Exploration of a Scatter Plot Visualization

Learn how to explore and interpret a visualization organized around scatter plots.

Powered by Tableau

Your first look at this visualization shows a lot of data in three different frames. Use these following prompts to guide you through the basics.

• What three variables appear to contribute to obesity?
• Note the labels on the axes. What units of measurement were used to construct these graphs?
  
• What information becomes available to you when you land on a bubble of data in any frame?
• Not all of the x-axes start at zero. How does this influence your interpretation of the data when comparing the effects of the three variables?
  

Isolate the data by region of the US (see color code). Examine each of the four regions, focusing this time on the effect of eating limited vegetables and fruit.

• What differences, if any, can you find between the different regions with regard to the effect of eating limited vegetables and fruit?
• What differences in eating habits might you expect in the four regions of the US?
  

Continue to examine each of the remaining variables by region.

• Are there any regions in which one of the variables is not as highly correlated with a high level of obesity?
• How can you tell?
  
• Make a general summarizing statement regarding the contributions of each of the three factors for each region.

Trend lines have been superimposed on the scatter plots. Examine the trendlines in each of the three frames for any given region.

• Which variables have slopes that appear to differ from the others?
• Which variable show the greatest variability between the four regions in its contribution to obesity? (You may want to look at all 4 regions at once to view the trendlines simultaneously.)
• How can you find the "slope" of the trendline?
  
• Which trendline has the lowest slope? What is it?
• What explanations do you have for this lower slope?
• What does the "y-intercept" of each trendline tell you?
  

Examine your own state by selecting the state from the drop-down menu. Now the visualization gets more personal! Find your county by floating around with your mouse. This will take some hunt and peck processing!

Once you find your county, click on it to highlight it in all three frames.

• How does your county's location compare to the trendline for all the counties in your state for each of the three variables?
• Which county shows the highest rate of obesity? the highest rate of smokers? the highest rate of NOT eating veggies and fruits?
• Using the context of what you know about your state, what reasons can you give for the life-habits of the populations of these less healthy counties?
  

Create a table of data for your county compared to any other of interest by shift clicking on the counties you want to examine in more detail.

• How does your county compare to the county with the highest rate of smokers?
• How does your county compare to the county with the lowest rate of smokers?

Expand your table by shift clicking on up to 10 total counties within your state. Highlight the top of the obesity column. Now the icons at the bottom of the viz become accessable.

• Sort your counties by obesity. Which variables have the highest percentages?
• Sort your counties by smokers. What happens to the rankings of obesities?

Go back to the top, leaving all of your counties still selected, and select "all" states.

• Examine your selected counties compared to the national display.
• How do you compare to the "big picture" in the cluster of points? compared to the trendlines?
• What are your conclusions about the level of obesity in different regions of the nation?
• Export your data and print the table and images (see bottom icons) of your selected counties as evidence of your exploration and attach to your responses to these questions.
  

February 4, 2010

What have I learned?

I certainly had to scramble and dig into the depths of history to find out how to get back onto this site in order to respond to the reflective process we use. I have learned about an add-on to help with the math testing within Office, although I have not yet downloaded the plug-in. I have also learned that much of what we did today with GapMinder I had already tried as a motivational and exploratory tool with my lowest math students back in October after a re-exposure to it.

I am anticipating learning how to "mine" data through the tableau download we will work with tomorrow.

I appreciated the "tell the story" approach to engage thinking skills in students.

What do I still have questions about?

I am most curious how to proceed with the process of selecting data in Excel format, with headings on the columns and visualizing the format.

What can I apply in my classroom?

I can definitely work on the more "inspirational" approaches to exploring data, encouraging kids to ask more questions of data. I shared GapMinder with students last fall as an exploratory activity, but now they are ready to proceed on their own. I will be able to have them tell stories with what they find and adapt the process to their level.

BTW, I have introduced Prezi to my students who have very successfully used the free, downloadable version to make presentations in class. Apparently no one else in the building has used it yet, and the students are quite pleased with their first attempts.

1) What did you learn today?

I am amazed at the resources/ potential of the math resources offered today, especially the Geogebra and GapMinder resources. The applet potential has great options - it will replace Sudoku for those moments when I need to entertain the brain, but still be mindless! I see potential for ALL my classes, plus others on staff, especially the GapMinder!!! Logger Pro I used years ago with now-defunct machines, so I plan on upgrading it. I definitely will explore the SciDAVis program as well.

2)What questions do you still have with regard to content, technology, and pedagogy?

My only current concern is staying connected, which was not tended to well this past year (by me, not others!). I look forward to having one location where all the resources from this projet will be available. Yay, Keri!

3) How can you apply this to classroom practice? All four of these programs will be put to use - more to follow!

