Our Harry Potter/Lord of the Rings survey uncovered 3 very interesting trends:
- Women preferred Harry Potter 2 to 1, while men preferred Lord of the Rings 2 to 1.
- People below the median age of 34 tend to prefer Harry Potter, while Lord of the Rings fans had a more even age distribution.
- Older readers are more likely to differentiate between aspects of the series, while younger readers tend to like all or nothing from either series.
It is hard to draw any great conclusions from this, but the broad age appeal of the Lord of the Rings means it might have a greater effect on literature in the long run, while Harry Potter will be more of a fad. It would be interesting to repeat this survey every 5-10 years and see if Harry Potter fans retain their preference. The fact that the last Harry Potter movie came out at the same time we are giving this survey may have also affected the results. Lord of the Rings still had a strong showing even though the last movie release was 6 years ago.
Our other assignment was to look for sources of statistical information on the internet. The best site I found was fedstats.gov. This site contains an index to all other federal sites that publish statistics, and has several search tools embedded in it.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
CEdO 540 Week 4 - Survey Results and the final report
Our group has come up with a very unique idea for a survey. Most of the idea we came up with at first revolve around the political situation in the state. Given the prevalence of TV commercials around the recall elections this is not surprising. However after talking about it we all wanted to do something less obvious (maybe we were all just tied of the political fighting). In the end we came up with a survey around which is better, Harry Potter or the Lord of the Rings. Although this seems like a frivolous topic, it is actually one which might have a big impact in the classroom. These two series have been some of the biggest grossing movies in the past decade. Understanding the preferences of a group might help a teacher to make a class more interesting. It might also give some insight into what people value more, characters or plot, and show some differences by age or gender.
We developed the questions for our survey in the group, making sure to keep them as unbiased as possible. We then created the survey in Google Docs and distributed the link to as many people as possible. We have received a total of 41 responses, and we found some very interesting trends in the data. The next step will be to compile a report that summarizes the findings.
We developed the questions for our survey in the group, making sure to keep them as unbiased as possible. We then created the survey in Google Docs and distributed the link to as many people as possible. We have received a total of 41 responses, and we found some very interesting trends in the data. The next step will be to compile a report that summarizes the findings.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Week 3 of 540 - Survey
This week we are starting to plan a survey where we can analyze the results. As mentioned last week, the hardest part will be in designing questions that do not bias the answers. We will need to select a question that will be interesting to the people that we can get to participate. Once we have that topic, we will need to design neutral questions that do not cause the participants to select one answer over another. Once we have the topic and questions, we then will need to administer the survey and analyze the results. This is where the real math begins, and where we can start using the science of statistics to interpret the answers.
WE also did more work this week to look at the differences between mean, median, and mode. Our homework really drove home the point that two data sets might have the same mean (average) but may in fact be completely different. One might have a very closely grouped set of data, and the other may have a huge range that happens to balance out to the same average. Usually you want more consistent results, although of course that depends on the questions you are trying to answer.
WE also did more work this week to look at the differences between mean, median, and mode. Our homework really drove home the point that two data sets might have the same mean (average) but may in fact be completely different. One might have a very closely grouped set of data, and the other may have a huge range that happens to balance out to the same average. Usually you want more consistent results, although of course that depends on the questions you are trying to answer.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
CEdO540 - Week 2, Samples
This week we really started looking at the ways to evaluate a sample of numbers using statistics. WE evaluated several samples using the common ways of measuring central tendencies, Mead, Median, and Mode. It was interesting to learn that the Mean is not always the best way to evaluate a sample, as it could be thrown off by a single outlying value. You should also look at the median and the Mode, as they might help you find out is the data being affected by one or more values on the ends, or if the data is closely grouped around the center.
Comparing the central tendencies to each other can also give you a lot of information, for example if the mean is to the right or left of the median, then that can tell you something about the data. It is obvious that we will need to do a lot more evaluation and comparison of the central tendencies, as well as look at the data sample as a whole, in order to get the best picture of the results.
In the future we will be looking at how to collect data for evaluation. I can see that designing a survey that will not bias the results is going to be a challenge.
Comparing the central tendencies to each other can also give you a lot of information, for example if the mean is to the right or left of the median, then that can tell you something about the data. It is obvious that we will need to do a lot more evaluation and comparison of the central tendencies, as well as look at the data sample as a whole, in order to get the best picture of the results.
In the future we will be looking at how to collect data for evaluation. I can see that designing a survey that will not bias the results is going to be a challenge.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
CEdO540 - Statistics
Due to a schedule change we are jumping right into CEdO540 and we will be taking 535 in September. 540 is all about Statistics. I have never actually had a formal statistics class before, so much of this subject will be new to me. I have had enough science and other classes though so I think I will be able to keep up fairly well.
I have used statistics many times in my job, including calculating the reliability of computer systems, figuring out the capacity of a system and projecting it into the future so we know when we will have to upgrade, and of course figuring out budgets. However I will need to spend some time learning all of the formal terms around it, such as mean, median, mode, and of course standard deviation. My biggest problem is just keeping all of the "m" words straight. Hopefully I won't confuse them. I think this will be a good course however. As they said in the video, statistics can help describe any part of your job or life. You just need to figure out what you want to measure, and how best to collect that data, whether it is grades, class performance, research, or anything else. This class will help to do those things.
