Inquiry Worthy Data

I like data; I like to play with it, arrange it, puzzle out the outliers. Data is fun. BUT students don't, en mass, share my sense of data-as-play. I appreciate that the data is out there, and I do use population statistics with my APES students. The Population Reference Bureau and their World Population Data Sheet are great resources. I generally have students design their won questions and generate their own messy (yes!) data whenever possible. If they don't make the inquiry their own, and find meaning in it, it doesn't matter how cool the data is. They work better when they feel that their work has value and makes a difference. (Okay, they are human.) I do appreciate those sites that appreciate 'citizen scientists' and allow participants to input into a wider database. The Roadkill data project that allows students to input data is something I could use; thanks PLN for finding it!

Canada has many more projects that elicit student/citizen input. I was made aware of the U.S. bias against this; it was just sad to see projects that my students would find worthy all being Canadian (go Canada!)

Can I just whine that the time it takes to make a good powerpoint never seems worth it? {I don't want to be a teacher who presents all material via powerpoints.} I am interested in the projects ahead...finding good graphics (even with my new web powers) takes too long.

Comments

  1. CherriJuly 17, 2009 at 2:30 PM

    I noticed that data sharing seems to be one area where I actually could find more ways for my students to be involved. Most other web resources we've looked at are "too American" for me to use. I thought that maybe I was just not looking carefully, but if you noticed the same thing, perhaps our perceptions are accurate.

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  2. berrendsciJuly 17, 2009 at 7:22 PM

    Cherri, I got some info as I worked on an Earthwatch team in Nova Scotia this fall; the researchers are in part studying the quality of 'citizen observers' data. (One of their observations is that teachers 'don't listen'). Both Canada and the UK have a tradition of using such data. The researchers told me that U.S. researchers won't trust it's quality...such a shame.

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