Gapminder.org
Heath Green
ITEC 7445
Dr. Bacon
Gapminder Explained
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Gapminder.org is a free database website that
students can use to research statistics, build
graphs, and analyze maps.
It is available to all for free and can be used for
research projects, creating presentations, and
seeing change over time in the US and all over the
world.
It has a videos section to explain why analyzing
data gives us a more accurate picture of reality.
It has a teacher section with lesson ideas to use in
the classroom.
Gapminder Explained
 One
of the founders of Gapminder, Hans
Rosling explains the importance of using
data to tell history in his presentation, “A
River of Myths.”
Gapminder’s Support of Cobb
County SD’s Technology Vision
 “Technology
serves as a tool to engage
students in quality learning experiences
requiring higher-order thinking skills to
solve authentic problems.”
 Gapminder allows students and teachers
to find data easily to support and defend
student assertions in reports, discussions,
and presentations.
Gapminder’s Support of Cobb
County SD’s Technology Vision
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“Students will use next generation technology
tools to access, analyze, and apply
increasingly complex information to draw
conclusions and make informed decisions”
Gapminder presents data sets on graphs and
maps. This allows students to easily analyze
the data to discover new and interesting
relationships between seemingly unrelated
events and phenomena.
Gapminder’s Support of Cobb
County SD’s Technology Vision
 “Student
learning will be enhanced
through open access and equitable
distribution of online communication tools
and information resources.”
 Gapminder is a free website available to
everyone with no signup or registration
required. Students and teachers can
access the site immediately and begin
looking at data.
Gapminder’s Support of Cobb
County SD’s Technology Vision
 “Students
and teachers will use
technology to extend learning beyond
the classroom and the school day.”
 Since the site can be accessed without
registration or fees by everyone, students
can use the information before, during,
and after the school day.
Gapminder’s Support of Cobb
County SD’s Technology Vision
 “Students
will use technology to
collaborate with classmates, educators,
and experts around the world.”
 The data is collected from reputable
sources and compiled by statisticians at
research universities all over the world. This
gives students and teachers easy access
to experts.
Objectives
 The
objective of using Gapminder is to
give students an easily available data set
that can be used to support research
projects, blog posts, wikis, discussions, or
position papers for students in Social
Studies, Math, English, and Science
classes.
 The website gives a dependable set of
data and presents visually pleasing and
attention-grabbing way.
Benefits of Gapminder
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The data is readily available on any desktop or laptop computer,
and there is no fee to access the site.
The data is dependable and sourced.
The website gives the data in easily readable map or graph forms.
The website can show change over time, which is a great resource
for history classes.
It allows students to manipulate the data to find interesting and
useful correlations. They become more responsible for their own
learning and can be more creative.
Students can link there graphs to any presentation, blog posts, or
wikis and share them on a computer that has ready internet
access.
The web software can be downloaded as an offline version for
free.
Target Student Population
 Cobb
County has a variety students from
all income levels. As a result, many
students may not have ready access to
the internet at home. Therefore, this
technology will be used primarily in
schools.
 The large amounts of data available, the
complexity of the graphs, and the detail
of graphs make the technology useful for
middle and high school students.
Target Student Population
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All classrooms that have access to desktop or
laptop computers can access the site.
CCSD gives two rolling laptop carts to each
subject area.
Media centers also have multiple computer
carts and computer labs.
Each school is equipped with computer labs.
All schools now have a BYOD policy as well.
Hardware and Software
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site is free and there is no registration
needed.
 The software can also be downloaded
and used offline for free.
 Access to a class set of computers with
internet capability is needed to access
the site or download the offline version to
a computer.
Technical Support
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Any hardware issues can be addressed using
CCSD technical support.
The site features a simple “get started” video
to explain how to manipulate graphs.
The site has a blog that gives helpful
information for using the site and applying the
knowledge gained from the site.
It has an FAQ section and a contact email
address for technical questions related to the
site.
Limitations of Gapminder
 If
students need to access the site outside
of school, they will need a dependable
internet connection or they will need to
download the offline version while online.
 The site does not work on mobile phones,
so a computer is needed.
Costs of Gapminder
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Accessing the site is free.
The cost comes from buying laptops and desktops
that can access the site with an internet
connection.
