Data collection and graph generation using touchscreen technology

Abstract

This thesis describes the design and implementation of the TouchGraph system, whose goal is to help students develop graphing skills by allowing them to record their own data and access the data of their classmates using touchscreen technology. Using these data, students will be able to practice organizing data by creating and labeling their own graphs, such as in the popular graphing software program TinkerPlots. In order to allow students to focus on interpretation of the data, the system can automatically generate the graphs, leaving the student to focus on noticing trends and patterns in the data. Once these graphs are created, they can be sent to the instructor via a classroom interaction system such as Classroom Learning Partner. This thesis describes the system, examples of its use, the design decisions that were made, user reactions, and future work.