Why everyone should be data literate | Jordan Morrow | TEDxBoise
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0:07 - 0:08How many of us
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0:08 - 0:10have ever been watching the news,
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0:10 - 0:14and a story comes on,
and we get captivated by it, -
0:14 - 0:17and then we start
asking questions such as, -
0:17 - 0:20"Is this data and information correct?"
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0:21 - 0:22Or how many of us
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0:22 - 0:27have ever been in a check-out stand,
looking at the newspapers and magazines - -
0:27 - 0:30and for those that don't know
what a newspaper is, -
0:30 - 0:33it's printed word, not on social media -
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0:33 - 0:36but how many times
have we been in that check-out stand -
0:36 - 0:39and said, "Nah, that can't be real?"
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0:40 - 0:42Or third, turning to social media,
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0:43 - 0:46how many of us
have ever been on social media -
0:46 - 0:49and we see these viral stories
that go around -
0:49 - 0:52that make us think or worry,
kind of like the Momo Challenge, -
0:53 - 0:55and then we find out that it's a hoax?
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0:57 - 0:58The world we live in today
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0:58 - 1:02is producing so much
instant access to information. -
1:03 - 1:05How do we decipher through it all?
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1:05 - 1:07And not only decipher through it all:
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1:07 - 1:11how do we take it to make
a smart, informed decision? -
1:13 - 1:15Now what if I told you
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1:15 - 1:18that there is legitimately
a skill in the world -
1:18 - 1:20that everyone can learn -
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1:20 - 1:23and not just learn, but get good at -
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1:23 - 1:28that will empower us
to understand data and information better -
1:28 - 1:31and then to make a data-informed decision?
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1:31 - 1:33Sound too good to be true?
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1:34 - 1:35I promise it's not.
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1:35 - 1:38It is real, and it is
accessible to everybody. -
1:39 - 1:42And this skill is data literacy.
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1:43 - 1:47Now before I jump in
to exactly what data literacy is, -
1:47 - 1:49I want to set this foundation for us more
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1:49 - 1:52so we understand the era
and the world that we live in -
1:52 - 1:54with technology and information.
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1:56 - 1:58Now the time period in which we live
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1:58 - 2:00has been called
the Fourth Industrial Revolution. -
2:00 - 2:03Now what in the world
does that actually mean? -
2:04 - 2:06It means a digital world,
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2:06 - 2:12and I think all of us can agree
that we live in a very digital world. -
2:12 - 2:14In fact, it is very hard-pressed
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2:14 - 2:18to find people who don't have a computer
in their pocket now, in a smartphone. -
2:19 - 2:22To help paint this picture even better,
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2:22 - 2:24I'm going to go through
a few examples with you -
2:24 - 2:27just to show you how connected we are
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2:27 - 2:29and how much information
is being produced. -
2:29 - 2:31The first example:
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2:31 - 2:34Did you know that nowadays
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2:34 - 2:37you need a refrigerator
that has a touchscreen on it? -
2:38 - 2:39(Laughter)
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2:39 - 2:41And not just has a touchscreen,
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2:41 - 2:44but it can play a YouTube video for you,
it can tell you the weather. -
2:46 - 2:48These things exist,
did you know that you need it? -
2:48 - 2:52Now, in full disclosure,
guess who has one of those? -
2:52 - 2:54(Laughter)
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2:54 - 2:59Second: Did you know
that you need a dishwasher -
3:00 - 3:02that connects to your Internet?
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3:02 - 3:04Because I can't think of anything
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3:04 - 3:07I have ever wanted more
when I'm at a movie theater -
3:07 - 3:10than to know when my
dish-washing cycle is complete. -
3:10 - 3:12(Laughter)
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3:12 - 3:14Did you know you need that?
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3:15 - 3:19Third: Did you know
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3:19 - 3:21that it is becoming way too difficult
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3:21 - 3:23to turn a knob to turn your shower on?
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3:23 - 3:24(Laughter)
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3:24 - 3:26That now you can download an app
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3:27 - 3:29that can turn the water on
and - by golly - -
3:29 - 3:32set it to the exact temperature
that you want? -
3:32 - 3:34Not only that,
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3:34 - 3:36but you can have a touchscreen
in your shower, -
3:36 - 3:39and that mixture
of electricity and water - -
3:39 - 3:41(Laughter)
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3:41 - 3:43Did you know you need that?
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3:45 - 3:49The reality is,
everything is being connected. -
3:49 - 3:53And not just connected:
guess what that produces for us? -
3:54 - 3:56Data and information.
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3:57 - 4:00Now data has been called the new oil,
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4:00 - 4:03but I think we need to take
a step back from that statement -
4:03 - 4:05to understand it better.
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4:05 - 4:08Data is this valuable asset,
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4:08 - 4:09but just like oil,
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4:10 - 4:15it has to go through people
and refinement to get value. -
4:16 - 4:17This is data literacy.
