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PORTLAND, OR – Sept. 26, 2007 New capabilities in InspireData include an e-Survey function for easy online data collection, more plot and expanded table options, more than 100 content-rich databases, and expanded teacher tools and resources. "For students to be successful in 21st century society, they must develop data literacy as part of their overall information literacy skills," said Mona Westhaver, president and co-founder, Inspiration Software. "With the expanded tools for plotting data, content-rich databases and added teacher resources and tools in InspireData 1.5, it becomes an even more powerful tool for engaging students in dynamically exploring data and building critical data literacy skills." To quickly get started exploring and analysing data, teachers and students can use InspireData's new collection of more than 100 subject-specific databases, as well as the new database templates that provide a pre-structured way to collect and enter their own data. Or they can use InspireData's new e-Survey tool to collect original data anytime, anywhere. With the tool, they simply create and publish an online survey to gather data and then instantly download the results into InspireData to begin analysis. In addition to using multiple plots to recognise the patterns, trends and implications of data and animated time series to see how data changes over time, students can now display line of best fit to axis plots to show trends and predict values. At Slidell High School in Louisiana, Glenda Schmidt, a high school chemistry teacher, and her students used InspireData to evaluate data from measuring the temperature and relative humidity in their school's classrooms. She was amased at the ways the data literacy software tool engaged her students in learning and made the data come to life. "InspireData is fascinating to watch. It keeps up with how students think," she said. "In today's world, with all the electronics kids use every day, you have to have something that moves fast, and this is it. You don't have to be bogged down to plot something and see a relationship. For them to see and watch the graph form before their eyes is extremely powerful." Schmidt said as she has used InspireData, she has become more aware of "how flexible, powerful and interactive the software actually is. Because it yields changes in visible results so quickly, it facilitates more questions and much more critical thinking." To help teachers like Schmidt use InspireData to engage their students in learning and help them build critical thinking skills, Inspiration Software has expanded the collection of lesson plans that accompany the software. InspireData's new Learn-to-use Handouts give teachers easy-to-follow instructions for quickly learning how to use InspireData. Additional Web resources provide even more lesson plans that will help their students build data literacy skills across the curriculum. In addition, new database templates for classroom analysis allow teachers to use InspireData to make data-driven instructional decisions by doing things like tracking student performance over time and identifying classroom trends. Educators interested in previewing InspireData 1.5 can download free, fully functional 30-day trial copies from the Inspiration Software Web site at http://www.inspiration.com/ie/ID15trial. Free upgrades are available to download for customers who currently own InspireData. An upgrade kit containing hard copies of the CD, documentation and Quick Reference Cards is available for purchase. About Inspiration Software, Inc. Recognized as the leader in visual thinking and learning, Inspiration Software, Inc.'s award-winning software tools, Inspiration®, Kidspiration® and InspireData, are based on proven visual learning methodologies that help students think, learn and achieve. With the powerful combination of visual learning and technology, students age 4-adult learn to clarify thoughts, organise and analyse information, integrate new knowledge and think critically. Founded 25 years ago by Donald Helfgott and Mona Westhaver, the company's visual learning software tools are used today by more than 25 million students and teachers worldwide. | ||
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