In just a few months, the world will be tuned into the city of London for the 2012 Summer Olympics.  This year marks the very first time in the history of the games that social media will play an integral role. Yep, it’s true!  The official web site of the Olympics is not only connected to Facebook and Twitter, but there is even a special section in which fans can get in touch with the athletes and follow their updates via these networks! I don’t know about you, but I will definitely be following Michael Phelps—who is just three Olympic medals away from breaking the all-time record!

Check out this nifty infographic showing the evolution of Olympic news coverage from print to television to social media.  Don’t forget to use theZoom.it tools embedded below to zero in on the details.

Classroom Connection:

Considering many of our students are social media junkies, use this infographic to generate a discussion about the upcoming Olympic Games as well as the impact Facebook and Twitter will have on them.  This image could also be used to spark a debate about the pros and cons associated with the role social media outlets will play in this year’s event.

Infographics make really neat classroom posters too!  (Use the Block Posters web tool to create your poster.)

Infographic of the Week is a weekly post designed to promote the use of infographics in the classroom.