Data and data science

Have you ever considered how your data is being used as you connect to the internet?

Data acquired from your smartphone or other connected digital device can reveal much about you, including the music you like, your location, who you communicate with and how, and your personal shopping habits, such as what you search for and buy online.

Linda McIver, from the Australian Data Science Education Institute, says ‘We are living in a data driven world. Data science decides what search results and news reports you see. What books you might like to buy. The best route for you to get to work, depending on current traffic conditions. Even your medical test results and treatment options.’

Linda is passionate about data and is helping students, teachers, and schools understand — and contribute to — the impact of data science on our lives.

To hear more about data science, register for our free webinar.

Search the Digital Technologies Hub for resources to discover more about exploring data and data science.

Data resources on the Digital Technologies Hub

Data and information

Year 5
This unit draws on, and develops, students’ digital literacy skills, including navigation and information management, synthesis and critical assessment, and the ethical and legal use of information.

Students will:

collect, manage and analyse data
examine how peripheral devices can be used to collect data
use a spreadsheet to organise and analyse data that they have collected
design and create information in the format of an infographic.

Data-driven innovation

Year 9
This sequence of work explores data from individuals and connected technologies, and how data is used to inform society, business, industry and governments.

Students will:

share ideas about what smartphone data may reveal about our everyday actions and behaviours
explore and present examples of the ways in which personal data is used to inform companies
discover case studies from businesses that have designed a digital solution to solve a problem
examine data and technology involved in autonomous devices and machines.

Data resources across the year levels

Dabbling in data: Data representation
Years F–2
Check out Jane Batham’s teaching ideas related to data for the early years of school.
Rubbish recording and reduction
Years 3–4
In this lesson sequence, students survey and collect data about what is bought to school each day and subsequently becomes rubbish.

Food fact finder
Years 5–6
As students investigate claims made on packaging about the nutritional benefit of foods, they consider how they might develop a digital solution to make it easier for consumers to make food decisions.
Beat the news: Data to decisions
Years 9–10
Learn more about big data through this video animation.

Upcoming webinar: Using data to change the world (and teach ALL the STEM skills)!

25 July 2018, 4.30pm – 5.30pm AEST
Presented by: Martin Richards, Content Manager of the Digital Technologies Hub, and Dr Linda McIver, Founder and Executive Director of the Australian Data Science Education Institute.

This webinar will introduce you to a way of integrating STEM problems using data to empower kids to solve problems in their own communities. From Foundation through to Year 12 and beyond, data can be used to enhance every subject, from science and maths through to geography and history. You don’t need shiny, expensive toys. You don’t even need a lot of new skills. Come and find out how.

Register now!

Recent webinars

An introduction to the BBC micro:bit

Presented by: Martin Richards and Tom Bijesse
During this session, we provide an introduction to the BBC micro:bit, focusing on visual programming. We talk through the micro:bit and the online environment, and discuss how to get started and load simple programs. We also share ideas for introducing the micro:bit to your students, and take you through some introductory resources.

The recording for this, and all our previous webinars, can be found on our webinars page.

Careers with STEM

Refraction Media delivers more than half a million Careers with STEM magazines directly to every Australian secondary school across each of the STEM disciplines — science, technology (Code), engineering and maths, with bonus editions, like health and economics.

The core narrative of Careers with STEM is STEM + X, where ‘X’ is a goal, an interest, a passion or another discipline.
•   Engineering + health = biomedical engineer
•   Tech + fashion = wearable electronics designer
•   Maths + sports = football statistician
•   Science + art = 3D animator
The possibilities are endless. Be a part Careers with STEM 2018 in print and digital formats at CareerswithSTEM.com.au

Upcoming events

See our events calendar for competitions, conferences and professional learning opportunities on offer in 2018.

Day of STEM: STEM Cup; 15 June – 15 September, national
Digitech Champions Workshop, Secondary; 25 July, VIC
Code Club Teacher Training; 26 July – 3 September, various locations
DigiCon; 26–27 July, VIC
NCSS Challenge 2018; 30 July – 3 September, national
Brekkie with a tekkie webcast; 1 August, NSW
Algorithms and evaluation webinars; 1 and 2 August, national
‘Why the Bebras Challenge?’ webinar; 7 August, national
Python for first-time coding teachers; 10 August, VIC
Digital Technologies Workshop: Geraldton; 13–14 August, WA
Digital Technologies Workshop: Albany; 13–14 August, WA
Leading a Digital School conference; 16–18 August, QLD
Game Changers and Changemakers STEM Festival; 17–18 August, VIC
Digital Harvest 2018; 17 August, VIC

Have we missed any digital technologies events happening in your area? Let us know at: digitaltechnologieshub@esa.edu.au so we can add them to our calendar.