In a world where anyone with an internet connection can access, create and share information, opinions and beliefs, it has become increasingly important that students are not only able to assess the credibility of sources but also to look more deeply at the underlying motivations, beliefs and bias of the creator. Thinking Critically through Digital Media enables teachers to use authentic materials and digital tools combined with motivating communicative tasks to develop students’ abilities to function as critical and well informed digital citizens. The book contains a wide range of tasks, activities and 10 complete lesson/project plans that teachers can use to help students understand visually presented information, how and why the information was collected, research and check the validity of the sources on which the information was based and think about and share how the materials relate to their own lives.

This ebook was designed with English language teachers in mind but should have some value for any teacher who is interested in developing their students’ digital literacy and critical thinking skills. The book contains a wide range of suggested activities for both the creation and exploitation of infographics in the classroom. It also helps teachers with tips and advice on how to plan and create infographics and suggestions for which tools to use to produce different types of infographic. Exploiting Infographics follows on from 10 Lessons in Digital Literacy, which is a collection of lesson plans based around infographics, and looks in more depth at the genre and how infographics can be used as both sources of information and as creative learning tasks for students. The tasks that accompany the infographics are intended to encourage students to think more critically about the information they are exposed to and to question the sources of information they find whilst browsing the internet. Exploiting Infographics should help teachers to start creating their own tasks activities and lesson plans for students and to integrate infographics in a way that will enhance students’ critical thinking, digital literacy, language and communication skills.

This lesson is based on an infographic about magnets. The infographics contains a range of facts and statistics as well as some information about magnets and how they are used. In the lesson students will find out about the different uses of magnets and why they are so important. The plan also includes a number of research tasks that develop students’ abilities to create and carry out online research, create online questionnaires and share their research by creating infographics, presentations and reports. The files include a complete step by step lesson plan with printable worksheet and a presentation.

This lesson is based on an infographic about magnets. The infographics contains a range of facts and statistics as well as some information about magnets and how they are used. In the lesson students will find out about the different uses of magnets and why they are so important. The plan also includes a number of research tasks that develop students’ abilities to create and carry out online research, create online questionnaires and share their research by creating infographics, presentations and reports. The files include a complete step by step lesson plan with printable worksheet and a presentation.

In the lesson students will find out about the different things people usually have for breakfast in different countries and they will develop an awareness of the importance of having a good breakfast. Aims: To develop students’ abilities to think critically and form informed opinions. To develop students’ abilities to understand statistical information. To develop students’ abilities to check the credibility of online information. To develop students’ abilities to carry out and create online research and to represent their findings visually. To develop students’ abilities to extract information from research and create informative text based on their findings.

In the lesson students will find out about the different things people usually have for breakfast in different countries and they will develop an awareness of the importance of having a good breakfast. Aims: To develop students’ abilities to think critically and form informed opinions. To develop students’ abilities to understand statistical information. To develop students’ abilities to check the credibility of online information. To develop students’ abilities to carry out and create online research and to represent their findings visually. To develop students’ abilities to extract information from research and create informative text based on their findings.

This e-booklet contains a collection of ten lesson plans to help you develop students' digital literacies and critical thinking skills. Based around authentic infographics the lessons start by using discussion to help students access what they already know about the topics and then move on to comprehension and a range of tasks that help students to explore the validity and authenticity of the information they find. They finish with structured research and presentation tasks that encourage students to work collaboratively and share what they have learned. The aims of the lessons are to: -: develop student's digital literacies -: help them to think more critically about online information -: develop their ability discuss and develop ideas around information and understand how it applies to their own lives. The lessons progress through a range of tasks that engage student’s interest, encourage them to: -: interact and share what they know -: develop their abilities to extract information from text and graphics -: view information critically -: check the credibility and validity of information -: develop online research skills -: use web based tools to create surveys and data visualisations The lessons cover a range of topics including: -: Advertising and how it influences us -: Body language and how to understand it -: Introverts and extroverts and how they differ -: Emotional intelligence and how it impacts on our relationships -: Facts about hair -: Happiness and what effects it -: Developing study skills -: The environment and waste caused by clothes manufacturing -: Daily habits of the world's wealthiest people -: The history of marriage and weddings Each lesson includes: -: A step by step teachers guide with advice and answer key -: Worksheets to print for students