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4:19 - 4:20Now by definition,
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4:20 - 4:24data literacy is the ability to read,
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4:24 - 4:29work with, analyze, and argue with data -
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4:29 - 4:33four skills that reside across a spectrum.
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4:33 - 4:35Notice what I did not say:
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4:36 - 4:40data literacy is not data science.
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4:40 - 4:44Not everyone in this world
needs to be data scientist, -
4:45 - 4:47but everyone needs to be
comfortable with data -
4:48 - 4:51to be able to succeed
in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. -
4:52 - 4:55So let's dive through these four skills
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4:55 - 4:57to help us understand them better.
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4:57 - 5:00And to do that, we are going to imagine
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5:00 - 5:02that we all are buying a refrigerator.
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5:03 - 5:06Now the principles
I'm about to teach and talk through -
5:06 - 5:08apply not only in a personal life;
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5:09 - 5:11they apply in the public sector,
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5:11 - 5:15they apply in business,
and they apply in society. -
5:16 - 5:20The first characteristic
is the ability to read data. -
5:20 - 5:23Now imagine that we are going to a store,
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5:23 - 5:26and we are looking
at all these refrigerators, -
5:26 - 5:29and we have no clue which one
is going to fit our world the best. -
5:30 - 5:31So the first step is
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5:31 - 5:36we are going to read the information
and data that is provided to us, -
5:36 - 5:40and if you were to Google
the word "to read": -
5:41 - 5:45it means to look at something
and comprehend it. -
5:46 - 5:50So when we walk into the store
and there are 30 refrigerators all over, -
5:51 - 5:53hopefully some without a touchscreen,
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5:54 - 5:57we can read the information
that is given to us, -
5:57 - 6:00and comprehend it
to make a smarter decision. -
6:01 - 6:04Reading data is one
of the most powerful things -
6:04 - 6:07that can free up our minds
in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. -
6:08 - 6:10If you think back hundreds of years,
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6:10 - 6:12did you know it could be a criminal act
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6:12 - 6:14to be able to read?
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6:15 - 6:18In no way am I saying it will be
a criminal act to be able to read data, -
6:19 - 6:23but just like it did hundreds of years ago
with all of this information around us, -
6:23 - 6:28the ability to read it
and comprehend it is a key skill. -
6:28 - 6:30So back to our refrigerators.
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6:30 - 6:31We move along
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6:31 - 6:35and we get to the second
characteristic of data literacy. -
6:36 - 6:38This is the ability to work with data.
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6:39 - 6:41Now one might ask themselves,
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6:41 - 6:45"Does this mean I have to get good
at computer science and statistics -
6:45 - 6:46to work with data?"
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6:47 - 6:49The answer is no.
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6:50 - 6:52It means being comfortable
with information -
6:52 - 6:54when it is presented to you.
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6:55 - 6:56If we think of those viral stories
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6:56 - 6:59that go around
and they make us uncomfortable, -
6:59 - 7:03we become relieved
when we find out it's a hoax. -
7:03 - 7:07Working and reading with data allows us
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7:07 - 7:10to determine it's a hoax
before we have to find out. -
7:11 - 7:13So when we're buying these refrigerators
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7:13 - 7:17and each refrigerator
has an information sheet, -
7:17 - 7:19we're comfortable taking that
and consuming it, -
7:20 - 7:24to move along to the third characteristic
of the data literacy definition, -
7:25 - 7:28and that means to analyze data.
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7:29 - 7:33Now what analyzing data does
is it gets to the "why?" behind it. -
7:34 - 7:39I often say we want to move beyond
an observation and get to the insight. -
7:40 - 7:44In reality, when a story
is going around on social media, -
7:44 - 7:45most of the time,
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7:46 - 7:49we are making an observation
of the information presented to us. -
7:50 - 7:51In the case of a refrigerator,
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7:51 - 7:54we walk into a store, see 30 refrigerators
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7:54 - 7:56and maybe five of them
catch our attention: -
7:56 - 7:58we made an observation.
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7:59 - 8:03We then need to analyze the information
about those five refrigerators -
8:04 - 8:05so that we can take it in
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8:05 - 8:09and find the insight
that will lead to a smarter decision. -
8:09 - 8:14Analyzing also means being
comfortable asking questions. -
8:15 - 8:17That's not something
that happens too often -
8:17 - 8:19with social media in our day and age.
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8:19 - 8:22We should be questioning everything.
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8:24 - 8:25The fourth piece of the pie
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8:26 - 8:28is arguing with data.
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8:28 - 8:30Now, a little side note,
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8:30 - 8:34I am not encouraging you
to go argue with the salesperson -
8:34 - 8:36as you try and pick your refrigerator.
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8:37 - 8:39Arguing with data means two things.
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8:39 - 8:44One: interrogate the information
as it is presented to you. -
8:44 - 8:48Ask a lot of questions of the salesperson,
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8:49 - 8:51interrogate what they're giving you.
