Unit 2
Problem Solving
Data Collection
Data Collection
Journal Entry: What are the steps you use to solve a problem?
Journal Entry: What are the steps you use to solve a problem?
Activity
Activity
Students share their Communications Methods and Data Chart with their elbow partner.
Students share their Communications Methods and Data Chart with their elbow partner.
o This was assigned as homework in Unit 1.
o This was assigned as homework in Unit 1.
o Have a few students share “What data is available?”, “Who has access to the data?”
o Have a few students share “What data is available?”, “Who has access to the data?”
Data Journal Class Discussion
Data Journal Class Discussion
Have students:
Have students:
Compare journals with elbow partners.
Compare journals with elbow partners.
Write down 5 ways that they give off data.
Write down 5 ways that they give off data.
Take time to discuss what these data sources might tell us about ourselves if we “aggregated” or collected these data from lots of people – What good might be done? What services might be improved?
Take time to discuss what these data sources might tell us about ourselves if we “aggregated” or collected these data from lots of people – What good might be done? What services might be improved?
Think about which of these ways can be linked directly back to you. What are possible implications of the data being linked back to you?
Think about which of these ways can be linked directly back to you. What are possible implications of the data being linked back to you?
Have students read this article about aggregate search data—technically, making search data available to researchers would help improve search engines, but it turns out that search history is intensely personal. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/09/technology/09aol.html
Have students read this article about aggregate search data—technically, making search data available to researchers would help improve search engines, but it turns out that search history is intensely personal. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/09/technology/09aol.html
Volunteering data on Facebook and other social networking sites might tell people more about you than you intend. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/technology/17privacy.html
Volunteering data on Facebook and other social networking sites might tell people more about you than you intend. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/technology/17privacy.html
Activity 2: Solving Community Problems
Activity 2: Solving Community Problems
Hartford Community Problem
Hartford Community Problem
Have students work in groups of 3-‐4 to outline how they would
Have students work in groups of 3-‐4 to outline how they would
Approach the problem
Approach the problem
What kind of data they might need to collect
What kind of data they might need to collect
How they would collect and analyze the data
How they would collect and analyze the data
Lead a discussion to get at their thoughts. Highlight the differences between making a case and discovery. How would the choice between these determine the kinds of data you would collect?
Lead a discussion to get at their thoughts. Highlight the differences between making a case and discovery. How would the choice between these determine the kinds of data you would collect?
Making a case (advocacy)—Use data to document situations that contribute to make a positive or negative case for something. (e.g., Let the Metro know about timing of trains and buses; tell the principal about something that needs to be done at the school; tell someone about something you’d like to see continued.
Making a case (advocacy)—Use data to document situations that contribute to make a positive or negative case for something. (e.g., Let the Metro know about timing of trains and buses; tell the principal about something that needs to be done at the school; tell someone about something you’d like to see continued.
Discovery—Collect data to document situations and then use the data to learn something. (e.g., could your food choices be improved?; do I always take an efficient route to activities?)
Discovery—Collect data to document situations and then use the data to learn something. (e.g., could your food choices be improved?; do I always take an efficient route to activities?)
What research questions might you ask in each case?
What research questions might you ask in each case?
• What is your research question?
• What is your research question?
• Why did you choose to collect these data for this question?
• Why did you choose to collect these data for this question?
• What are the limits of this data?
• What are the limits of this data?
• What can you confidently say based on your data?
• What can you confidently say based on your data?
What perspectives are left out based on your data?
What perspectives are left out based on your data?
Journal Entry
Journal Entry
Are these steps the same in all types of problems you solve.
Are these steps the same in all types of problems you solve.
Homework Assignment (will be used for the Unit 2 final project)
Homework Assignment (will be used for the Unit 2 final project)
Every day collect data related to where you go after school—location, means of transportation (walk, bike, etc.), how long it takes to get from one location to the next, any other data that you think would be interesting.
Every day collect data related to where you go after school—location, means of transportation (walk, bike, etc.), how long it takes to get from one location to the next, any other data that you think would be interesting.