After being introduced to Google Squared and Wolfram Alpha it is clear that they could helpfully fill a whole within the learning process. Both tools provide information that has been available over the internet before, through one means or another, but both display a collection of information gathered in a uniquely simple way. Both tools give statistics with very little context, but both provide a bunch of data that can be used to get a lot of information.
Google Squared's charts allow for quick comparisons between as many related objects as desired. It provides students and teachers with fast references for building research papers or for gathering contrasts between subjects on-the-fly. I know I could certainly use this in some of my classes! Instead of it combing article after article about each individual topic for the info, it is provided altogether.
Wolfram Alpha goes a different direction with it's resources. It uses the collection of information on the internet to gather charts, maps, graphs and other statistics about a subject. This information would normally be provided throughout the encyclopedia articles in a way that would be incredibly slow if you were looking for "Just the facts, ma'am" in the style of Wolfram.
I had never heard of either of these tools before EDM 310, and overall I was impressed with each of them. This exercise has definitely shown me that I must do more than take statistics at face value. Statistics can be used to prove anything if you poll the right people under the right circumstances. It's easy to leave out information that would counter your argument, in order to build a better case and that is pretty darn useful!
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