This e-booklet contains a collection of ten lesson plans to help you develop students' digital literacies and critical thinking skills. Based around authentic infographics the lessons start by using discussion to help students access what they already know about the topics and then move on to comprehension and a range of tasks that help students to explore the validity and authenticity of the information they find. They finish with structured research and presentation tasks that encourage students to work collaboratively and share what they have learned. The lessons progress through a range of tasks that engage student’s interest, encourage them to: -: interact and share what they know -: develop their abilities to extract information from text and graphics -: view information critically -: check the credibility and validity of information -: develop online research skills -: use web based tools to create surveys and data visualisations The lessons cover a range of topics including: -: Advertising and how it influences us -: Body language and how to understand it -: Introverts and extroverts and how they differ -: Emotional intelligence and how it impacts on our relationships -: Facts about hair -: Happiness and what effects it -: Developing study skills -: The environment and waste caused by clothes manufacturing -: Daily habits of the world's wealthiest people -: The history of marriage and weddings Each lesson includes: -: A step by step teachers guide with advice and answer key -: Worksheets to print for students

This lesson plan is based on an infographic that reports on a survey into advertising, people’s attitudes to it and how it influences them. Aims: To develop students’ abilities to think critically and form informed opinions. To develop students’ abilities to study and research effectively using digital tools. To develop students’ abilities to read and understand visual information. To develop students’ abilities to check the credibility of online information. To develop students’ abilities to carry out online research and to represent their findings visually. To develop students’ abilities to extract information from research and create informative text based on their findings. The materials in this plan can be used in different ways. The first four tasks can be used independently as a simple reading and discussion lesson. The final four tasks can be used selectively to develop various digital skills. This lesson contains eight tasks: A discussion task that gets students thinking about advertisements and how they influence their behavior. A reading task that develops students’ abilities to scan text for specific information A reading task that develops students’ abilities to check and confirm information. A discussion task that gives students the opportunity to reflect on the information and apply it to their own lives. A social research task that gets students to create an online questionnaire to find out about people’s attitudes to advertising. A research task that gets students to check the accuracy of information .A research task that gets students to research the advertising techniques used by various companies. A writing task that gives students the opportunity to consolidate their learning in the form of a blog article.

This lesson plan is based on an infographic that reports on a survey into advertising, people’s attitudes to it and how it influences them. Aims: To develop students’ abilities to think critically and form informed opinions. To develop students’ abilities to study and research effectively using digital tools. To develop students’ abilities to read and understand visual information. To develop students’ abilities to check the credibility of online information. To develop students’ abilities to carry out online research and to represent their findings visually. To develop students’ abilities to extract information from research and create informative text based on their findings. The materials in this plan can be used in different ways. The first four tasks can be used independently as a simple reading and discussion lesson. The final four tasks can be used selectively to develop various digital skills. This lesson contains eight tasks: A discussion task that gets students thinking about advertisements and how they influence their behavior. A reading task that develops students’ abilities to scan text for specific information A reading task that develops students’ abilities to check and confirm information. A discussion task that gives students the opportunity to reflect on the information and apply it to their own lives. A social research task that gets students to create an online questionnaire to find out about people’s attitudes to advertising. A research task that gets students to check the accuracy of information .A research task that gets students to research the advertising techniques used by various companies. A writing task that gives students the opportunity to consolidate their learning in the form of a blog article.

TED Ed is a great tool for creating online lessons around videos. It enables you to structure a sequence of interactive activities around the video clip that guides the viewer towards a deeper understanding of the content. It’s an ideal tool for building blended learning. In this document you can find: -: a step by step guide showing how to use it -: a video tutorial that shows you how to make the activities -: some suggestions and ideas for using it in the classroom or as part of an online course.

