Here’s a cool way to help learners experience what would otherwise be boring data: Turn the data into a roller coaster ride.
(If your organization blocks YouTube, you might be able to watch the video here on BlipTV.)
This video introduced me to the world of roller coaster simulators, such as this inexpensive one for Mac and Windows. I unfortunately don’t have time to experiment with new software, but if you do, please let us know how it works for you in the comments.
Are there any other inexpensive ways to turn statistics into a first-person adventure?
Sadly, I don’t have a Mac, but this is fantastic! It needs some screams, though.
While this is a fun way to represent that data, it’s not enough by itself. I don’t know many learners who will watch this animation for 3:42 minutes, without some additional timeline information such as dates and relevant events that affected real estate prices.
I agree that in its current form it’s not very instructional. The dates do appear, but unfortunately they’re hard to see because the YouTube logo was placed on top of them. The producer also offers a traditional chart of the data along with a lot of other discussion and information on his web site, so the roller coaster is only a part of the whole and a way to make the data more visceral.
The downhill parts (which are the highlight parts of a roller coaster ride) represent recessions, in this case? I think this is a good example of when creativity obscures instructional value. Or a violation of the coherence principle as Clark and Mayer would put it.
Anyway, thanks for posting the video clip. It was fun to watch.
Anders, the downhill parts reflect declining home prices, which don’t necessarily mean a recession. Obviously, the animation would have to be part of a larger piece that puts it in context. It’s just a way to make a change in data more experiential, and in this case it emphasizes the unrealistic and dramatic increase in US housing prices that occurred before the recent crash.