Blog post #4
After shopping between many digital platforms, I decided that the best one for my particular subtopic was Piktochart. My "we can do it" theme follows women of color and the statistics regarding their places in education, the workforce, and in Congress. Because my information is statistically based, Piktochart seemed like the right choice. It allowed me to organize my information into easy to read images. Piktochart was also really fun and easy to use and I was pleased that it didn’t take me hours to figure out how to design my creation.
When it comes to topics such as racism, it is often difficult to separate personal knowledge and specific instances from the big picture. Because of this, conversations often get heated and out of hand. By simply looking at statistics, there is more of an opportunity to learn and it eliminates any room for argument. Statistics also steer conversation in an educational direction as it forces anyone who would like to comment on the information to draw upon actual evidence. Statistics as simple visuals also allow for discussions about the material to be broad. Statistics that are accompanied by commentary text steer the conversation specifically in one direction, but I would like any conversation about this particular topic to be open.
Racism is an important topic to discuss in school as it is talked about everywhere. Because there are so many places to get information today, it is important as teachers to show students where to find accurate information so that they can go out and have informed conversations. Statistics are especially important to this topic as students can learn that there is actual research and facts to back up or to refute information. I can envision a unit that uses Piktochart as a final assessment. Students would learn where to collect accurate information and how to interpret it. Students would then learn how statistical evidence is used as a source of something such as an academic article. Exploring how statistical evidence is used in academic writing will show students how it is important to have evidence to support an argument. Students could then have a discussion on how even with statistical evidence there is a possibility for different arguments to be made about the statistics; that sometimes statistics aren’t the whole picture. Ultimately, the students could then conduct their own mini research on the topic of their choice and create an infographic using Piktochart.
I would definitely use Piktochart in the future as a part of my lesson plans. I would also seriously consider having students complete this same activity and presenting it in class. This would ensure that they complete research as well as put it together in a meaningful way. Piktochart as a whole is a great way to introduce or to sum up information. While Piktochart doesn’t replace analysis, it’s helpful in that it strips away all else and leaves nothing but highlighted details. Many times students can get lost in long informational readings, but Piktochart offers a way to differentiate for students who are just learning or who struggle to pick out the important details.
Hi Ally, I really liked your thoughts on, and use of, Piktochart. I used it for another class and also felt that it was a great visual platform to organize and present information in a way that is easy to understand. Using it as an assessment would be a nice idea as well. It is very easy to use, and I think students would find it engaging and would help them to determine "highlights" or central ideas of a topic.
ReplyDeleteHi Ally, I liked your post and what you had to say about the project. I'm happy that you enjoyed working with Piktochart, and happy that you will most likely use that medium again in the future!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your choice of Piktochart as a useful platform for presenting statistics. Statistics written out or listed can be quite dull and may discourage students from caring about what they are trying to say. I also appreciate your idea of potentially using Piktochart as an assessment tool. I love non-conventional/traditional assessments and having students conduct their own research and present it in a visually-pleasing way sounds like something that could get students engaged and excited. Much better than having them study for a paper exam! I'm sure it would help with retention as well. One suggestion I have is to use caution with statistics. They don't always paint the whole picture and can be biased if not explained or accompanied by another statistic. For example, one of your charts says Asians make up just 11% of 25-29 year olds with a bachelor's degree. This is actually a good thing because less than 8% of 25-29 year olds in the U.S. are Asian! Statistics make for great discussion topics.
ReplyDeleteHi Ally,
ReplyDeleteI thought your decision to use the Piktochart was a great choice as many others said. It's not over-challenging, but allows for you to display your information in an organized and nice way. I also agree that statistics make for great discussion topics, but as Elaina said they need to be explained, which I'm sure is something you would do in the actual lesson. Overall, I love the theme of your project and how you presented it. I love Rosie Riveter and I think you chose a very important topic to talk about. I love the positivity right off the bat of "We Can Do It". Overall, very nicely done!
Hi Ally!
ReplyDeleteI've never used Piktochart, but I'm sure I'm going to use it sometime in the future. I'm glad you experimented with all the possible platforms and chose one that fit your project the most. You organized everything so neatly, and as Jules mentioned, the platform helps students see/find the main idea! Great job :)