This lesson is based on an infographic about the importance of emotional intelligence (EI) and its role in our lives. In the lesson students will explore the differences between IQ and EI and develop an understanding of how they can improve their EI and how doing this can benefit them. Aims: To develop students’ understanding of EI and its importance. To develop students’ abilities to study and research effectively using digital tools. To develop students’ abilities to read and understand visual information. To develop students’ abilities to check the credibility of online information. To develop students’ abilities to carry out online research and to represent their findings visually. To develop students’ abilities to extract information from research and create informative text based on their findings. The lesson files include: Step by step lesson plan and answer key Presentation Photocopiable worksheets

This lesson is based on an infographic about the characteristics of introverts and extroverts and how these factors effect the kinds of work they choose to do. In the lesson students will explore their views of what makes someone an introvert or extrovert. They will study an infographic which links the characteristics of each to different types of jobs and reflect on how the information applies to their own lives. The plan includes a number of research tasks that develop students’ abilities to create and carry out online research and create online questionnaires. There is also a reporting tasks which help student to develop the ability to analyze, synergize and share information as written text. The files include a complete step by step lesson plan with printable worksheet and a presentation.

This lesson is based on an infographic about the characteristics of introverts and extroverts and how these factors effect the kinds of work they choose to do. In the lesson students will explore their views of what makes someone an introvert or extrovert. They will study an infographic which links the characteristics of each to different types of jobs and reflect on how the information applies to their own lives. The plan includes a number of research tasks that develop students’ abilities to create and carry out online research and create online questionnaires. There is also a reporting tasks which help student to develop the ability to analyze, synergize and share information as written text. The files include a complete step by step lesson plan with printable worksheet and a presentation.

This lesson is based on an infographic about happiness and the factors that effect our happiness.In the lesson students will explore their views of what makes them happy and discover some of the science behind what happiness is and the factors that create and effect it. Aims: To develop students’ abilities to study and research effectively using digital tools. To develop students’ abilities to read and understand visual information. To develop students’ abilities to check the credibility of online information. To develop students’ abilities to carry out online research and to represent their findings visually. To develop students’ abilities to extract information from research and create informative text based on their findings. The materials in this plan can be used in different ways. The first four tasks can be used independently as a simple reading and discussion lesson. The final five tasks can be used selectively depending on the aims of your lesson. This lesson contains nine tasks: A discussion task which gets students thinking around the topic. A reading task which develops students’ abilities to check information. A reading task which encourages students to look more carefully at the information. A discussion task which gives students the opportunity to formulate a personal response to the information they have studied. A research task which gets students to check and explore the authenticity of sources. A research task which gets students to check the validity of the information in the infographic. A research task which gets students to find out more about Maslow and the hierarchy of needs. A social research task which gets students to create an online questionnaire to research happiness. A writing task which gives students the opportunity to consolidate their learning in the form of a magazine article.

This lesson is based on an infographic about happiness and the factors that effect our happiness.In the lesson students will explore their views of what makes them happy and discover some of the science behind what happiness is and the factors that create and effect it. Aims: To develop students’ abilities to study and research effectively using digital tools. To develop students’ abilities to read and understand visual information. To develop students’ abilities to check the credibility of online information. To develop students’ abilities to carry out online research and to represent their findings visually. To develop students’ abilities to extract information from research and create informative text based on their findings. The materials in this plan can be used in different ways. The first four tasks can be used independently as a simple reading and discussion lesson. The final five tasks can be used selectively depending on the aims of your lesson. This lesson contains nine tasks: A discussion task which gets students thinking around the topic. A reading task which develops students’ abilities to check information. A reading task which encourages students to look more carefully at the information. A discussion task which gives students the opportunity to formulate a personal response to the information they have studied. A research task which gets students to check and explore the authenticity of sources. A research task which gets students to check the validity of the information in the infographic. A research task which gets students to find out more about Maslow and the hierarchy of needs. A social research task which gets students to create an online questionnaire to research happiness. A writing task which gives students the opportunity to consolidate their learning in the form of a magazine article.

