Dabble DB is an online database which allows users to create sets of data and charts, and then lets them share any of the information with other users. It revolves around a very user friendly and intuitive interface. Users are can create a spreadsheet from scratch or import an existing one. Once the data is in, it can then be modified, sorted, or filtered as needed. It can then be saved in various views to create hundreds of unique "perspectives" of the data. Really get the data to show what you want it to. Lastly, data can be made public or shared with specific individuals.
I must admit, Dabble DB is a pretty amazing tool, however, it is seriously business oriented. It took me some time to think of a way to use it in education. The best idea I could come up with was the sharing of school wide data. In this "No Child Left Behind" world we live in, data is the driving force in education. There needs to be proof, paper evidence, that our students are achieving, making ground, passing the test. Our school is constantly talking about where the students were, where they are at now, and where they should be. Not only that, but we are constantly handing in assessments to show our students proficiency, or lack there of. Then when all the data is thrown at us we seem to have no time to react or digest it. If only there were a way we could see the data, when we wanted it. Thus enters Dabble DB.
All of your school wide data could be posted and shared with teachers, administrators, and parents. Have a chance to really analyze school data. Plus, Dabble DB has a calendar feature, which would be great for organizing all those deadlines for turning in assessments and scores.
Overall I like the potential of Dabble DB. As I stated earlier, it is very business driven. It could be very useful in an educational situation, but you would need someone knowledgeable in databases to set it up. Then you would need the staff and parent usage to justify keeping it going. So while it might take some work, initially to set up, once you had your data organized and published, I think you would have a great resource and tool for parents and teachers. For a quick overview visit the demo.
References:
Dabble DB. Retrieved April 11, 2007 from www.dabbledb.com
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2 comments:
Dabble DB looks like an awesome program. However, as I am not tech wise, I would need a strong tutor to see me through. I think I have an idea of where we could use it in education. For our 7th and 8th graders we offfer specials and it would appear this program could help us keep track of who is teaching what when. But then again this program is almost too powerful for such a simple query.
Well written article.
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