IHE News & Announcements August 2010
- Humane Educator's Toolbox: Making Data Meaningful with Infographics
- Mark Your Calendar for the Raising a Humane Child Twitter Party
- Featured Changemaker: Sophia Erlsten
HUMANE EDUCATOR'S TOOLBOX: MAKING DATA MEANINGFUL WITH INFOGRAPHICS
by Marsha Rakestraw, Online Communities & Special Projects Manager
Percentages, statistics, data. I can read that broccoli travels an average of 1,800 miles from farm to table, or I can get a general sense that, say, the things we're most likely to die from are not those most often reported, or those the public most fixates on. But, as the old adage about a picture being worth a thousand words emphasizes, numbers, vague patterns and complex data are much more meaningful when put into a graphic context.
A new trend in visually representing data and information is sweeping cyberspace to help present complex information more clearly and succinctly. They’re no replacement for getting accurate, complete information, but infographics (and other similar animated visual tools) can be a great resource for sparking discussion and critical thinking for a variety of global issues. Here is a just a sampling of resources to consider for your own humane education work:
GOOD has a whole slew of infographics on a variety of topics. They create a new one almost every week now, and have started sponsoring contests for GOOD readers to create infographics that illustrate relevant global topics. A great resource.
Information is Beautiful, which is British-based, also offers great visual representations for a plethora of topics, from the eco-footprint of dogs to the number of deaths by certain drugs versus which drugs are most frequently reported on.
The Infographics Showcase collects data visualizations from other sources & makes them available. Since it’s an aggregator of infographics from numerous sources, this site tends to be a bit hit and miss in its usefulness to humane educators, but it’s still worth a look.
Visual Economics deals primarily with financial data and offers some interesting graphical resources, from food consumption in America (like 42 pounds of corn syrup) to how the average American uses energy.
AnimalVisuals is designed specifically to promote awareness about farmed animal issues. From the Farm Rescue game on Facebook to the animated “Rate of Slaughter” graphic, these tools serve as great resources for exploring animal exploitation.
And, if you don’t find useful visuals from these sources, you can always try a keyword search with your favorite search engine for infographics about your topic of interest.
As a bonus, you can encourage your students to create their own infographics for whatever issues and topics you’re exploring.
Image courtesy of AnimalVisuals.org.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THE RAISING A HUMANE CHILD TWITTER PARTY
IHE's President, Zoe Weil, and Director of Educational Programs, Mary Pat Champeau, will be facilitating a Twitter Party, hosted by Holistic Moms Network, on Tuesday, September 14 at 7:00 pm PDT/10:00 pm EDT. The party discussion will focus on the topic of Raising Humane Children. Be sure to flit onto your Twitter account on 9/14/10 and follow the hashtag #holisticmoms. Get your questions answered and share your tips and insights for helping nurture healthy, happy, conscientious children.
FEATURED CHANGEMAKER: SOPHIA ERLSTEN
"I was fighting off tears because I realized that I had found my calling as part of a movement for educational, cultural and social change."
Sophia's passion for the natural world drew her to environmental clubs in school, but she despaired of finding her career calling, until she discovered humane education and IHE. Now an M.Ed. graduate of IHE's program, Sophia runs humane education centers at community festivals in Florida and offers her own humane education workshops and presentations. Read more about Sophia.
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July 14, 2012 - 8:30 am to July 14, 2012 - 5:00 pm | Location: Institute for Humane Education
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