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Curriculum
- 9 Sections
- 50 Lessons
- Lifetime
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- What is Data?This course gives a short introduction in the world of data. If you are starting your journey into this wonderful land, this course is for you. The course covers basic concepts, different types of data and gives an introduction to machine readable data.6
- Finding DataDon't know where to start looking for data? This section gives an introduction to data portals and different data sources. Finally we will walk you through how to use one sample data portal.5
- Sort and Filter: The basics of spreadsheetsSo you found and downloaded your dataset? What now? Sort and Filter introduces a powerful tool to manage data: Spreadsheets. Based on Google Spreadsheets, this Course introduces the basic functions as well how to sort and filter data to find what you might be interested in…8
- Taming the Fierce Beast – The Math you need to startWorried about all those numbers? This module will help you to refresh the basic math (don't be afraid it's mainly counting and adding).10
- 'But what does it mean?': Analyzing data (spreadsheets continued)Wonder how to make sense of the data? Basic Analysis will help you to understand what your data might mean. It also introduces spreadsheet formulas and helps you calculate more values out of what you already have.4
- From Data to Diagrams: An introduction to plots and chartsA picture says more than a thousand words – yeah but how do we turn a thousand words into a picture? This section will help you to understand basic data visualization and create them using Google spreadsheets. Visualizing data will help you to better understand the data you are handling.7
- Look Out!: Common Misconceptions and how to avoid themNot everything is easily understood in dataland. In this course we give a short overview over common pitfalls when talking about data and how to avoid them. It can help you avoid the mistakes made as well as read other peoples claims more carefully. If you want to learn what to watch out for: join in!9
- Tell me a story: Working out what’s interesting in your dataData alone is meaningless and often boring. To understand it better you will need context. In this section we will talk about how to publish the data we worked on throughout the basic track. We will talk about how to identify key points of your data to help you use data to make your voice heard.6
- Data provenanceTo make a credible and sustainable data project, you need to document your steps right from the beginning. This course contains tips and tricks and tools for doing so.3
Navigating and using the Spreadsheet
Now we loaded some data let’s deal with the basics of spreadsheets. A spreadsheet is basically a table of “cells” in which you can input data. The cells are organized in “rows” and “columns”. Typically rows are labeled by numbers, columns by letters. This also means cells can be addressed by their “column” and “row” coordinates. The cell A1 denotes the cell in the first row in the first column, A2 the one in the second row, B1 the one in the second column and so on.
To enter or change data in a cell click on it and start typing – this will change the contents of the cell. Basic navigation can be done this way or via keyboard. Find a list of keyboard shortcuts good to know below:
| Key or Combination | What it does |
|---|---|
| Tab | End input on the current cell and jump to the cell right to the current one |
| Enter | End input and jump to the next row (This will try to be intelligent, so if you’re entering multiple columns, it will jump to the first column you are entering |
| Up | Move to the cell one row up |
| Down | Move to the cell one row down |
| Left | Move to the cell left |
| Right | Move to the cell on the Right |
| Ctrl+<direction> | Move to the outermost cell in the direction given |
| Shift+<direction> | Select the current cell and the cell in <direction> |
| Ctrl+Shift+<direction> | Select all cells from the current to the outermost cell in <direction> |
| Ctrl+c | Copy – copies the selected cells into the clipboard |
| Ctrl+v | Paste – pastes the clipboard |
| Ctrl+x | Cut – copies the selected cells into the clipboard and removes them from their original position |
| Ctrl+z | Undo – undoes the last change you made |
| Ctrl+y | Redo – undoes an undo |
Tip: Practice a bit, and you will find that you will become a lot faster using the keyboard than the mouse!