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8:51 - 8:56The second side of arguing
with data and information -
8:56 - 9:02is this ability to put a position forward
and back it up with information. -
9:03 - 9:05So put yourself in my shoes.
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9:06 - 9:10Let's say, my wife and I are remodeling
and picking out this fridge. -
9:10 - 9:14We agree on absolutely everything.
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9:15 - 9:16No.
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9:16 - 9:17(Laughter)
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9:17 - 9:19We each have our position,
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9:19 - 9:23and then we argue it
and back it up with facts and data -
9:23 - 9:26to arrive at the best refrigerator for us.
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9:28 - 9:29Four characteristics:
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9:29 - 9:34reading, working with,
analyzing, and arguing with data -
9:35 - 9:40empower us as individuals to make sense
of all the information that is out there -
9:40 - 9:42and then to make decisions with it.
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9:43 - 9:46Now I am asked very often,
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9:46 - 9:49"How do I start? What do I do?"
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9:49 - 9:52"Do I need to back to school
and get good at statistics?" -
9:53 - 9:55"Do I need to learn how to code?"
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9:55 - 9:59Now I understand greatly,
not everyone is as big a nerd as myself. -
10:00 - 10:03Not everyone wants to read
a statistics textbook - -
10:03 - 10:05I promise you I do.
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10:06 - 10:08So what do you do to start?
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10:09 - 10:14I've coined a phrase that I use
called "The Two Cs of Data Literacy." -
10:15 - 10:19The first C is I want you
to become Curious. -
10:21 - 10:23I have five children.
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10:23 - 10:26Guess how many questions
they ask me on a daily basis? -
10:26 - 10:27(Laughter)
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10:28 - 10:33And here's the kicker:
I never ever want my kids to stop. -
10:34 - 10:38I watch their brains working through
information and data in front of them, -
10:38 - 10:42to come to answers that I could
only dream of making myself. -
10:43 - 10:44Because for some reason,
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10:45 - 10:49when we become adults,
our curiosity disappears. -
10:50 - 10:55Become curious and ask
questions of everything. -
10:56 - 10:59That is the start
to powerful data literacy. -
11:00 - 11:02The second C of data literacy
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11:03 - 11:04is Creativity.
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11:05 - 11:08There is a lot of hype
and a lot of discussion in the world -
11:09 - 11:14on what is AI, artificial intelligence,
computers, machines -
11:14 - 11:16going to do to the future.
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11:17 - 11:19We're already in the Fourth
Industrial Revolution. -
11:19 - 11:23We are already living in a digital world,
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11:23 - 11:28and I'm here to tell you the most powerful
computer that is out there is in here; -
11:29 - 11:31it's in our minds.
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11:31 - 11:35The human element should never be
stripped away from data. -
11:35 - 11:40It is a combination of those machines
of data and artificial intelligence -
11:41 - 11:43combined with the human element.
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11:44 - 11:48And remember: those four characteristics
are on a spectrum of skills. -
11:49 - 11:54But the second C of Creativity
allows us to open up our human mind -
11:55 - 11:58to something that might seem
boring or mundane, -
11:59 - 12:01but data and information have power.
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12:03 - 12:08Now overall, this world that we're
living in truly can be improved -
12:08 - 12:11in society, in business,
and in our own personal lives, -
12:12 - 12:15as we improve ourselves in reading,
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12:15 - 12:19working with, analyzing,
and arguing with data. -
12:20 - 12:23If you want to have a foolproof way
of succeeding in the future -
12:23 - 12:24and in this digital world
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12:25 - 12:26become data literate.
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12:26 - 12:27Thank you.
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12:27 - 12:31(Applause)
- Title:
- Why everyone should be data literate | Jordan Morrow | TEDxBoise
- Description:
-
How do we decipher between what is true and what is not without becoming data scientists? How can we use information to make better decisions? Data literacy opens our eyes and enables us to succeed in the digital revolution.
Jordan is a fierce lover of the world of data and analytics, calling himself a “data nerd.” Besides his love of all things math- and data-related, Jordan is an avid trail runner and ultramarathoner, often exploring the mountain ranges of Utah. He is the proud father of five, married to his best friend from college, and even named his Golden Retriever, Wrigley, after the field where his beloved Chicago Cubs play.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 12:36
Peter van de Ven approved English subtitles for Why everyone should be data literate | Jordan Morrow | TEDxBoise | ||
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Lisa Rodriguez edited English subtitles for Why everyone should be data literate | Jordan Morrow | TEDxBoise | ||
Lisa Rodriguez edited English subtitles for Why everyone should be data literate | Jordan Morrow | TEDxBoise | ||
Lisa Rodriguez edited English subtitles for Why everyone should be data literate | Jordan Morrow | TEDxBoise | ||
Lisa Rodriguez edited English subtitles for Why everyone should be data literate | Jordan Morrow | TEDxBoise |