CONNECTING THE DOTS WITH DATA: LEARNING WITH GEOSCIENCE DATA

Visualizing and reading data have become key information literacy skills. The finding and use of appropriate data underpins a variety of learning and research opportunities for a range of participants through formal and informal ventures. Learning how data is collected, stored, and manipulated allows learners to gain intimate and nuanced perspectives of research objectives, and uncovers fresh connections. Directed projects illustrate the potential for creating data, or using publicly available data to teach, learn, and share the interconnectivity among ostensibly disparate elements. These opportunities can occur formally or informally, in youth or adulthood, personally or professionally, and cross a spectrum of subjects and topics. They can include citizen science projects, school projects whether in elementary school and high school or through research associated with an advanced degree, community projects or throughout a professional career. The type of geoscience data used can be as basic as the use of elevation and bathymetric data to enhance mathematics skills. More complex projects may use: data collection through NASA’s GLOBE Program for the 2017 eclipse, census data to chart historical or socioeconomic change in an area, or address larger scale issues such as climate change. These kinds of projects demonstrate how crucial data is to understand the complexity of our environment, and change attitudes.