TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION - Data Sets

The Internet is providing a forum for the dissemination of more and more scientific data. Various sites now provide up to the minute sets of data on seismic, oceanographic, and meteorological happenings. This is great news for the science or mathematics teacher who seeks real data to manipulate for classroom activities.

Real Time Data, Collaborative, and Archival Projects ('E' 'M' 'H') (Standards)
"CIESE sponsors and designs interdisciplinary projects that teachers throughout the world can use to enhance their curriculum through compelling use of the Internet. We focus on projects that utilize real time data available from the Internet, and collaborative projects that utilize the Internet's potential to reach peers and experts around the world." By the Center for Innovation in Science and Engineering Education at the Stevens Institute of Technology.
Teacher Resource: www.ciese.org/currichome.html

Data: Using Research Data in the Classroom ('M' 'H')
This site provides information on how to use data sets in your science classrooms plus well-articulated lesson plans with data sets in such categories as Biology, Climate, Ecology, Geology, Human Activities, Physics, Chemistry, and Geology. Each lesson plan with its data sets is correlated to National Science Education Standards and a number of the data sets contain special step-by-step Microsoft Excel graphing instructions for advanced levels. By BRIDGE: Sea Grant Ocean Sciences Education Center, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary.
Teacher Resource: www.vims.edu/bridge/data2.html
Teacher Resource (data sets page):
http://www.vims.edu/bridge/archives.html

Data Analysis: As Real World As It Gets ('M' 'H')
This site features "organized resources for teaching about data and statistics as supported by the NCTM Standards (NCTM, 2000). Data collection and analysis can be an avenue into the meaningful mathematics and problem-solving skills needed by students in the twenty-first century. And an answer to the student question, Why do we have to study math? can be found when teaching mathematics with a real-world statistics approach."
nsdl.enc.org/epubs/math/math3/math.aspx

El Niño Theme Page ('H')
Data pages contain many maps showing surface temperatures, and precipitation. You can pull data for specific regions or study global climate patterns. The main page provides answers to FAQs and looks at La Niña, the cold water equivalent to El Niño.
www.pmel.noaa.gov/toga-tao/el-nino/nino-home.html
Latest El Niño data:
www.pmel.noaa.gov/toga-tao/el-nino/measurements.html

Latest Earthquake Information
The U.S. Geological Survey provides up to the minute information on worldwide seismic activity. Clicking on the listed seismic event takes you to a map displaying the location of the activity and provides the depth of the epicenter.
geology.usgs.gov/quake.shtml

Oceans - Instructional Material
Provides spreadsheets of ocean buoy data which can be downloaded into many different formats. Also guides you through several different activities that utilize this data, including plotting the Gulf Stream.
Main Page:
athena.wednet.edu/curric/oceans/index.html
Ocean Drifter Data:
athena.wednet.edu/curric/oceans/drifters/data.html