About a month ago, I talked about using real data with our intro classes. After looking at the correlation between school’s SAT scores and free and reduced lunch rates, it was time to turn the students loose.

The assignment: Find some interesting data out and do something with it. Make a web page that shows what you did and what you discoverde. We had already looked at the NYC Data Mine as well as a few other sources but students were encouraged to find new data sourcess.

The results were terrific. On top of the requirements, some students figured out how to incorporate Google Maps, graphs, and other niceties well beyond what we’ve covered in class.

Explorations included:

• 311 Calls in NYC
• Movie earnings
• Food pricing over time
• Red Meat and Health
• Cake comparisons

and even

• Pokemon

That’s just a sampling.

Well done guys.