Monitoring the GAME Plan

I use a Texas Instruments Graphing Calculator and Excel in my classroom. In my game plan, I want to find a comparative free data analysis tool for my students to use at home for 5 types of regression. I have finished compiling a list of 20 free online spreadsheets and began to evaluate the features my students would need.




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For each, I created a free account and copied in 5 data sets. I used the help features to learn how to create an xyscatter graph for each and then looked for the 5 corresponding trendlines. If there was no trendline option, I looked for built in functions. Then I looked at the quality of the graph and how it would look printed. Could it be enlarged and printed on its own page or did it have to be on top of the data within the sheet? I finally looked for export options.

After evaluating 15 online spreadsheets I have found 8 were not going to be useful. They were either no longer available or only offered the source code to be downloaded. The user would have to compile it and this is far too complicated for my target audience. The other 7 sites had varying useful features (see matrix below), but none that exactly duplicated the abilities of the tools we use in class.

Here is my evaluation matrix so far:


I was most disappointed with Office Live. It does not have any of the Trendline features that Excel does, lagging far behind even Open Office which can at least do linear and exponential trendlines. I did learn Microsoft is going to be releasing a based web application called Microsoft Cloud Office 365, but was again disappointed that will be subscription based.

I still have 5 more to evaluate, but I fear the more obscure they are, the less likely they will have multiple features. They are eXpressoCorp, InputWebWizard, Peepel, Sheetster, SimpleSpreadsheet and ThinkFree.

I do not feel I am finding the information and resources I need.

I do feel I need to modify my GAME plan.

My new focus will be a two part search:

1) To locate a web based graphing programs or calculators that can print professional looking full page graphs. I have found a good starting point for researching graphing tools:

http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/Graphing+Tools

2) To locate a web based site that will calculate the 5 types of regression equation my students are expected to perform. I have found two so far:

http://people.hofstra.edu/Stefan_Waner/RealWorld/newgraph/regressionframes.html

http://www.xuru.org/rt/TOC.asp
and will continue searching site from:

http://statpages.org/#Calculators