Tool Snapshot

Piktochart Overview

The upgraded version of Piktochart provides more than 10 ways of visualizing data from the most basic dot, line, and bar charts to more multifaceted types, such as gauge and donut charts. The upgraded version of Piktochart also allows users to create interactive Piktocharts that can be embedded into websites. When saving in HTML, you will also see a nice hover effect to display the numbers over the chart and will be able to remove the watermark on your final product that comes on the free version.

Piktochart allows multiple representations of information and real-world data. It gives students an alternate way to demonstrate their knowledge, while also showcasing their design skills (e.g., Instead of writing an essay on a topic, Piktochart can be used to design a visual on that topic). Teachers can also use Piktochart to create infographics to provide an alternative way for students to access content knowledge (e.g., other than a lecture or reading from a textbook). Since Piktochart infographics are available online, students can access teacher-designed infographics before class to prepare their thoughts or after class to enrich their learning. Teachers can balance teamwork and individual work based on the students learning profiles.

Privacy

Personally identifiable information is shared with the Piktochart team. It also collects user information related to page views, hours spent, traffic source, browser type, location, and IP address and only shares it with 3rd party analytics tools – Intercom, Kissmetrics, and Google Analytics. https://piktochart.com/piktocharts-privacy-policy/

Accessibility

Font and colors can be customized. Infographics might not be accessible to learners who use screen readers.

Access

Piktochart works on all web browsers (Chrome or Firefox are preferred). Piktochart App for Ipad has essential features (but does not have advanced ones).

Piktochart Overview Video

***View the Piktochart Video Transcript***

Piktochart & the SAMR Model

Dr. Ruben Puentedura’s SAMR model offers a lens for examining how technology is adopted in a classroom. As you strive to incorporate online tools into your classroom, we encourage you to use this model as an analytic tool. Here are some examples of how using Piktochart might fit within the SAMR model:

• Substitution: Students design an infographic on Piktochart rather than drawing on paper.
• Augmentation: Students and teachers can create interactive, multimodal images that incorporate videos, maps, text, links, and graphics.
• Modification: Students can present data in a variety of ways with relative ease and speed.
• Redefinition: Infographics can be displayed locally or shared internationally to extend conversations and discussions globally.

Far too often, technology is used as a direct substitute for other low-tech tools (e.g., pencil and paper). While substitution has some benefits (e.g., students develop their technology skills and knowledge), we encourage you to think about how you might use Google Classroom to modify or redefine learning.

Learning Activities

For Teachers

See Beautiful Ideas for the Classroom You Can Design with Piktochart for several suggested uses, including creating a bedazzled syllabus, teaching skills, making a social media contract, and designing fun classroom posters. 

For Students

Math

This exercise drives home the point that not all forms of visualization are appropriate in any given situation. Can you present a map as a scatter plot? Representational images as a line graph? A pie chart as a diagram? To help students understand that different visualization strategies are appropriate for different data and different situations, you could have them extract data (numbers) from one infographic, and then present that same data in a different form. For example, they could take the numbers from a bar graph and try to present them as a pie chart.

Science

Create digital posters in Sociology class, that would be culturally relevant and reflect the diverse background of students in the class. For example: creating posters of African-American scientists that were innovative and contributed things that we still use today.

Geography

Students use infographics to understand how a place, population, or culture changes over time. Students might create their own maps that offer a “before and after” view of a place, using two or more maps, other documents, or historical photographs.

Government and Civics

Students fact-check and annotate an infographic about government policy or politics. Or, students can use or create infographics to test classmates’ knowledge of historical facts in creative ways like having them identify American presidents and first ladies by hairstyle alone.

Physical Science

Students use existing or original infographics to explain a process to the class. For example, those working with the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan might use “Assessing the Radiation Danger, Near and Far “ and “Hazards of Storing Spent Fuel” to prepare a presentation that incorporates other research and scientific principles as they walk the class through their infographics. Or, use an infographic to illustrate principles of physics. “How Mariano Rivera Dominates Hitters” for example, demonstrates spin, lateral movement, and the pressure exerted on a baseball.

Language Class

For example, in Spanish, students study the food and culture of a Spanish-speaking country. The assignment for them could be to research and then complete a brief report using Piktochart. This format enables students to complete their whole project using one tool. Within the tool, they have many choices regarding how they will enhance their work. Whether it’s choosing between templates or deciding which artistic object to include, these options are all laid out for the student. It’s durable and accessible to anyone at any time,  and can easily be added to a digital portfolio.

Literature

Students use Piktochart to make a timeline of their own reading history. English classes could use Piktochart to diagram a book’s plot or character sketches.

Technology

What are some important trends in technology? Students use infographics to explore topics like Technological evolution, Password security, and Twitter trends, among others, then create infographics on the topics of their choice, based on their own or available research.

Critiquing and Collaborative reasoning

Have students start by just thinking about what they like and dislike about an infographic. Have them study existing infographics from various sources and work together as a class to highlight key patterns that seem to have meaning in the real world. Talk about the difference between an infographic and a poster where information is scattered and unrelated. It would be best if you give them a rubric, criteria, or list of how they would judge the infographic.

Resources

• Use-piktochart-every-classroom
• Infographics-made-easy-with-Piktochart
• Infographics-as-an-assessment.html
• Teaching-with-infographics-a-student-project-model
• Teaching-with-infographics-language-arts-fine-arts-and-entertainment
• Infographics-as-alternatives-to-traditional-writing-assignments-what-why-and-how

Research

Chandler, M. (2016). Piktochart: Basic Designs for Beginning Designers. Lexia: Undergraduate Journal in Writing, Rhetoric & Technical Communication, 4(1), 9.

Leaman, H., DiLucchio, C., & Fisher, M. (2016, March). Use of Piktochart to Enhance Teacher Action Research. In Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (Vol. 2016, No. 1, pp. 2155-2155).