Explain this
InspireData
How the publisher describes it:
“Investigate, analyze, and represent data and information in dynamic graphs and charts. InspireData tools make it easy to change variables and plot types so students can explore data in multiple, meaningful ways. ”
Review by Andrew Roberts
In brief:
Anyone who is used to any of the standard software on computers should have no difficulty in getting started and getting to the mathematics very quickly.
“There are other packages which have more enlightening displays”
My first reaction on using InspireData is that it is very easy to use. Anyone who is used to any of the standard software on computers should have no difficulty in getting started and getting to the mathematics very quickly. The buttons are well placed and if anything needs changing on a diagram you simply click on it and get the options that are available to you. Despite this simplicity there is still a large range of options available and only a few clicks away from any screen.
The program comes with a lot of data ready for use, so if you want to get started on analysing some data then you can easily find a set of data to work with, particularly if you have a look at the lesson plans for the topic that you are interested in. The data that is provided covers a wide range of situations and potential uses. On the other hand, if you want to use your own data then there is no difficulty in typing it into the program directly or cutting and pasting it from another package.
The movement of the points as you change how the data is displayed is very smooth and useful for showing how the different displays relate to each other. It is also useful to have the summary of the data relating to a point appear if you hover over it for a while. It is also nice to have the choice between small pictures relevant to the data being studied and simple points more relevant to the way the charts need to be drawn eventually. One problem that I had with Venn diagrams, however, was that some categories had more than one value entered for the data I was using. After changing the definitions for the areas on the screen a few times I found that I had many points doubled up, sometimes in the same area, thus confusing the diagram.
InspireData is definitely a good tool for looking at various representations of data and gaining some understanding of what they tell us, particularly with younger students. On the later work there are other packages which have more enlightening displays to illustrate the ideas behind the methods being used.
Andrew Roberts • Director of Operations, Abbey College, Cambridge
InspireData
TAG Learning
KS2 to KS4
£70.00
