I love Data!

 

As lifelong learners, teachers recognize that their professional practice continues to evolve as they reflect and act on new information. If teachers have information that helps them confidently identify the root of educational challenges and track progress, they can more readily develop action plans that will have a positive impact on their students. All teachers share a common goal: to see every student succeed.  One of the best ways to make this happen is to use data in order to improve student achievement.

When it comes to data, I’ve been focusing on it for years both as a teacher and as a prospective future administrator.  Data-minded decisions get results.  Some of the educational data that I’m referring to might include student achievement data such as teacher observational notes of students’ performance in class, samples of students’ class work, student portfolios, results of formal and informal classroom assessment, and report cards. Other student data relevant to the students such as student mobility, attendance data, behavioral incident data and homework completion or even contextual data that are not under the direct control of the teacher (such as students’ linguistic background, gender or community socio-economic factors) but are important to consider when planning for improved student achievement are ALL important kinds of data that are collected, analyzed and used in order to improve student achievement in schools.

So………. What does this have to do with me today?  Well, I love data.  I’m driven by data when it comes to getting results.  I need to see hard, concrete numbers in order to see where I am today and where I want to go tomorrow.  Whether my hubby and I are looking at our bank accounts and determining future purchases or looking at driving distances & gas mileage from Florida to Alaska to see how fuel efficient we are being – to me, it’s all about the numbers and what the data says. 

But I’ve really come to love data lately when it has to do with running and also weight loss.  Again… I’m all about the data.  Data gives me direction.  It tells me what kind of action plan to put into place.  Data gets me results.  The first thing I'm loving is my hubby's Garmin Forerunner 305 (which I got him 2 Christmas' ago).  I just started using it on my runs and I can't believe that I've waited this long. 

When it comes to data (miles ran, average pace, pace of each mile, total time of run, calories burned), it is amazing and I'm super excited to see how this changes my running. I've been running 3-4 times per week (3-4 miles each run) but I'm to the point where I'm ready to increase distance and also pay closer attention to the pace at which I run. And I'm quite sure this little techy gadget is going to help me do just that. For example, this mornings run with the girls (keep in mind I push 65 lbs = 2 girls + stroller) looked like this:

• mile 1 = 9:43
• mile 2 = 10:08
• mile 3 = 10:10

Total time of 3 mile run = 29:59.  Average pace was 9:59 per mile.  Not too bad.  But I'm looking forward to the improvement that is sure to come my way!

The other very important piece of data that has made a HUGE difference for me is the My Fitness Pal app that my sister (unbeknownst to her) shared with me.  Her and my brother-in-law have had huge success with tracking their calorie intake and cardio output = amazing weight loss for both of them (thanks for sharing Jen &Ash)! 

 My Fitness Pal

I can't believe how easy it is to use and keep track of what I'm eating and what the nutritional value is of everything I consume each day. Not only is it data at my finger tips, but it is a constant reminder for me what my nutritional and cardio goals are each and every day! Hello... run more and lose the last few pregnancy pounds that Marilyn blessed me with over a year ago!  I'm pretty sure that these two important pieces of data will be the winning combo (plus my hard work and dedication obviously) that I need to achieve my fitness goals.  I've already seen my running distance increase and a few unwanted pounds fall off.  Can I get an Amen?  I see a few road races (5K, 12K and maybe even a 1/2 marathon) in the near future AND fitting into my size 6 pants by summer time!

Did I mention that I love data?