Costs are still minimized, because schools already
have these devices on hand. There are no special
hardware needs outside of a computer with
internet access.
Any training needed can be obtained free of
charge through the FAQ section of the website
linked here or by emailing info@gapminder.org.
Costs of Gapminder
 The
most prohibitive cost will be laptops if
they are needed at a school.
 A dependable laptop starts at around
$300 according to www.cnet.com.
 However, most schools are already
equipped with this technology.
Funding Sources
 Schools
in Cobb County have individual
foundations that could raise money.
 Teachers could use a crowd-funding
website like www.donorschoose.org.
 SPLOST funds could be allocated to
purchasing desktops or laptops.
Using Gapminder in the
classroom.
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Teachers can create a specific graph or map to
illustrate the connection between two variables.
Teachers can use the site’s change over time feature
to show how various data sets have changed
throughout history.
Students can use the data as part of research
projects, papers, and presentations.
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They can link to any graph they create on the site by
using the “Share This Graph” button on the website.
Teachers can use the example lessons created and
uploaded to the website.
Teachers can use the data sets, graphs, and maps as
part of a WebQuest activity.
Gapminder Promotes Specific
Learning Goals
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Students can create digital graphs, maps,
and graph-timelines and link them to
presentations.
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They could also be part of student wikis and
blogs.
Teachers can use the data, graphs, and
maps as part of presentations or introductions
to a specific concept.
The data can be used for many higher-order
thinking exercises that require students to
make an assertion and back it with real data.
Gapminder Promotes
Differentiation
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Students have an enormous amount of data
at their fingertips to explore and manipulate.
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The data is presented in multiple forms.
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The data offers a world of possible conclusions.
Raw list
Bar or line graph
Plot points
Map
The site offers a way to engage students who
may not like math, history, or graphing.
Collaboration and
Communication With Gapminder
 Students
are able to collaborate with the
experts who compile the data.
 Students are able to collaborate with
each other by using the data as part or
blog or wiki posts.
 Teachers and students can work together
to investigate and interpret the data.
Research of Effectiveness
 Gapminder
is still relatively new, so there is
little research to support effectiveness in
the classroom, but the site has many
endorsements.
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Singularityhub.com says, “Gapminder
presents important global data in clear
graphs that move dynamically so that you
can watch the history of the world unfold
through the magic of statistics.”
Research of Effectiveness
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praise
The Harvard College Global Health Review
says, “One man’s vision to clarify the bigger
picture is opening eyes and turning heads.”
I Use Statistics in Education, a site funded by
the European Commission meant to help
teachers teach statistics says, “Gapminder
is an excellent tool for illustrating world
development.”
Professional Development
 This
site is very easy to use, so there is very
little professional development needed.
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The site’s FAQ page explains how to use the
tools on the site.
Interested teachers could learn to use it
over the course of a single planning period.
Accessing the site is as simple as accessing
any other site on the web, since there is no
registration needed.
Reflection
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I actually used this website this year in class, so I have
some reflection from that and some from completing
the project.
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The website is really fun for students to use to play with
data. I gave them one set and allowed them to choose
the other set to create a graph. Students found all sorts
of interesting correlations between economic growth
and various other data sets like pollution, birth rates, and
cancer deaths.
The website is any statistics, history, economics, or
government teacher’s dream. It has so much to observe
and ATTEMPT to interpret.
Students do not often get excited about looking at
data, but the site presents in such an eye-catching way
that it is difficult to lose interest or ignore.
Works Cited
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Krumme, Alexis (2012, November 13) Hans Rosling and
Gapminder: Revolutionizing Data in Global Health.
Retrieved November 9, 2013, from Harvard College Global
Health Review:
http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/hghr/online/roslinggapminder/
Saenz, Aaron (2010, August 12) Gapminder Makes Statistics
Awesome- Now on Your Desktop. Retrieved November 9,
2013, from Singularity Hub:
http://singularityhub.com/2010/08/12/gapminder-makesstatistics-awesome-now-on-your-desktop-video/
Schmidt, Malene (2013, June) Gapminder. Retrieved
November 9, 2013, from I Use Statistics in Education:
http://www.i-use.eu/databases/gapminderdatabases.html