Data Tools for Critical Thinking

INTC 3610

What is data?

• Data comes in two basic forms:– Numerical – numbers– Textual – words

• Data comes from many sources• Let’s brainstorm a few…– First open a program called

Inspiration– Now let’s name sources

Where do we get data?

• Sources include:– Existing statistical sites online• Real time data sites

– Repositories of events like encyclopedias and books

– Our own experiments– Surveys and questionnaires – All around us in all kinds of forms• Text• Visuals

Tools for Managing Data

• What is difference between your memory and a computer when it comes to managing data?

• How many e-mail contacts can you recall from your address book?• If you read long speech, how long does it take you to

determine the key themes?• If you take notes from a lecture, how do you determine

the most important information?

Tools for numbers• Spreadsheet programs like Microsoft Excel– Keep track of numerical data– Allows you to sort or filter data– Allows you create formulas to answer questions– Allows you to display and communicate data visually

through charts and graphs– Also has a way to grab real-time data (search Google

for “Real time data sites”)• Online programs such as Many-Eyes let you visually

represent numerical data in powerful ways• Google Maps and Google Earth can utilize data for

modeling many types of data

Tools for text

• Inspiration and Kidspiration let you link text– Draws out connections– Visually shows the important data– Add images to enhance understanding

• Many-Eyes and Wordle are online tools to help express text data visually for analysis

• Wikis are also a way to capture text data in the form of an encyclopedic form

Tools for both text and numbers

• Sometimes you want to capture both types of data

• In that case it really requires you to use a database program like Microsoft Access– One caveat is that database programs sometimes

have steep learning curves to do right– Tool Factory has a program for kids that is much

easier but costs more – Could also use a wiki in a similar manner, but hard

to extract the numerical data for further analysis

Your Assignment

• Develop a lesson/activity relevant to your discipline, topic, and grade level that involves data analysis using one of the tools.

• May want to tie it in with your Web Quest– Have students take data collected via the Web

Quest and analyze it in support of their task(s)