Data Viz and Dashboards

Part 1

Data viz tools, What is a Tool in the context of ET?

A data story assignment

Assignment of the day

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Use Flourish | Data Visualization & Storytelling to tell an educational data story.

Pickup a publicly available educational data set to create a relevant data interaction that reveals something about learning processes or some phenomenon captured in the data

If you couldn’t access to such data, but have a study reporting on an interesting aspect of learning , then use the summary statistics available in the study to synthesise the data (model the data to tell the story visually)

Expected outcomes to be discussed at the end of the session

What is a “Tool” in the context of ET tools lab?

1. Throw out some definitions
2. Try thinking in terms of the educational functions they enable?
3. Try synthesise a whole picture
4. Keep your eye on the “Tool” and all the tools you have come across during your time at IDP-ET.

Notes:-

1. Assist learning process. Enhance learning experience.
2. Tool a educational product?
3. Communication device.
4. ​

Pre-test post test teaser

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Most common shape of data available in Educational space (stats assignment 1)

Task: Look at the different options available in Flourish | Data Visualization & Storytelling and pick a visualisation that is best for communicating the story behind the pre-test and post-test results (you can have your own criteria for what’s “best”)

Take five minutes and come back paste your choice on chat and discuss your reasons (~another couple of minutes)

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Base R graphics, ggplot() and grammar of graphics

Base R graphics:

plot(), hist() boxplot() and so on ..

ggplot() building visualizations in layers basic tutz

• Data
• Geometric object (points, bars lines)
• Aesthetic attributes (coordinates, color, size, alpha, shape etc ..)

More features come up in terms of faceting or themes, checkout the above tutz to get an idea (not relevant to the current discussion)

ggplot(data = mpg, mapping = aes(x = displ, y = hwy, color = class)) +

geom_point() +

ggtitle("A point geom with position and color aesthetics")

Base R graphics, ggplot() and grammar of graphics

Base R graphics:

plot(), hist() boxplot() and so on ..

ggplot() building visualizations in layers basic tutz

• Data
• Geometric object (points, bars lines)
• Aesthetic attributes (coordinates, color, size etc ..)

Esquisse library. esquisser() - basic tutz

Revisiting the function of an EdTech “Tool”

• Throw out some definitions
• Try thinking in terms of the educational functions they enable?
• Try synthesise a whole picture
• Keep your eye on the “Tool” and all the tools you have come across during your time at IDP-ET.

Notes:-

Tools can be used to ....

(optional) Assignment of the day

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Compare the learning processes associated with a person learning to visualize data with ggplot vs some software like excel or flourish.

How would the learning be different?

What are the pros and cons would be experienced if you consider either of them to be a learning environment in which data viz skills are acquired?

Today’s Assignment and the next Tools lab session

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Use Flourish | Data Visualization & Storytelling to tell an educational data story.

In the journey of finding datasets or making synthetic datasets, try to look for the possibilities of designing a dashboard to enhance interaction with data for one of the stakeholders.

Stakeholders- Researchers, Learner, Teacher, or whoever might find it worthwhile to interact with your dataset.

Tools for prototyping and deploying dashboards

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Shiny app (very flexible that it is commonly used for software development in research groups)

Dash Enterprise App Gallery (dash and plotly are commonly used in python community, but just like most visualisation packages they are compatible with R)

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examples | p5.js (for advanced control over user interaction- can be used to extend simulation tools that you have seen in golabz)

Node-RED Dashboard-

An easy way to setup a working dashboard for applications involving multiple streams of sensor data (very useful for monitoring IoT systems)