking and reading and watching. 

I have found Twitter to be a valuable resource for learning about current trends in education, new books that are being published, new technologies, and ideas.  

Here are some recent tweets that I have found useful.

K-12 Educator's Guide to Podcasting https://t.co/dUUlZscX3b pic.twitter.com/7uvVkESwuQ

— Jim Lerman (@jimlerman) May 24, 2020

Top 30 Tools for Digital Storytelling | Tech & Learning https://t.co/Gy2W0coXgn pic.twitter.com/5tZPNBIdV9

— Jim Lerman (@jimlerman) June 5, 2020

Instagram

I have had my Instagram for a number of years but up until now have only used it for creative inspiration for hobbies such as gardening and home décor.  For this assignment, I started looking at and following some teachers and librarians in hopes of finding great ideas for teaching and learning.  To be honest, most of what I found was related to displays and art projects.  I did not find a lot of information about how teachers are incorporating Instagram into the curriculum.  I found the article “10 Surprising Ways to Use Instagram in the Classroom” by Hannah Hudson more helpful than just searching Instagram itself.  I think one way that Instagram could be used to create a positive school environment is to have an account where students and teachers can post pictures of uplifting quotes, brag on work well done, or pictures of thought-provoking books they have read, really anything that promotes a positive vibe and creates a sense of community.  When I was teaching, at the beginning of each year, I always asked students to write a journal entry about what they did over the summer.  I think this activity could modified as a visual journal entry where students post pictures of what they did over the summer with brief captions in lieu of writing in a journal and drawing a picture.  I also think Instagram could be used by high school art students as a place to collect photos of things they find inspiring, such as interesting color palettes or patterns or things in nature.

References:

Hudson, Hannah. (2016). 10 surprising ways to use Instagram in the classroom. We Are Teachers.Com.

               https://www.weareteachers.com/10-surprising-ways-to-use-instagram-in-the-classroom-2/

Schrock, Kathy. (2020). June 2020: Summer passion projects for students. Discovery Education

               https://blog.discoveryeducation.com/blog/2020/05/18/passionprojects/

My RSS Feed Reader Choice and Selected Blogs to Follow

I must admit that although I am familiar with the term “feed reader” and its function, I have not used one until now.  But as I begin the transition from “library science student” to practicing school librarian,  it becomes clear that I need a systematic way of organizing information in hopes of managing the plethora of information sources that are necessary to remain current in the field.  To help me decide which feed reader to choose, I read Vicky Volvovski’s blog post “The 10 Best Free RSS Reader Apps” posted on September 21, 2018.  Her article reviews ten free feed readers that are web apps, use the traditional chronological order of content, allow access to full-text when available without additional charge, and are easy to use.  I chose Feedly as my feed reader for its simplicity and ease of use.  It seemed like the best choice for someone new to feed readers.  Plus, my husband, who keeps up with all things technical, uses Feedly to manage his feeds.  I like the clean, uncluttered appearance of Feedly.  On the left-hand side I can arrange all of my websites by topic allowing me to keep personal and professional websites in one place, yet separate from each other.  In the center, my feeds for today show up in a single line that can be scrolled through quickly and if I want to explore other sources, I can click the “explore” tab and see a list of websites.  I also have the option of marking articles that I want to read later.  There is an option to create collections of articles to a board but I have not explored this option yet.  It seems like a great way to keep up with articles that I might want to reread or share with others. 

Once I decided on Feedly as my choice of feed reader, I had to try it out.  Here are five of the library blogs I am following:

1.      Not So Distant Future by Carolyn Foote
https://futura.edublogs.org/

This blog is all about technology in schools and 21 century teaching and learning.  Ms. Foote reviews technology, promotes advocacy and leadership, maker spaces, future ready libraries, just to name a few.  I chose to follow her blog because she a Texas librarian who has won numerous awards, authored books, presented at conferences, and served on ALA committees.  Her blog seems to be the perfect example of what a current library blog should be.

2.      Librarian by Day by Bobbi Newman
https://librarianbyday.net/

Bobbi Newman, quite literally, covers all things librarian in her blog.  I chose to follow her because of her extensive experience and work with the ALA.  She is an author, international speaker, and has served on numerous ALA committees.  I like that she has categorized all of the topics she has covered on the right-hand side of the page so that newcomers like me can quickly find articles to read.

3.      Abby the Librarian by Abby Johnson
http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/

This blog is geared for the elementary school librarian with a focus on mentoring new librarians.  Abby offers picture book reviews, activity ideas, information about digital learning, etc.  New subscribers can search her blog for various past topics or use the past archive links, and she has a list of what she is reading right now.  She has been blogging for well over a decade and is still posting. She was a contributor to the ALSC blog for several years and has served on numerous committees. 

4.      American Libraries Magazine ALA
https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/

This is the ALA magazine and I chose to follow it because it is THE source of information for library professionals.  It contains articles about growing trends, best practices, advocacy, conferences, and current news. 

5.      Super Library Marketing: All kinds of marketing ideas for all kinds of libraries by Angela Hursh
https://superlibrarymarketing.com/librarymarketingshow/

This video blog is all about marketing the library.  While this site is not school library specific, I chose it because marketing is an important part of the school librarian’s job and I am hoping to get some good ideas here.  Subscribers are able to post questions that may be selected as a topic for one of the video blog posts.

References

Volvovski, Vicky. (2018) The 10 best free RSS reader apps. https://zapier.com/blog/best-rss-feed-reader-apps/