I-USE at the GA Conference

We will be at the Geographical Association Conference in Manchester next week.

We are doing a workshop on Friday the 10th of April from 4.30 - 5.20

We'll be sharing news about the project, and the teacher-training course that is taking place later in the year...

New look for FAOSTAT database

Earlier today, I was researching some sources of data for a document that will make it onto the I-USE website. This will explore some of the best apps for use in statistical lessons.

The FAO website has been updated, and the previous version is being phased out...

There are some useful statistics here on Food Security, for example, which are well worth exploring...

iPad and smartphone apps for Statistics

We are preparing a list of apps which are useful for teaching about Statistics.
This might involve finding statistics such as development data, graphing data, visualising it, or in some way making use of data....
Please tell us about the ones that you use in the Google Form below. 
All contributions gratefully received...

I-USE Teacher training Pilot course

Two images taken during our pilot teacher training course which is taking place at the University of the Aegean this week.
Iain Palôt is presenting in the top image.

Press release on our GitHub announcement

I-USE Toolbox Newsletter

Pilot Teacher Training Course underway

We're now underway with our Pilot training course at the University of Aegean on the Isle of Lesvos.
Thanks to all the participants for your energy and enthusiasm.

I-Use pilot teacher training course http://t.co/LZL2M2NUwr pic.twitter.com/VRTjbFo7aW
— I-Use (@StatsinEdu) September 10, 2014

I-USE code now on Github

The I_USE website has a series of tools, and one in particular is ground-breaking.
It offers users the chance to create their own maps by entering data into a simple interface on the site. This produces an interactive map which has more flexibility than any previous tool.
Global maps can be produced in seconds to show data that has been collected by users, or obtained from other sources.

We have now placed the code for these tools on the GITHUB site, which is a repository of code that can be used by developers. The relevant page where the code has been placed is HERE.

This is very rare for a project with our EU funding, and is done in the spirit of collaboration, and to also bridge the gap between education and technology.

We're excited to see what developers might do with the code, and blur the distinction between education and cutting edge technology. It's very rare for projects with the EU LLP funding that we have to share code openly in this way. Another example of I_USE exploring new avenues...

You can give the tool a go on our developers page here which is a version of the page on the full I-USE website.

Thanks to our wonderful colleagues Alex Kotsev and Veselin Vasilev for their work on the coding and documentation.

Moodle Courses under construction

As preparations continue for the meeting and sample courses in Greece in September, the first of the courses that we are going to be running for the I-USE project are now taking shape.

We have a group of teachers who are going to be trialling the course in the 2nd week of September at the University of the Aegean  in Mytiline on the island of Lesvos.

There will be a series of activities covering several subjects and time for the participants to reflect on the process of involvement. Feedback will appear here during the meeting.

I-USE article in GA Magazine

The I-USE project has featured in the Geographical Association's Magazine which is sent out to around 6000 members worldwide.
The article describes the project, with a link through to the website.

Project Meeting and Workshop at the GA Conference

Our I-USE Workshop took place on Wednesday morning.

We'd like to thank the people who came along and tried out the toolkit and had a chance to see the work done so far.

More to come in the next few blog posts...

Image: Alan Parkinson

Project Meeting 4 - some aspects of the TOOLBOX

The first day of the GA Conference was a sunny day. After breakfast in the hotel, we walked through Guildford to the University and our meeting room.

One of the outcomes of the meeting was the Workshop which was delivered at the GA Conference on the Wednesday of conference. We spent time finalising this, and also taking a look at some of the tools that were produced as part of the website.

Head to the website and click on TOOLS.
Click on CHART YOUR INPUT

This tool allows users to create a map from their own data, with remarkable ease and speed. Once entered, data will be visualised in a number of formats, added to a map if location data is available, and made available to download as a CSV file for use in other tools and applications.

There is a simple format that is required for the data entry.

Enter years in the following format e.g. ,2012,2013,2014 would plot the years 2012-2014

Note the use of a comma at the start of the line

On the following lines, enter the data header, followed by the data itself, separated by commas

e.g.

France,56,67,43

Germany,78,84,43

Click SUBMIT to see the data as a table, then choose from the options at the top to create graphs or maps, and download the data.

Try it now.

A User Guide for this process will be available shortly.

Also a reminder of the FACEBOOK group, which has over 70 members, and which you are free to join to keep up with the action. Why not join now.
Also follow our Twitter feed: @StatsinEdu

Statistics in Geography in the UK

Out workshop at the GA Conference for the I-USE project was aimed at developing teachers' ability in statistical literacy through the use of the I-USE website.

Statistics were in many geographers's minds last week, when the new GCSE Subject Content guidance for Geography was released. This included a range of new guidance on fieldwork in Geography.

Appendix: Use of mathematics and statistics in geography 

The list below outlines the range and extent of mathematical and statistical techniques considered appropriate to geography GCSE. The following should all be covered in any specification.

Examples in bold are to aid understanding and suggest range, and these are not compulsory. 

