1. Teaching Data Analysis: Excel and Web Based tools Dr. Sebastian Interlandi Penn Wood High School Lansdowne, PA

2. The Teaching of Data Analysis For science teachers data analysis usually means interpreting student collected lab data Web-published data sets afford a second exciting opportunity for teaching analysis methods

3. Importance of teaching analysis PA Science standards are overwhelmingly based on being able to reason relationships from patterns in nature Applying the scientific method almost always requires the application of analytical thinking to interpret the results of hypothesis testing

4. Our demonstrations We will model one method by deconstructing student lab data and using graphical analysis with MS Excel to interpret the results We will model analysis of web based data by searching, downloading, formatting, manipulating and analyzing data with MS Excel

5. Lab data analysis Steps in the process –Collect data –Modify data –Graph data –Analyze statistics –Interpret data –Report results Our data –Collected for centripetal motion lab –F = mv 2 /r –3 graphs F vs. v 2 v 2 vs r m vs v 2

6. Web data analysis Steps in the process –Search for data –Locate data –Collect data –Format data –Modify data –Graph data –Statistical analysis –Data interpretation –Report results Data sources –NADP Precipitation chemistry –WRCC Snow pack and temperature data –USGS Stream Flow data