Data Visualization

Visualization tools are able to take vast data banks, such as ocean temperatures worldwide on a given day, and present them in the form of an image, where temperatures are shown as different colors. Ways in which to use this capability in the classroom are explored in this section.

The use of visualization tools can be done collaboratively across schools, or in a single classroom. These tools open up a number of exciting possibilities. Dave Thomas of Montana State University and the Network Montana Project is one person who has begun to explore these possibilities. Read what he has to say in "Visualization and Communications tools for Mathematics and Science Teaching."

The Network Montana Project is creating units which draw on Internet resources for classroom use. Lesson plans and descriptions of these units may be accessed below:
Network Montana Project

Storm Tracker (Four levels)

Geosphere Planet Earth (Four levels)

Exploring Phytoplankton Pigment Concentrations is designed as a high school project. Students use an image to gather information about plankton concentrations.

Many of the Network Montana lesson plans call for the use of NIH Image, which is a public domain software package. Click here for more information on the software and how to obtain it.

Activity
Explore and perform at least one of the Network Montana Projects units given above.