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Victory Through Data Analysis!

Oct. 31, 2012–Data Games is officially launched!
Check out our new website where you can access the
games and supporting materials, including video tutorials,
student worksheets, and teacher facilitation guidelines.


Students generate rich and interesting data when they play computer games—data that usually evaporate when the game ends. What if in a classroom setting, data from the games students play remain accessible for exploration and analysis?

This is the Data Games project web site, a showcase of what the project has accomplished since its start in the Fall of 2009. The three strands of work—teaching and learning, software development, and research—each get a video introduction below.

The games and their associated activities are designed for grades 6–12 and are appropriate for helping to teach proportions, linear relationships, line and curve fitting, probability, modeling and, most of all, data analysis. Students engaged in Data Games activities develop their mathematical understanding in line with a variety of the Common Core Standards for Mathematics listed on the specific "Games" pages of this site. The Mathematics Practice standards are particularly relevant. Additional games and supporting materials will appear on this site during the September, 2012 rollout.

Teaching & Learning Software Research
We design games so that understanding the data is key to success. We give students easy-to-use data analysis tools (graphs, for example). Students make graphs, draw conclusions, improve their strategies, and succeed. Data Games software consists of simple games implemented in Flash or Javascript embedded in a browser-based data analysis environment whose design is based on Fathom and TinkerPlots. We want to know what students think about data; i.e. about organizing information. So we designed a research protocol about traffic, asking students to show us a way to record all the information on a schematic of roads with vehicles.
Explore T & L Strand Explore Software Strand Explore Research Strand

Tools and Materials for Learning Data Modeling

Slow connection? Prefer text? Read more about the project below. Simply click on the image for a larger view.



This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under:
KCP Technologies Award ID: 0918735
UMass Amherst Award ID: 0918653
Grant period: September 1, 2009 through August 31, 2012
Title: Data Games: Tools and Materials for Learning Data Modeling

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.