CSEdfall17
COMP.5870 Computer Science in Secondary Education, Fall 2017
Prof. Fred Martin, fred_martin@uml.edu
Catalog Description
The goal of this course is to introduce teachers to using collaborative data visualization in their STEM instruction. Teachers will learn how to use a state-of-the-art collaborative data visualization system called iSENSE. They will conduct practical experiments in the areas of physical science, mathematics, statistics, engineering, biology, and earth and space science content areas, and use iSENSE to share, visualize, and make sense of their data. Teachers will also design their own data-centric collaboration and visualization activities, connecting with their instructional goals, and bring these activities to their students.
Credits
This course was co-created with Samantha Michalka.
Blackboard
The course is offered through UMass Lowell's Division of Online and Continuing Education and is hosted in Blackboard.
This web page provides a hub-and-spoke index to the course materials. The links below, under Course Materials provide links to the entire course content.
To enrolled students in Blackboard, the course looks like this:

Course Materials
Overview, schedule, and syllabus
Weeks 1 and 2
Introduction to iSENSE; measurement labs with data entry using contributor keys; creating projects on iSENSE; grouping data by categories; Probability reading and reflection
- Class meeting agenda
- Assignment 0a: Complete course pre-survey
- Assignment 0b: Join course Google group.
- Assignment 1: Two ways to organize data
- Assignment 2: Interpret our survey results
- Assignment 3: Create a project with curated data (including peer assessment)
- Assignment 4: Reading and reflection
Weeks 3 and 4
Assignment review; hurricane, baseball, water quality tutorials; setting default visualization; Data Walk reading assignment; Classroom lesson assignment
- Class meeting agenda
- Assignment 5: Real Lesson Plan #1 (including peer assessment)
- Assignment 6: Reading and reflection
Weeks 5 and 6
iSENSE skills; data walk reading, discussion, and activity; presentation of three classroom projects; prep for classroom work
- Assignment 8: Carry Out Lesson Plan
Weeks 7 and 8
Discussion of big data and democracy paper, geospatial projects, teacher presentations
- Class meeting agenda
- Assignment 9: Reading and reflection
- Assignment 10: Geospatial Project
Week 9 (Saturday half-day meeting)
Creating data-intensive apps using MIT App Inventor and Appvis for iSENSE
- Class meeting agenda
- Introduction to App Inventor (slides)
- Jump Count app (slides)
- Survey app (slides)
- GPS app (slides)
- Using the accelerometer (slides)
Weeks 10 and 11
Time-series data; Comprehending and Learning from ‘Visualizations’ paper; Assignments 11 and 12; final project assignment
- Class meeting agenda
- Assignment 11: Time-Series Data Project
- Assignment 12: Reading and reflection
- Assignment 13: Final Project
Weeks 12 and 13
Discussion of Visualizations paper; small-group conversations about final projects; iSENSE skills checkoff and Assignment 13 (final project presentation slides) assigned
Week 14
Final meeting—in-class presentations and discussion