In this lesson students will learn about some of the factors that influence successful study. They will evaluate their existing study skills in the light of information from an infographic and do some online research into effective study techniques. Aims: To develop students’ abilities to study and research effectively using digital tools. To develop students’ abilities to read and understand visual information. To develop students’ abilities to check the credibility of online information. To develop students’ abilities to carry out online research and to represent their findings visually. To develop students’ abilities to extract information from research and create informative text based on their findings. The materials in this plan can be used in different ways. The first four tasks can be used independently as a simple reading and discussion class. The last three tasks are research tasks. These tasks are likely to take longer and could be set as homework, independent study tasks or as projects and followed up in the classroom. The research tasks will all require internet access. This lesson contains seven tasks: -: A discussion task which gets students thinking around the topic. -: A reading task which develops students’ abilities to scan text for specific information. -: A reading task which encourages students to summarize key points from text. -: A discussion task which gives students the opportunity to formulate a personal response to the information they have studied. -: A research task which guides students through the process of researching and corroborating the credibility of online information. -: An online research task which guides students through the process of creating research and disseminating the results. -: A writing task which helps students to summarize what they have learned.

In the lesson students will learn some amazing facts about hair and the historical significance it has had in different cultures around the world. They will also learn to challenge and question the accuracy of information they find online. This lesson contains seven tasks: A discussion task which gets students thinking around the topic. A reading task which develops students’ abilities to use text to check information. A reading task which encourages students to develop deeper comprehension. A discussion task which gives students the opportunity to formulate a personal response to the information they have studied. An online research task which guides students through the process of researching and corroborating the credibility of online information. An online research task which guides students through the process of creating research and disseminating the results. A research task which develops students’ abilities to use social media to carry out research. The materials in this plan can be used in different ways. The first four tasks can be used independently as a simple reading and discussion class. The last three tasks are research tasks. These are the tasks that push students to develop their digital literacies most. It’s not necessary to use all the tasks. These tasks are likely to take longer and could be set as homework, independent study tasks or as projects and followed up in the classroom. The research tasks will all require internet access.

In this lesson students will find out about body language and its impact on communications. They will have the opportunity to try to use body language and they will carry out online research to find out how well people consciously understand body language. The materials in this plan can be used in different ways. The first three tasks of the plan can be used independently as a simple reading and discussion class. The last two research tasks can be used independently as follow up tasks or you could use both. These tasks are likely to take longer and could be set as homework, independent study tasks or as projects. Both of these tasks will require internet access. This lesson contains five tasks: -: A discussion task which encourages students to think about their existing understanding of body language. -: A reading task which develops students' abilities to understand visual information. -: A discussion task which gives students the opportunity to formulate a personal response to the information they have studied. -: An online research task which guides students through the process of researching and corroborating the credibility of online information. -: An online research task which guides students through the process of creating research and disseminating the results. The input for the lesson is based around an infographic on body language.

In this lesson students will explore their attitudes to buying clothes and find out about the costs and environmental impact of producing clothes. They will do this by studying an infographic about the USAgain clothes recycling project, discussing the content and implications of the graphic and researching some of the background to the problem. The materials in this plan can be used in different ways. The first four tasks of the plan can be used independently as a simple reading and discussion class. The last three research tasks can be used individually as follow up tasks or you could use all three. These tasks are likely to take longer and could be set as homework or independent study tasks. This lesson contains seven tasks: A pre reading task which encourages students to think about their existing clothes buying habits and attitudes. A reading task which develops students abilities to scan text for specific information. A quiz creation task which encourages students to ask questions about a text. A post reading task which gives students the opportunity to formulate a personal response to the information they have studied. A social media research task in which students create a digital questionnaire to research the opinions of their peers. A writing task that develops students abilities to extract information from infographics and use it to create a persuasive text. An online research task which guides students through the process of researching an environmental problem.