Online Graphing Tools

Using Kid's Zone to make graphs online was really fun. I think this would be a great project for students since almost every grade level has content standards and objectives dealing with graphing.  I used Kid's Zone to create two line graphs representing West Virginia average reading scores for fourth and eighth grades compared to the average national reading scores.  I enjoyed playing with the different scales to help make my graphs show the point of view I was trying to express.  I learned that scale is everything!  It is easy to look at a line graph and be impressed at how the lines measure up to each other, but as in the case with both of my graphs, there is a very small numerical difference in the data.
For my fourth grade graph, I was trying to portray West Virginia scores in a negative way to persuade for an allocating of more funds.  The scale for scores on my graph is only 14 points, making the West Virginia scores and the national scores seem far apart.  I also tried to discuss the data in a way that made West Virginia scores seem more dire than they really were. To read my narrative please follow the link to my graph.


For my eighth grade graph I tried to show West Virginia scores in a positive way to persuade that West Virginia average reading scores are comparable with average national scores.  On this graph I made my score scale 100 points to make the West Virginia and national scores look to be very close. I presented the data in a way that hopefully made West Virginia scores appear comparable to the average national scores.  Finally, I published both graphs on the Internet using Google Docs.  Following the links to my graphs will take you to my narratives as well.

I researched West Virginia scores and national scores on a National Center of Education Statistics website that gives profiles for each state.  I selected West Virginia on the map and automatically received state and national scores for math, reading, and science.  From there I selected the grade four reading and grade eight reading state snapshot reports for more information.
ISTE/NETS
1b. engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources. Graphing West Virginia scores compared to national scores is an activity that uses digital tools and resources for real world issues. 
1a. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.  Manipulating data to say what I wanted it to in both a graph and narrative is definitely using creativity and innovative thinking.
3c. communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats.  Graphs are a great way to communicate information. Also, Google Docs is a easy way to publish information to the Internet expanding communication options.