DataClassroom helps educators store, manipulate, and analyze data sets. Teachers can set up classes so that learners can share data sets; this also allows educators to track individual progress as their learners upload and save data. DataClassroom can easily import class rosters right from Google Classroom.

Sample data sets are provided to help learners practice using statistical tools. Kids can use an existing data set to explore research questions like “Is beak depth (mm) different between birds that died and those that lived through the drought of 1977?” This data set coordinates with free supplementary materials from HHMI BioInteractive.

DataClassroom is best used in classes where learners want to quickly and easily analyze data that they’ve collected themselves. After uploading the data, kids will be asked to estimate the mean, but then with a click of a button, the computer does the actual calculating for them. Many learners can use an equation to calculate the standard deviation without actually understanding what it means. DataClassroom helps learners visualize this concept by dragging the shaded bars to cover two-thirds of the data — but, once again, the actual calculations are done by the computer.

With a click of a button, a box and whisker plot or a “means with error” plot can appear. Students are provided with the definition of these items but aren’t asked to set these up themselves or internalize what these mean. The chi-square analysis functions similarly; learners must determine the expected values and the degrees of freedom themselves with some text that coaches them along the way. But the rest of the chi-square calculations are done for them. Additionally, the p-value is determined for them, instead of allowing learners to interpret the graph and do the analysis themselves.

DataClassroom’s biggest strength is the way it models for learners how to analyze and interpret data. Kids are walked step by step through a t-test, visualizing mean and standard deviation along the way. Students then use their t-score, sample size, and p-value to form a conclusion to their research question. After they’re done using the statistical analysis to form a conclusion, all of their statistics and notes are combined into an editable Word document.

While DataClassroom helps learners visualize what the t-test and chi-square analysis can tell us about data, it doesn’t require learners to do any of the actual calculations. Not only does it calculate the p-value for the learners, but it also tells the learners what a particular p-value means in the context of their data set — for example, directly telling the learners that the two groups of birds are statistically different. This takes some of the analysis away from kids. However, this modeling can be useful when learners go on to analyze their own data sets. Students can also use the existing data sets to make a graph themselves. While the t-test and chi-square analysis tools provide excessive amounts of coaching, learners will need more support than is provided when using DataClassroom to build graphs.

Website: https://about.dataclassroom.com/

Overall User Consensus About the App

Student Engagement

Students can upload and analyze raw data for their own experiments. They’re empowered to do more with the data they gather.

Curriculum and Instruction

Kids are provided tools to analyze and interpret data at a high level. Data sets connect with other high-quality online resources.

Customer Support

Pop-up windows define statistical terms for learners such as p-value. More support is needed to help learners use the graphing function.