Cartographic skills 
 use and understand gradient, contour and spot height on OS maps and other isoline maps (e.g. weather charts, ocean bathymetric charts) 
 interpret cross sections and transects
 use and understand coordinates, scale and distance
 describe and interpret geo-spatial data presented in a GIS framework (e.g. analysis of flood hazard using the interactive maps on the Environment Agency website)

Graphical skills 
 select and construct appropriate graphs and charts to present data, using appropriate scales and including bar charts, pie charts, pictograms, line charts, histograms with equal class intervals
 interpret and extract information from different types of graphs and charts including any of the above and others relevant to the topic (e.g. triangular graphs, radial graphs, wind rose diagrams, proportional symbols) 
 interpret population pyramids, choropleth maps and flow-line maps

Numerical skills 
 demonstrate an understanding of number, area and scale and the quantitative relationships between units
 design fieldwork data collection sheets and collect data with an understanding of accuracy, sample size and procedures, control groups and reliability
 understand and correctly use proportion and ratio, magnitude and frequency (e.g. 1:200 flood; and logarithmic scales such as the Richter scale, in orders of magnitude) 
 draw informed conclusions from numerical data

Statistical skills 
 use appropriate measures of central tendency, spread and cumulative frequency (median, mean, range, quartiles and inter-quartile range, mode and modal class)
 calculate percentage increase or decrease and understand the use of percentiles
 describe relationships in bivariate data: sketch trend lines through scatter plots; draw estimated lines of best fit; make predictions; interpolate and extrapolate trends
 be able to identify weaknesses in selective statistical presentation of data

One of the outcomes from the Geographical Association partner, via Alan Parkinson, will be to ensure that the I-USE website is linked with these outcomes, so that the use of the website will enable GCSE Geographers to cover these.

NB:
This will only form a small part of the overall work on the I-USE project, as we have broader aims to support teachers in a range of curriculum subjects, in a number of European locations. 

Follow us on Twitter @StatsinEdu for more details

Want to know more about our project ?

Here's our information leaflet, which describes the project and its various component parts.

i Use Leaflet

Meeting 4 - Guildford, UK - Arrival and first day

The I-USE project partners are meeting in Guildford for the 4th meeting of the project.

This is timed to coincide with the Geographical Association's Annual Conference as the GA is one of the partners in this project.
The partners met at the Angel Hotel in Guildford, and caught up with progress on the project so far.
If you are at the conference, come along to the session that we are leading on Wednesday morning at 9am.
Details below:

Check out the project website.

GA Conference 2014

The I-USE team will be at the University of Surrey in Guildford between the 14th and 16th of April for the Geographical Association Conference.
We will be meeting at a hotel close to the conference venue, and also attending various events as part of the conference.
We will be distributing materials relating to the project at various events that are running as part of the conference, so look out for an I-USE flyer, leaflet or card.

Our workshop will take place on Wednesday the 16th of April in the morning, during the first session of the day.
We'll be sharing some of the work so far, and offering people the chance to engage with the project.

One of the main activities at the meeting will be the creation of some materials for some face to face and online training related to the critical use of statistics and data.
Come and say hello if you're a delegate at the conference.

Coming soon to an event near you...

We've been working with the very talented designer Bryan Ledgard to create some further materials with more information about the course, and which will also be used at various events around Europe.

They have been printed and are now available for distribution.

If you're going to be at the GA Conference, come and see us.

I-USE Dissemination materials

Coming soon to an event near you - wherever you are in Europe...

I-USE in Portugal

Alan Parkinson from the I-USE project team visited the Alentejo region of Portugal, and was invited to speak to a group of teachers from across the region while there at a teacher development event in the town of Vidigueira.
Also present in the audience was Herlander de Mira.

Alan presented on the curriculum, and how it is made within the classroom. As the curriculum changes, one of the things that needs to be included is an element of statistical literacy. He talked about the project, and provided a link to the website where materials are being added.

Beautiful Data

One focus for the I-USE project is the way that data is visualised. There is an exhibition which those who are in London before May 2014 may be interested in.

It's an exhibition at the British Library, which explores some of the key examples of data visualisation, from the early days of the 'craft'.
Here's William Farr's visualisation of mortality and temperature in London as a result of cholera as he tried to work out the source of the outbreak. John Snow's famous map is in the exhibition as well as early work by Florence Nightingale...
A fascinating reminder that data visualisation and the importance of statistical literacy is nothing new!

2014... a year of activity for the project

Welcome to the first update post of 2014...

We have a busy 2014 ahead of us... and there has already been plenty of activity behind the scenes on various aspects of the project.

After the setting up of the project over the last year, we are now beginning to prepare the teaching materials which will be used for the courses that will be run as part of the course.
These will be piloted over the summer at the University of the Aegean, and the materials will then be shared online (and on further face to face courses)
The project is being disseminated through a range of channels and has been mentioned at a number of meetings and events in several EU countries.

We are also preparing for our next meeting, which will take place at the University of Surrey in Guildford as part of the Geographical Association's annual conference.

There will be a workshop as part of the session on the Wednesday the 16th of April.

We have also worked with the very talented designer Bryan Ledgard to produce a range of dissemination materials which will form part of the project as we move into 2014. Watch out for those shortly.

The I-USE project has also formed part of a lecture given in Altentejo, Portugal by Alan Parkinson last week, and also the inaugural School on Cloud meeting at Doukas School in Athens at the end of March 2014.