1) What did you learn today?

TONS!!!! I am thrilled at the progress I have made in analyzing data with Fathom and at knowing enough of how to make it work so that I can explore extensions. My confidence level in being able to use it with my students, even with one input is much better. I also am tickled with being able to connect directly to Fathom instead of having to go through the TI first for data collection.

2)What questions do you still have with regard to content, technology, and pedagogy?

I still need to work out some bugs with specific ways to maneuver around on the calculator and in Fathom, but I need to practice.

Also, can we get more info on how to "download" YouTube presentations so that they can be accessed and included in a presentation.

3) How can you apply this to classroom practice?

The sonic ranger will be of huge use in physics, as I have not had a real life way to model these motion graphs before. But it would also improve the reason for graphing in my basic algebra classes. The Fathom skills will vastly improve data analysis, letting students EXPLORE, leading to questions and "how else can I look at the data?" Models provided today on data collection gave great prompts to use and give ideas for lessons.

1) What did you learn today?

I learned much better how to use Fathom to analyze data, thanks to Marc and Angie's assistance. Using filters, models, linear regressions, and "photoing" the images for use elsewhere made the whole process far more useful.

While I did not personally do the work involved in uploading to Voicethread, I can see its potential. Our group worked well together in the data collection, I had no idea that the Brewster park existed, and I wish that we could have gotten to less of a backwater area of the Columbia.

I also learned how easy it was to use the flow meter and dissolved oxygen probes.

2)What questions do you still have with regard to content, technology, and pedagogy?

I am not yet clear as to how to use Voicethread, as I did not get the hands-on experience with it, but will explore it further.

3) How can you apply this to classroom practice?

I will be able to get students to use Fathom to carry out better data analysis, as students are very willing to collect data but far less willing to process it. Many more connections jump off the page with the various options within Fathom and I can better "fathom" how to introduce it.

I can also see the Voicethread has some awesome possibilities for instruction if I have to be gone, to help with those who missed a critical lesson AND to have students provide their presentations and participate in each others. Frequently students don't meet deadlines (ABSENT!!!) or miss what others present due to absences. This technology would eliminate those excuses and allow us to go to a deeper level of involvement ----once I figure out how to actually use the Voicethread site.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

1) What did you learn today?

I learned how to use and calibrate a variety of probes and feel more comfortable using the TI as a data collection device. I also feel as if I can transfer data from the TI to the computer, even on a Mac.

2)What questions do you still have with regard to content, technology, and pedagogy?

None. The content is all too familiar, the technology is not difficult but needs practice, which will be difficult if there is not ample opportunity to actually use it in the classroom. I appreciate learning how to build various probes and would like students to do this as well. Limited pedagogy was developed today.

3) How can you apply this to classroom practice?

If I had the probes and TIs, I could readily design or have students design investigations that would collect interesting and relevant data. Access to the equipment is a possible issue.

Thursday - blog 4 Microsoft ?'s

(1) How do you currently use technology in the classroom, if at all? If so, what technologies? How many students have access to PCs at home?

I currently have an iMac with connections to a document camera and a projector, and a reasonable selection of software on the computer, as a staff computer. I also have about 10 older PC computers I had been awarded through a TLP grant back in 2001! They are wireless, and I have a networked printer to my computer. However, we don't have a networked (or otherwise)printer connected to the lab computers. In time I hope to have probeware hooked to those PCs.

As for student access, we have a computer lab with 24 stations - a mix of PCs and Macs. There are several other sites in the building that have Macs of PCs that are specific teacher's rooms but are accessable on occasion. Home access MAY be about 90% - it is hard to say. I certianly have many students who have amazing access, and there are others who claim that they can't do assignments that require the computer b/c they don't have access. My real concern at this point is the district policies regarding access. We currently have a filter called BESS that is used to block out much of the Web 2.0 activities. If this is as extensive as I think it may be, the new activities I have in mind may have to be homework from outside the building. I also would have to design my sites etc. away from the building as my access is just as limited as the students. Our system is built on Macs AND PCs, where every computer stands alone, rather than stations that feed back to a logged in access.

(2) Is your school leadership supportive of your individual use of technology in teaching and learning?

The principal is VERY tech minded and quite savy himself and therefore appears to be very supportive. My only concern is about access, which has been diminishing over time.

(3) Where did you get information about ICT in the classroom or about technology (before this PD, of course!)?

Most of my recent access has been through the Web itself as I explore. I use the Web constantly as a teaching resource for information, but not for new tools. I have not had much formal PD on technology since 2000, other than some exposure last summer through another grant. I am now far more equipped to find information and tools to assist me.

(4) Would you be interested in connecting online with other teachers from around the state/region/world with similar interests?

Absolutely!