Create-A-Graph Mobilized: Use it on the iPad too!

Today I would like to share a tool that maybe some of you have used, but we have found a unique aspect that makes it a great resource for the iPad.  The tool I would like to share is Create-a-Graph.  If you have never used this site, it is a great way to create graphs for any project.  With graph making and reading being an important aspect of the math and science assessments, it is imperative that kids learn to use them.  Unlike Excel, this tool is simple to use and the fill-in-the-blank format helps students get a better feel for what they are creating.

Our students in seventh grade have been using it a ton.  They have been charting all kinds of data that they collect.  I have visited with the kids on different occasions and it is apparent that they have a better understanding of what they are graphing and what the graph represents.  Our students recently graphed a popular predator vs. prey data set using the tool.  The images below give you an idea of how the data is entered and the resulting graph.

To access the tool, go to their website:  http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/ 

Once on the site, the students can pick from five different types of graphs (pie, bar, etc).  This is a great time to discuss why you would use each type of graph and what types of information each one can represent.  Once into the tool students quickly learn how to input the data.  The nice thing about this tool is that students can go in and preview their data, see if they have input something incorrectly, and then go back and make changes without losing their information.  This is probably my favorite aspect of the tool. So often on Web 2.0 tools, you lose what you have created if you need to go back to a previous step. 

Now, on to why we have found  this to be such a great tool on the iPad.  One thing that we have struggled with in our classes, where the iPads are used in a cart model, is that the kids cannot email projects from the device to the teacher.  We could setup email on the device each time, but that is a hassle.  We also discussed a generic account, but we are hesitant about that as well.  With Create-a-Graph, the students can email directly from the site with no email on the iPad itself.  The students just type the teachers email into the box after they have completed their graph and the site sends the graph on to the teacher.

If you have gathered some data and need a way to share it with others, consider Create-A-Graph.

~Casey Wise, TRC Facilitator Garden City USD