DATA
INFORMATION
Keywords
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Data
Process/ed
Information
Database
Computerised database
Paper-based database
Advantages
Disadvantages
Lesson Objectives
• To understand what data is and how it is used (i.e.
generate information)
• To understand what information is
• To be able to identify and discuss what a database is
and its purposes (i.e. store data, manipulate and
generate information)
• To identify the advantages and disadvantages of
paper-based and computerised databases
Starter:
•
•
•
•
CAN YOU UNSCRAMBLE THESE WORDS?
ADAT
MIOFNRATNIO
SEBATADA
PCDUMOTEREIS
What is data?
Data is words, dates, numbers or images collected
about a location or object.
What kind of data do you think the numbers below
represent?
Name, Date of birth, Age, Shoe size
Linda: 23011999, 14, 34
Andrew: 05082001, 13, 33
Cynthia: 16031998, 15, 38
What is information?
Information is data that has been
processed to be useful and meaningful.
To change data into information we
have to place it in context and provide
answers to who, what, where and when
questions.
Quiz
Data or Information?
Data or Information?
Data or Information?
Data or Information?
What is a database?
A database is like a library – it stores
pieces of information called a record.
It is a collection of data that is
structured – so that its contents can be
accessed, managed, updated and
presented.
Questions
• How many of you have ever kept details of
your friends’ or family’s birthdays in a birthday
book?
• How many of you have written your friends’
addresses into an address book?
• How many of you have a copy of the Yellow
Pages at home?
• What is the difference between computerised
and paper-based databases
Can you think of examples of
paper-based databases?
These examples are of paper-based databases. However, when we use
the term 'database' we generally think of a computerised database.
In pairs, think of some advantages of
paper-based databases
• Inexpensive to set up
• Don’t need electricity, so you can record data
even if there is a power-cut
• Don’t need a computer – which is expensive
In pairs, think of some disadvantages
of paper-based databases
 Can be lost or damaged
 It is not easy to make back-up copies
 Hard to update or make changes
 Card systems can get in a muddle if cards not
replaced in the correct order
 Can take a while to search for a particular
record
Can you think of a few examples of
computerised databases?
Here are two examples
used by the museum
Computerised databases
In order to find the right
websites, search engines
need a vast computerised
database which they search
using your entered
keywords.
Museum databases These
contain records for every
object in the museums’
collections.
Think of some advantages for computerised
databases
• Can easily make back-up copies
• Can easily make changes
• Can easily sort data into order e.g.
alphabetically
• Can search for particular records very
quickly
• Can import or export data to/from other
packages
Think of some disadvantages of
computerised databases
• Can be lost or damaged
• Can be expensive to set up if you have to get
a professional to make it
• If there is a power-cut, you can’t use it (unless
of course the battery is charged)
• You need to have a computer
Database case study
We can search a
database to find the
information we are
looking for.
What kind of information
do you think your school
database has about you?
Research task
In a Word document, explain how the
following professions and organisations
use databases:
• Doctors
• Schools
• Libraries
• Museums
Plenary
Let’s play dominoes
• Working in pairs
– You have each been given a card with a
question on one half and an answer on the
other. Is the answer given true or false?
Explain your answer.
Homework
• Take a look at the Museum of London's Collections
online database.
http://collections.museumoflondon.org.uk/Online/
Select any object and list four different
types of information that are recorded about it.
© Museum of London 2014. The Museum cannot take responsibility for edited content.