Last Week of 540

The final week of 540 had us wrapping the class by viewing different types of data, analyzing their value.  The Google Trends assignment was very interesting, seeing how quickly and efficiently data about the latest popular trends can be tabulated and displayed.  The individual assignment of analyzing the seven different websites was intriguing in the sense that different resources breakdown their data differently.  Finally, having to compare two of these websites forced us to really examine what makes a statistical analysis productive.  Overall, for being a statistics class, this was a very relaxing and informative summer course!

Week 4 of 540

Despite having a couple of weeks off from class, we did have enough work to keep us busy.  The group project was not as strenuous as I initially anticipated, given the fact that we could divide the responsibility amongst our group members.  Once we figured out our major inquiry (how everyday people use their computers and Internet); writing the questions, distributing the survey, and even analyzing the data wasn't overly difficult.  We also had to finish another guided practice worksheet together, which dealt more with advanced statistical topics than normal, but once again, working on it together made it easier.  Finally, we had to do a little bit of a background check on data wizard Bill Tancer.  His innovative ways of dissecting search data help businesses and people alike understand the ongoing trends of how we as a society think and act.