Blog

Searching for Extreme Weather

Screenshot of CODAP with graph and table of Pittsburgh weather data

In the WeatherX project, a collaboration involving EDC, Mount Washington Observatory, the University of Washington, and the Concord Consortium, we engage middle school students with weather data and weather science. We concentrate on extreme weather, of which there is plenty on Mount Washington. But, of course, every part of the world experiences extreme weather at […]

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Announcing Two Tinker Fellows for 2022

2022 Tinker Fellows

The theme for this year’s Robert F. Tinker Fellows Program, which aims to promote innovation, creativity, and cross-disciplinary conversations, focuses on inclusion, equity, and access in STEM education. We are delighted to announce two Tinker Fellows in 2022. Heather Barker will create data exploration activities for students from middle grades through introductory statistics college courses […]

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10 Publications in 2021 Focus on Innovations in STEM Teaching and Learning

We published nine articles in researcher and teacher practitioner journals and one book chapter in 2021 that showcase innovations in STEM teaching and learning through technology. Learn how to design curricular materials that leverage digital tools for system modeling (#2), how to ensure powerful data learning experiences for all learners (#6), how to operationalize and […]

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Oregon teachers test local streams. There are lots more to test!

Woman demonstrating water test by the river

Over 100,00 miles of rivers and streams crisscross the state of Oregon, and it boasts more federally designated Wild and Scenic segments of river than anywhere else in the country. Water practically outlines the state with the Pacific Ocean on the west, the Columbia River defining much of the northern boundary with Washington, and the […]

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New Project Designed to Boost STEM Data Science Teaching and Learning

CODAP

With data all around us — from personal data about our sleep patterns, playlists, and purchases to scientific data about climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic — teachers and their students need to be able to navigate numbers and become fluent with data. Data fluency includes understanding the sources of data, structuring data for analysis, […]

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CODAP videos help teachers and students with NGSS practice of Analyzing and Interpreting Data

Screenshot of Messy Data video

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) describe eight science and engineering practices with the goal of having students engage in authentic science practices. Although many teachers are committed to three-dimensional NGSS teaching, doing so remotely during a pandemic was challenging, especially with 20, 30, or more students on Zoom, and without access to labs. At […]

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New project explores COVID-inspired data science education through epidemiology

Close up of Case of COVID Crisis book cover

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is providing an unprecedented amount of health and social science data, and serves as a compelling starting point to engage in data science activities. A new project funded by the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program at the National Science Foundation is designed to empower young people to […]

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12 Publications in 2020 Inform the Field

Physics co-teachers at whiteboard

This year we published a dozen articles in researcher and teacher practitioner journals that showcase the state of the field in STEM educational technology in 2020. Learn what students with low and high spatial skills notice in computer visualizations of plate tectonics (#2), how students can experience authentic messy data exploration of meaningful questions (#10), […]

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Explore NOAA weather data in CODAP

Screenshot of CODAP comparing Boston, MA, and Concord, MA, weather data

We experience weather every day. And it’s often the easiest icebreaker to start a conversation—“What’s the weather like in your neck of the woods?”—since weather is, well, everywhere! We know a lot about weather, too, thanks to datasets collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NOAA database includes data from thousands of […]

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