The information presented in this article is in itself presented in a trendy web fashion: the infographic. Although the audience is not specifically defined, I would argue that this infographic is not directed towards Ed-Tech professionals, learning technologists, or venturers. Anyone in these fields already has what brief knowledge is outlined in this document and would require deeper engagement. This infographic has been developed for the people who are removed from the educational-technology sphere, those who genuinely wonder, “So what is educational technology, anyways?” This may include the broader community of educators not necessarily tuned in to technology, administration, parents, or mature students.
The article is pleasing to the eye and easy to navigate, with information presented as generic quips and sweeping generalizations that are not specifically cited and often that fail to present the entire story. For one brief example, we learn that a MOOC from Stanford had 160,000 participants register from 190 countries. There is no mention of a completion rate, but it’s from Stanford so it must be good, right? Other information contradicts itself, as is the case under the topic of Free Education Resources, “Online Accredited Courses” has subtext reading may be subscription based (read: not free), although this caveat is not noted for the more general “Online Courses” and “DIY Degrees.”
This infographic could be dangerous for educational technology professionals as the information is so basic and brief that it could be misinterpreted by higher administration, department heads, or any other higher-level stakeholder. For example, the infographic culminates with a few predictions such as schools realizing they can “save big bucks by allowing students to use their personal devices in the classroom,” or “…ditch [traditional] textbooks in favour of less expensive e-books, which may attract more readers.” These two assertions, again not specifically cited, could put the proverbial bee in a bonnet of an stakeholder wishing to invest in (and therefore save money by) utilizing these trends. If this were to happen it could result in a massive headache for the ET department to straighten out.
Mon Dieu. I spent entirely too long trying to get Flickr to play nice with WordPress!
Great review! Your description of some of the issues with infographics is very well done. We often will see information in infographics which will “shock and amaze”, but we will often not see the rest of the information (like your great example of the Stanford MOOC.) Consumers should bring a certain amount of critical thinking to the viewing of an infographic as it is merely a snapshot of a specific subject.
Great job!
Good points. Infographics can also amplify the hype cycle associated with certain technologies or strategies. By their very nature they are set to “attract mode.”
The danger is as you point out, that the information may not be complete, and might even be purposefully misleading by leaving out key information.
I like how you re-worded the negativity I felt towards this infographic in such an engaging and refined way. I think my major complaint about this review is the staff writers have taken an article meant to be published in 2011 and put a glossy finish on it. When something reaches 100% saturation, part of their social media statistics, I feel it ceases to count as a trend. Perhaps this could function to pull disconnected people into a closer look at educational technology but likely to become an orange and blue blur.
Hi Nicola – a nice summary (of what I thought was a “nice” article, visually at least). I find it interesting that you point out that the infographic can be problematic for ed-tech professionals not from what they might or might not interpret from the article, but from what the larger stakeholder group might or might not interpret. They may think that the infographic is an executive summary, of sorts.
I agree with your mention of the two misleading assertions regarding adoption of eBooks*, and the use of personal devices in the classroom. Based on the Gartner review, these trends may actual cause more problems for an institution than they solve.
(*And, it still does cost money for the eBooks to be created. It drives me nuts when people think the cost of printing a physical book is the reason textbooks cost so much money!)
Hi Sarah,
I agree that the article was visually pleasing, and as @Momoe mentioned on his critique of the article, sometimes brief and to the point “is all we really want.” I agree with that sentiment but the content behind the visuals was the meat behind my critique. Also, I recall a conversation on eBook development craziness you and I had last spring in ETEC520 and it all came to mind when seeing this article!