Janet Stamatel

Data Visualization Videos from the NYTimes

Janet Stamatel — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 19:27:20 +0000

This NY Times blog post shows a great example of how to compactly present a large volume of information and how to visualize changes in information across both space and time. Two short videos show the hits to the NY Times website by device (desktop vs. mobile) and geographic location (U.S. and world) on the day that Michael Jackson died.

Visualization Cheat Sheet

Janet Stamatel — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:22:38 +0000

Visual-literacy.org has a great summary of a variety of information presentation techniques in their periodic table of visualization methods. It’s probably the most concise summary that I’ve seen. It is very likely that I will include an entire section on visual literacy in my next round of data utilization classes.

How GIS Can Be Used for Social Science

Janet Stamatel — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:21:28 +0000

ESRI has recently published a new (free) e-book called GIS in the Social Sciences that provides some nice examples of how GIS has been used in a variety of social science disciplines. The examples are diverse and have a nice international flavor.

Professional Development

Janet Stamatel — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:16:58 +0000

InsideHigherEd has a new series called Ph.Do that discusses professional development issues. It’s written by Eszter Hargittai from Northwestern. So far, so good.

The “Dead Grandmother Problem” in Teaching

Janet Stamatel — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:20:56 +0000

This article provides an amusing examination of the “dead grandma” problem. Anyone who has ever taught at the post-high school level is quickly introduced to this problem the first time they give an exam or some other major assignment. If only grandmas knew the risks involved in sending their grandchildren to college.

The Best Jobs

Janet Stamatel — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:17:46 +0000

I have often said that I have the best job in the world. Well, according to this report, I have the #8 best job in the world. Notice how many of the top 10 jobs require good math skills.

Cool Web Apps for Students

Janet Stamatel — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 22:30:36 +0000

ReadWriteWeb has posted a list of 10 cool web applications for students, just in time for the new school year. I’m embarrassed to say that I haven’t tried many of them. I’m really interested in the note-taking apps, although getting students to realize that they should be taking notes during my lectures is my first challenge. It looks like Google Notebook might be useful for putting together lecture notes if you use a lot of web content. I may try it when I redesign one of my courses for next semester and then I can write a real review about it. I’ve also heard good things about Zotero.

Two Cool Visualization Examples

Janet Stamatel — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 17:04:56 +0000

I’m always looking for great examples of data visualization and I’ve recently come across two that I found on the blog Strange Maps:

1.) The first shows the distribution of different names for soft drinks across the U.S. As “pop” drinkers from the Midwest, we still find it strange that New Yorkers say “soda” and even stranger when they don’t even know what “pop” is!

2.) The second is a really good example of how visualization tools can capture change over both time and space. The New York Times has a nice graphic that shows how countries have fared with respect to Olympic medals over time.

The Pausch Legacy

Janet Stamatel — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 17:49:59 +0000

I suppose that most people have already seen the Randy Pausch videos, but since they are so great I felt it couldn’t hurt to be redundant. Pausch was a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two years ago and recently passed away. Since his diagnosis he has built an amazing web presence by sharing his experiences and inspiring others to live life to the fullest. The NYTimes compiled a list of his various web sites and online lectures and they are well worth exploring. There are a lot of good professors who know a particular substantive area well and can communicate effectively with students; but the truly great professors, like Pausch, are those who aren’t afraid to show their humanity and can connect emotionally as well as intellectually.

Mapping China’s 2008 Earthquake

Janet Stamatel — Tue, 27 May 2008 18:22:11 +0000

The China Data Center at the University of Michigan is a rich resource for all kinds of information about China, particularly social and demographic data. They also promote mapping as a research tool. They recently posted some interesting maps related to the recent earthquake and China and the populations that were most affected by this disaster. These slides are missing their narrative context, but some of the figures are nonetheless compelling.