"Mr. Data, make it so"

For the non-Trekkies out there, meet Chris Smith, academic data analyst.

Chris joined us to speak about the importance of using data to improve multiple aspects of our schools.

Through his 25 years in international education, Chris noticed schools and educators collecting data but seeming overwhelmed by it or needing help knowing what to do with it. So, he began coaching, teaching, and consulting with schools and educators to help them discover what data they needed and how they could turn it into information that led to useful insights and informed decision-making. Chris has engaged with school districts in the United States and international schools worldwide through this work. Chris is passionate about helping educators and school leaders save time and make sense of their data.

Here are a few of the topics covered in this episode:

• Defining the term “data” in education
• Instead of data-driven decision-making using the term data informed decision-making
• The big areas and some lesser-known ones that data can be drawn from in our schools
• Gathering data in the classroom to inform instruction and further assessments
• Data Visualization
• Drawing data from qualitative and experiential learning experiences, including concept-based learning experiences
• Where international schools stand now regarding their use of technology and information processing in teaching and learning including roles and job titles in this field
• Digital citizenship and digital wellness
• GenAI in schools
• Recruiting and important skill sets regarding technology, information use and data gathering and interpretation – which connects to data literacy for educators

Our Guiding Question was, “Why is data gathering and analysis so important in our schools? Second, how are technology and information processing integral to teaching and learning in our schools?”

The show was recorded on March 27, 2024.

Chris’ Contact Information: LinkedIn

Categories: School Life | Data | Instruction
Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

ISTE Standards
Information and Communication Literacies (ICL)
Smith Visualizations

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Music: YouTube. (2022). Acoustic Guitar | Folk | No copyright | 2022❤️. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOEmg_6i7jA.