Learning ConnectionsChampions Conference

January 25 , 2008York University

TinkerPlots and SmartBoards

Sharman HowesNumeracy FacilitatorLearning Connections

Data has the capacity to reveal strength and weaknesses, failure and success.

(Schmoker 1999, p.39)

Tracking Primary Students

What is TinkerPlots ?

• Dynamic statistical software

• Developed for students Gr 4 – 8

• Referred to in Ontario Math curriculum

• Allows students to use data to investigate and hypothesize

Features of TinkerPlots Software

• Movies

• Help files

• Exploring Data Starters

• Data and Demos

TinkerPlots

Sources of Data

• Included in the software

• Entered manually

• Imported from other files such as Excel or internet site (EQAO)

Data can be acquired from:

• EQAO/ IIR

• Report cards

• SIS

• Manually entered

• Any spreadsheet file

At The School level

• A student’s Data Card, that is analogous to a baseball card, showing standard grades like win-loss records, but also a variety of significant, specific indicators, interventions and results. (Wiggins, in Schmoker 1999, p.87

Grade 1 – 3 Results for Alphakids Feb

What can we celebrate?

Alphakids Oct

Alphakids June

Useful for Teachers

• Teachers use of TinkerPlots, to build data walls and to help pose and answer questions about the data, would model student learning about data analysis.

Sources of data

• Census at School

• Statscan

• Swivel.com

• Gapminder.com

• Notebook lessons

SMARTBoard

An Interactive Whiteboard

SMART Board Tutorials

• SMART Board

• Powerpoint

• Notebook Software

Many support sites exist

• SMARTBoard Templates

• www.pdtogo.com