Info Design for Teachers

Enhance Classroom Technology With Information Design

Classrooms are full of hardware and software, yet teachers continue to ask how any of it makes them better teachers. Obviously, a computer does not make someone a better teacher. However, incorporating information design pedagogy into professional development programs may help teachers use technology in the classroom more effectively.

After a teacher learns basic information design principles, they can start focusing on creating documents and presentations that provide useful information. Instead of feeling pressured to use technology, teachers will feel free to select the technology tools that will help them meet the needs of their project. In addition, teachers that study information design will produce materials that reflect a more professional image.

Teachers are Information Designers

By most definitions, teachers are information designers. In her textbook, The Practical Guide to Information Design, author Ronnie Lipton defines information design as “the study and practice of bringing clarity and comprehensibility to visual materials that are meant to direct, teach, explain, or otherwise inform.”

Teachers practice information design when they create a worksheet, upload a web page, send an email, or  a prepare PowerPoint slide. Using information design principles helps make documents easier to understand and, therefore, more useful.