I have used statistics many times in my job, including calculating the reliability of computer systems, figuring out the capacity of a system and projecting it into the future so we know when we will have to upgrade, and of course figuring out budgets. However I will need to spend some time learning all of the formal terms around it, such as mean, median, mode, and of course standard deviation. My biggest problem is just keeping all of the "m" words straight. Hopefully I won't confuse them. I think this will be a good course however. As they said in the video, statistics can help describe any part of your job or life. You just need to figure out what you want to measure, and how best to collect that data, whether it is grades, class performance, research, or anything else. This class will help to do those things.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Week 5 - Putting it all together
This week we had to bring together all of the ideas about storytelling and publishing that we have encountered during the previous 5 weeks. We had several assignments that summarized the learning so far, including creating a multimedia rubric, creating a Pecha Kucha, and evaluating several other multimedia sites.
The rubric was not too difficult, as we had already been given several different ideas on how to compose an effective multimedia presentation. This was really just a chance to collect those ideas and decide how we would measure them in a real class assignment. The biggest challenge was figuring out how to make an assignment that connects to the students personal environment. This has been a theme in several classes. The best technology assignment is no good if it is not applicable to the student's world. The best assignments will allow them to express something that is personally relevant.
The multimedia evaluation was also fairly straight forward, and again the most important part was connecting it to the student's environment.
My biggest struggle this week was the Pecha Kucha. Although I think I have a pretty good idea for a subject, I can not seem to get the results that I really want. I have compared the Pecha Kucha to Haiku before, and I think it applies in this case as well. It is not hard to collect 20 slides, and then to speak about them for 20 seconds. But to have that presentation convey a really meaningful thought you need to work and re-work the presentation. I feel like if I kept revising this for a few weeks it might be closer to what I envisioned. Just like Haiku the simple format takes lots of practice to really find the best meaning.
The rubric was not too difficult, as we had already been given several different ideas on how to compose an effective multimedia presentation. This was really just a chance to collect those ideas and decide how we would measure them in a real class assignment. The biggest challenge was figuring out how to make an assignment that connects to the students personal environment. This has been a theme in several classes. The best technology assignment is no good if it is not applicable to the student's world. The best assignments will allow them to express something that is personally relevant.
The multimedia evaluation was also fairly straight forward, and again the most important part was connecting it to the student's environment.
My biggest struggle this week was the Pecha Kucha. Although I think I have a pretty good idea for a subject, I can not seem to get the results that I really want. I have compared the Pecha Kucha to Haiku before, and I think it applies in this case as well. It is not hard to collect 20 slides, and then to speak about them for 20 seconds. But to have that presentation convey a really meaningful thought you need to work and re-work the presentation. I feel like if I kept revising this for a few weeks it might be closer to what I envisioned. Just like Haiku the simple format takes lots of practice to really find the best meaning.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
CEdO 530 Week 4 - Prezi and the free flow of information
One of the big themes from this class is that PowerPoint has locked us into only one way of delivering information. Endless slides with bullet point after bullet point and more words than the audience could ever absorb. Studies have shown that people retain less when they are told the information and shown the same information at the same time. By just using PowerPoint as a way to download information to your audience, you are actually making it more likely that they will miss your overall point.
The best way to think of a presentation is that you are telling a story. I spoke last week about the need to set your story board and control the timing of the presentation. This week we actually started creating the story boards for our Pecha Kucha assignments. This is an interesting task because of the very limited nature of the Pecha Kucha format. It reminds me of having to write a Haiku when I was back in school. However just like the Haiku once you start investigating the possibilities you can come up with some very creative ideas in the limited space. The storyboard is a necessity because it allows you to refine you ideas and make sure they are building to a point.
Our other assignment this week was to create a Prezi. This assignment had multiple levels of creativity. First of all you had to select you 6 best pictures from the 28 or more that you had taken in the last few days. Then you had to use them to create a presentation that demonstrates what you think makes a good picture. Here too I started with a pile of pictures, and then used Prezi to create the story board, grouping similar images and using them to build to a point. Once I got the hang of the tool, it was actually very easy to do, and I can see that this would be a good tool for students to develop and deliver reports. My Prezi is below:
The best way to think of a presentation is that you are telling a story. I spoke last week about the need to set your story board and control the timing of the presentation. This week we actually started creating the story boards for our Pecha Kucha assignments. This is an interesting task because of the very limited nature of the Pecha Kucha format. It reminds me of having to write a Haiku when I was back in school. However just like the Haiku once you start investigating the possibilities you can come up with some very creative ideas in the limited space. The storyboard is a necessity because it allows you to refine you ideas and make sure they are building to a point.
Our other assignment this week was to create a Prezi. This assignment had multiple levels of creativity. First of all you had to select you 6 best pictures from the 28 or more that you had taken in the last few days. Then you had to use them to create a presentation that demonstrates what you think makes a good picture. Here too I started with a pile of pictures, and then used Prezi to create the story board, grouping similar images and using them to build to a point. Once I got the hang of the tool, it was actually very easy to do, and I can see that this would be a good tool for students to develop and deliver reports. My Prezi is below:
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