Big Data
Teacher Resources

Big Data: Information in the Digital World with Science Activities for Kids

By Carla Mooney  
Illustrated by Lex Cornell
In Big Data: Information in the Digital World with Science Activities for Kids, readers ages 10 to 15 explore the definition of data and learn how essential it is to our everyday lives. They learn about the history of data, the transition from paper to computers, and the role that search engines such as Google play in handling data. By making connections between the relationships among data, computers, and people, middle school kids also acquire the tools they need to become better digital citizens!
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Reviews

School Library Connection
"Part of the Technology Today series, this title is a solid, well-written, and nicely formatted introduction to the concept of data as it exists in our world. Mooney's book is comprehensive in scope, but clear and organized in delivery, explaining the history, nature, and ever-expanding extent of data, and the purposes of data collection, recoding, and analysis. A basic timeline, for instance, beginning with the 1085 census recorded in the Domesday Book and ending with the mention of the 2.2 billion monthly users of Facebook, is supplemented in the text by information about the history and development of computers and their growing ability to collect, record, and store vast amounts of data. Further definitions and additional facts are provided in sidebars, and various QR codes link to primary resources and other materials. The related activities are engaging, well-explained, and instructive, although a few require a degree of prior knowledge. These are used to illustrate concepts, such as binary numbers and processes or data collection through polls. . . An excellent purchase indeed. Glossary. Highly Recommended"

Professor Yael Grushka-Cockayne, University of Virginia Darden School of Business
“The book is great fun! It is jam-packed with fun activities that really bring the idea of data to life.  It is comprehensive and offers a lot of useful examples for the use of big data.”

 

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Detailed Book Description

Have you watched videos online today? Did you post photographs on social media? Did you upload your English essay to Google docs? All of these are questions about data!

In Big Data: Information in the Digital World with Science Activities for Kids, readers ages 10 to 15 explore the definition of data and learn how essential it is to our everyday lives. They learn about the history of data, the transition from paper to computers, and the role that search engines such as Google play in handling data. By making connections between the relationships among data, computers, and people, middle school kids also acquire the tools they need to become better digital citizens!

Throughout Big Data, STEAM investigations and experiments provide hands-on, problem-solving opportunities for students that incorporate various challenges and tools. Using readily available household items and recycled materials, each activity will take the reader through an inquiry-based, open-ended investigation that leaves plenty of room to explore individual creativity. With essential questions, fun facts, and links to online primary sources and videos, kids will mine the topic of big data and become better, more informed digital citizens of the world!

Available In:
Hardcover, $22.95
9781619306790
Paperback, $17.95
9781619306813
Includes: Table of Contents | Timeline | Maps | Glossary | Resources | Index | Metric Conversions Chart
Specs: 8 x 10 size | 4-color interior | 128 pages
Subject: Science
Content Focus: Engineering & Technology

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Timeline

Introduction
What Is Big Data?

Chapter 1
Where Does Data Come From?

Chapter 2
The Transition from Paper to Computers

Chapter 3
How Computers Store Data

Chapter 4
Data Gets Big!

Chapter 5
Understanding Data

Chapter 6
The Future of Big Data

Glossary
Metric Conversions Resources
Essential Questions
Index