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Using Internet
Datasets
Mathematics and science teachers frequently seek sources
of data sets for classroom use. Data sets offer students
experiences with reading tabular information, evaluating
the validity of the source of the data, statistically analyzing
data, and drawing implications about the context of the data.
In addition, the real-life sources of these data sets are
generally more interesting to students than are sets of numbers
in textbook appendices. Teachers seeking data sets on the
World Wide Web initially encounter a gold mine of potentially
useful items. As in the mining process, teachers may discover
a number of barriers to easy access.
The first one is the time required to access the data.
Teachers must plan ahead to allow students sufficient access
time, or arrange to download the data while the class is
engaged in another activity.
An additional potential hurdle occurs when some sites
require particular software tools to extract the data.
Normally, this specialized application tool is available
for downloading at the site. However, students may encounter
difficulties and become frustrated while trying to access
these data sets. Therefore, teachers should be prepared
to assist with the application program.
Finally, some data sets are readily accessible,
but upon examination appear as a meaningless string of
numbers.
Users will need to find an accompanying document (often
with a similar file name and the suffix .DOC) that describes
the meaning of the numbers. Often the data appears to be
similar to a spreadsheet, with coded entries. Once students
are made aware of these codes, they can readily interpret
these data sets. |
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The
data are found in the document titled Population
at Risk and Death Rates for an Unusual Episode in
[titanic.dat]. The data consist of four long columns
of the digits 0 through 3.
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For
example
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1
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1 |
1 |
1 |
| 1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| 2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| 3 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
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Important information about the context of the data
and the creation of the dataset is found in [titanic.doc].
This includes the size and source of the set, a descriptive
abstract and the "story behind the data",
a description of the variables by columns and values,
notes on instructional uses of the dataset, a source
for additional contextual information, and how to contact
the person who submitted the set to the archive. This
type of information is provided for each set of data
in this archive. Because of their standardized teacher-friendly
format, this site is an excellent place for teachers
to begin their use of Internet accessible data sets.
The best news is that almost every major organization,
from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) to the National Association for Stock Car Auto
Racing (NASCAR) has data at its Web site. Students
will be able to find a data set on a topic they will
find interesting.
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* Adapted with permission from Henry, M. A. (1998,
April). Data Sets. Missouri Science News Notes, 4 (10),
pp. 10-11.
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