Objective: 

Students will collect data on their peers' technology use for school work and entertainment. They will manually create scatter plots to investigate patterns in the data, analyzing associations between the two quantities and determining trends such as positive or negative correlation, clustering, and outliers.

Materials Needed:

• Survey forms

• Graph paper

• Rulers and pencils

• Chart paper for group work

Steps:

• Introduction: 

  • Begin by discussing how people use technology in their daily lives for various purposes, including education and entertainment. 

  • Ask students, “How do you think time spent on technology for school compares to entertainment?” 

  • Explain that students will collect and analyze data to discover patterns of association between these two uses.

• Group Activity: 

  • Students will survey their peers, asking how much time they spend on technology for school and entertainment in a typical day. 

  • After collecting data, they will plot the information on scatter plots, manually drawing points that compare the two variables.

• Analyzing and Interpreting: 

  • Once the scatter plots are complete, students will analyze their graphs for trends, noting any positive or negative correlations, clusters, and outliers. 

  • They will write a brief explanation of the patterns they observed and how these patterns represent associations in the data.

• Presentation and Discussion: 

  • Each group will present their scatter plot, sharing insights about the associations they discovered between technology use for school and entertainment. 

  • Lead a class discussion on how analyzing data visually helps identify trends and relationships.

Equity and Access: 

Provide templates of scatter plots for students who may need additional support and pair students with diverse abilities to encourage collaboration and peer learning.

Real-World Application: 

Connect the activity to real-world scenarios, such as how companies analyze user data to understand patterns of technology use and create more effective tools for education and entertainment.

CS Practice(s):

• Recognizing and Defining Computational Problems: Students break down the problem of analyzing technology use by collecting and organizing data into scatter plots.

• Communicating About Computing: Students share and explain their findings about the associations between school and entertainment technology use.

Standard(s):

• CA CCSS Mathematics 8.SP.1

• CA CS 6-8.DA.8

Objective: 

Students will use Google Sheets or another spreadsheet software to input and categorize survey data about technology use, grouped by different age ranges. They will create two-way tables and visualize relationships by calculating relative frequencies to compare the time spent on school work versus entertainment between age groups.

Materials Needed:

• Tablets or computers 

• Pre-made spreadsheet template for two-way tables

Steps:

• Introduction: 

  • Ask students, “Do you think older students spend more time on entertainment or schoolwork compared to younger students?” 

  • Explain that students will use computational tools (survey collection tools such as Google forms and spreadsheet software) to collect and analyze data based on age groups and discover any potential patterns in how students of different ages use technology.

• Group Activity: 

  • In pairs or small groups, students will input survey data into a spreadsheet. 

  • They will categorize the data by different age groups (e.g., 10-12, 13-14) and then use the spreadsheet to create two-way tables. 

  • Encourage students to calculate relative frequencies to identify patterns in how each age group allocates time between school and entertainment.

• Creating and Visualizing: 

  • Once the data is inputted, students will use the spreadsheet’s graphing features to create bar charts or pie charts to visually display their findings.

  • Encourage them to analyze whether certain age groups show a preference for school work or entertainment and if the data shows a clear trend.

• Testing and Refining: 

  • After creating their visualizations, students will review their tables and graphs for accuracy and clarity. 

  • They can make adjustments to the data or the visual representation to ensure their findings are easily understood by their peers.

• Presentation and Discussion: 

  • Each group will present their two-way tables and visualizations to the class, explaining the patterns they found between age groups and technology use. 

  • Lead a discussion about how using computational tools helped them break down and analyze the data to find meaningful relationships.

Equity and Access: 

Provide pre-made templates with sample data for students who may need additional support. Pair students with varying experience in using spreadsheets to ensure collaboration and shared learning.

Real-World Application: 

Discuss how companies, educators, and researchers use similar methods to analyze user behavior based on demographics, helping them tailor products or programs to meet the needs of different age groups.

CS Practice(s):

• Creating Computational Artifacts: Students create digital two-way tables and visualizations using Google Sheets to model patterns of technology use.

• Recognizing and Defining Computational Problems: Students define how technology use varies by age group and solve the problem using relative frequencies and visual graphs.

Standard(s):

• CA CCSS Mathematics 8.SP.1

• CA CCSS Mathematics 8.SP.4

• CA CS 6-8.DA.8