Week 8: Dealing with Data

Week 8: Dealing with Data

Data, data, data, what teacher does not enjoy analysing data? To streamline sorting, processing and presenting we learnt some extremely useful tools today. I will briefly outline some of the more important points from today's session.

Previously Manaiakalani used the term 'Agency' to describe the capacity and propensity to take purposeful initiative—the opposite of helplessness. Young people with high levels of agency do not respond passively to their circumstances; they tend to seek meaning and act with purpose to achieve the conditions they desire in their own and others' lives

Agency was changed to empowered- to help those in the community relate to what Manaiakalani were doing (agency had a negative connotations for some). Manaiakalani is not just about using digital tool, more importantly it is about transforming people’s lives- if it is not doing this, then it is not working.

Children in schools today can benefit with a 5+ a day- back and forth 5 times in a sentence- or on a blog. Reading and commenting on other's blogs helps develop conversations and improves oral language.

Need to remember that Manaiakalani pedagogy is not- learn-google-share -rather it is -learn-create-share.

Google Forms

We reviewed using Google Forms to gather information- some important points:

• remember to include email addresses- if you want to know who asked questions in the form or if you want to reply and get back to people.
• Useful when creating form is to use 'duplicate' button- rather + symbol if you are using similar questions (faster to create).
• 'Required'- useful if you want people to answer the question without moving on
• Interesting to learn I can add images or videos- could be used to link to a video and then answer questions on video?
• Limit to 1 response- really useful tool to ensure users are not completing multiple forms
• Useful to embed code and put onto class site
• collection of data is a really useful tool I have been using- however using 'Explore' tool to create graphs from the spreadsheet is a new tool I will experiment.

See more in this slideshow

MAPS

Map sharing- here

Some useful tools on maps worth checking out. Really valuable for use in geography or history lessons. Can mark on maps where students have been, add content on the places and draw links to other locations. Also possible to layer maps for more content.

Google Sheets

Some information already covered- probably the most useful features I have learnt today include:

• Creating averages by command and dragging cells
• Number formatting
• Explore tool in sheets to create graphs (as mentioned)

Blogs

I tidied up the class site- added some student blogs that were not there.

Another great session, very useful tools learnt today to improve work and home life.