The increasing use of geographic information system (GIS) technology in various fields suggests the need for professionals, including those in Extension, to be mindful of communicating data accurately and effectively. This article examines approaches to creating classes or groupings within data as well as the weaknesses of each approach. Data…

Extension professionals are increasingly using geographic information system (GIS) technology to develop and inform programs and services. In this article, we use a mapping exercise to demonstrate how the unit of data can be applied and inadvertently misrepresented in GIS mapping. We contrast the use of counts, percentages, and location quotients…

Data increasingly mediates how we understand the world. As such, there is growing interest in designing initiatives to help young people learn about data--not only the techno-mathematical skills necessary to work with data, but also the dispositions needed to participate in data-centric ways of knowing and doing. In this article, we argue that as…

Social media can contribute to an inclusive society, but they are also asymmetrical and polarised communication spaces. This requires competent teachers to build critical digital citizenship. The aim of this article is twofold: to present web scraping and text analytics as tools that define teachers' digital competences, and to investigate which…

A mind mapping approach to evaluation called Ripple Effects Mapping (REM) has been developed and used by a number of Extension faculty across the country recently. This article describes three approaches to REM, as well as key differences and similarities. The authors, each from different land-grant institutions, believe REM is an effective way to…

School leaders are critical in the lives of students and to the development of their teachers. Unfortunately, in too many instances, principals are effective in spite of--rather than because of--district conditions. To truly improve student achievement for all students across the country, well-prepared principals need the tools, support, and…

This article explores how concept maps and mind maps can be used as data collection tools in mixed methods research to combine the clarity of quantitative counts with the nuance of qualitative reflections. Based on more traditional mixed methods approaches, this article details how the use of pre/post concept maps can be used to design qualitative…

This resource paper on thematic cartography is part of a series designed to supplement undergraduate geography courses. It reviews recent developments in the field and identifies problem areas which warrant future attention. Cartography is defined as both the conceptual, problem-oriented research and the technical processes of map making. It…

At some point, most education administrators must make difficult decisions because of fluctuating student enrollment. In the past, they might have spent months collecting student and facility data, hand-counting student population in certain areas, and driving throughout their communities to find available and affordable land for new school sites.…

In January 1998, seven school boards amalgamated to form the Toronto District School Board, a board responsible for 600 schools. To deal with the complexities of the new entity, researchers have been using geographical information systems (GIS). GIS are computer-based tools for mapping. They store information as a collection of thematic layers or…

Traditionally, educational institutions have relied heavily on the use of tables and graphs to analyze and present enrollment data. However, in dealing with information that has a spatial component (such as enrollment data), graphs and tables are often insufficient for communicating the spatial dimension. An effective way to add this extra…

The broad array of data presented each year in the "KIDS COUNT Data Book" is intended to illuminate the status of America's children and to assess trends in their well-being. By updating the assessment every year, KIDS COUNT provides ongoing benchmarks that can be used to see how states have advanced or regressed over time. Readers can…

The document explains geographic concepts, products, and programs developed by the Census Bureau to assist users in analyzing census data for geographic areas. Emphasis is on small-area data such as census tracts, city blocks, minor civil divisions, incorporated places, congressional districts, and wards. Also presented are data for larger units…

Reintroduces and updates the geographic profile as a visualization technique for representing and analyzing the structure of geographical information. A computer software-generated profile focuses on specific information (persons per square mile in selected cities) and represents that information spatially on a graph. (MJP)

The 7th International Conference on Education Data Mining held on July 4th-7th, 2014, at the Institute of Education, London, UK is the leading international forum for high-quality research that mines large data sets in order to answer educational research questions that shed light on the learning process. These data sets may come from the traces…