I do believe representing data with statistics and enhancing it with a visual is much more meaningful and speaks to multiple modalities.
I look forward to combining this unit with Microsoft Excel. I would like to have students explore the various ways to represent data with the charts, graphs, trendlines and the statistical analysis tools that are available in Excel.
Iām looking forward to seeing which representations of data my students are most comfortable and familiar with as well as having them understand the value/significance of different representations of data. I also intend to guide students in coupling various representations of data together to tell a fuller story with student-generated data.
Iām excited about extending this lesson by showing the ted video. Iād like to do it as a flipped lesson so they can watch it at home and then take a mini-online quiz afterwards. I think the video is excellent. Iād also like to show a map of Napoleonās conquest that is considered to be the most data-filled graphic ever made. Iād like to have the students compare this old map with one of the computer-generated graphics from the video.
(map/graphic link: http://tinyurl.com/nwc5nnb)
As a science teacher, I wonder how much information my students can draw out of a set of data and how much is valid. Good data gathered with responsible means can lead to valid conclusions, but junk data can be frustrating and lead to false conclusions. Data can be manipulated into graphics that do not show the true meaning or overemphasize a small piece of the true picture. I think the only way to to tell a true story is to gather data from multiple resources and compare them.
I am looking forward to watching the interaction during the class activity. I enjoyed this activity during our PD. It was a surprise to find out what the other groups where doing. In the end we had a great class discussion about data, and how it is organized and represented. Iām hopeful that the same kinds of discussions will happen with students !
The part of this lesson I look forward to with my students is having them experience seeing the same data presented in multiple forms and how that impacts their interpretation of that data and the conclusions that they make based on their interpretation. Hopefully this will be eye opening to them.
I would like to present students with a Readiness activity to prepare their minds for the Video āThe beauty of Data Visualizationā - David McCandless. I would briefly show, elaborate and discuss items such as:
āThe Beauty of Data Visualizationā
Visualize data (information) Data represented in graphs, charts,
shapes, objects, images.
Gain knowledge through data (information)
pictures and visuals
Learn and understand better by SEEING
information rather than HEARING or READING it.
David McCandless
turns complex data sets, like worldwide military spending, media
buzz, and Facebook status updates, into beautiful, simple diagrams
that tease out unseen patterns and connections. Good design, he
suggests, is the best way to navigate information glut ā and it may
just change the way we see the world.
He stores data in Google docs Spreadsheet
Let a data set change your mind set.
Through data visualization you
get an enormous amount of information compressed into a small space
Information.
Design Information design solves problems
I am looking forward to my students to doing an extended project and producing their own visual data. Of course the data would have to be things that relate to them and/or impact the school environment, perhaps they could even show it off to admin!!
The TED video is so eye opening. I am not sure if I would open with the video or the activity, I am still thinking that through. I am really looking forward to my students reaction to both. I may use the āCommunication Methods and Data Chartā or have the students develop their own scenarios. An extension of the lesson that could also be interesting is for students to considering businesses or products that could arise from knowing such data.
I think the part of this lesson that I look forward to most is helping students to exploring how data can be collected on ordinary events, and then processing that data to reach conclusions they might never have thought of. This lesson has so much potential that itās easy to see several ways to deliver the content with rigor and relevance. I think the greatest take away that I will probably emphasize is that with data, you can shape outcomes and therefore have a measure of control.
I look forward to students making the connection I made at the PD between data and visualization. I would like to give them an opportunity to choose a topic they are interested in to further explore this concept.
This will help my students understand what can be gained by looking at multiple data sets and making a visualization of the data.
This lesson lends itself to so many interdisciplinary fields ā as the math teacher, we will be able to discuss topics such as data collection and bias, useful representations, drawing conclusions, and then the whole social impact and ārealnessā to the data that theyāre seeing. Creating visuals that are aesthetically pleasing as well as telling a meaningful story have critical implications for all aspects of their lives and the media they are exposed to every day.
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this is a good example to introduce students to the formation of databases. We can identify the objects and assign to each a category. Using this method, students can classify which objects in the room are oriented to education, which to entertainment, etc.
I think the big takeaway is that students will better understand the data they are providing/leaving behind on a daily basis.
When we did the room activity it was huge for me, and how we show data and how we perceive data, and the assumptions we make with out the whole (real pic). Iām curious if the kids will be similar to how us adults were thinking during our PD. Iām hoping they will understand the importance of data, but also make them question if in data the whole picture is represented correctly. Informed consumers. During our PD someone showed a picture of fire hydrants and parking violations, and how with that data they helped the city re-stripe the parking around/near the hydrant. Does anyone know where that example came from or a link to that?
I think I will have students create their own wordle after they have listed the items in the picture. The students with lists will also create their own wordle. The wordles of the picture and lsit group will be compared in class discussion. Discussion questions should center around data extraction and how the extraction process determines the data. Note missing from the list but present in the picture is āone pre-adult occupantā.
I am looking forward to discussing the advantages of both representations. Their responses should give me a glimpse into the type of learners I will have in my class.
I will do exactly how we did it in class. The important take-away for my students is to understand that there are different ways of representing data and they should choose the best way to get a clearer picture of reality based from these.