Visualizing Data
NIMBioS Tutorial
Computational Thinking and Cyberlearning in Biology
July 6, 2010
Ethel Stanley, BioQUEST
Cyberlearning
“This pedagogical change is not about technology per
se. This is not about distance learning… not about
students being able to access lectures by some of the
world's leading professors...
Rather, this represents a change in the relationship
between students and teachers in the learning
process.”
Tapscott, D. and A. D. William. 2010. Innovating the 21st-Century University: It’s
Time! EDUCAUSE Review,

45(1): 16-29 (January/February 2010
“Professors who want to remain relevant
will have to abandon the traditional
lecture and start listening to and
conversing with students — shifting
from a broadcast style to an interactive
one.”
Tapscott, D. and A. D. William. 2010. Innovating the
21st-Century University: It’s Time! EDUCAUSE Review
45(1) :16-29 (January/February 2010)
Cyberlearners use technology to seek answers,
but frequently find new questions.
Gapminder.org
Looking at data:
Gapminder
http://www.gapminder.org/videos/lung-cancer-statistics/
http://www.gapminder.org/videos/free-statistics-fordemocracy/
Group Actvity
Go to gapminder.org.
Select a category for the y axis.
Select time on the x axis.
Run the simulation.
Any surprises?
HealthMap
http://www.healthmap.org/fifa
Looking at data:Worldmapper
 Can download Excel file with data and notes
www.worldmapper.org
Pneumonia Deaths - 2002
Pneumonia caused 6.9% of all deaths worldwide in 2002, an
average was 634 deaths per million people per year.
Rabies
http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/resources/publications/2008surveillance/wild-animals.html
Visualize your data
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Insert data into Google Docs spreadsheet
Add Sheet 2
Insert Motion Gadget (old version)
Choose the range for data - Sheet1!A1:D30
Select axes variables
Select color and size of bubbles
Google Docs Motion Chart
http://docs.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en
&answer=91610
Wordle