A Morning at the Lighthouse School: Teaching the Next Generation About Data

Introduction

A few weeks back, Ramen and I had the chance to visit the Lighthouse School in Leeds for a Data Masterclass. We aimed to pack as much content as possible into our couple of hours to give the students an energy-packed, passion-filled introduction to the world of data.

We were the last to present after the students had already had masterclasses in AI and the Cloud, so we knew we needed to leave a lasting impression. We got some inside info that the class was VERY interested in computing and gaming, which, luckily for us, ties in perfectly with data. We made sure to sprinkle in plenty of gaming references to ramp up their interest and make it relatable. Given that we were corrected more than once on our references to their beloved video game characters, and even the correct eye colour of one specific character, it’s safe to say their interest was piqued.

What is Data?

We kicked things off by chatting about what data ACTUALLY is. The students found out that data isn’t just numbers and text, but also includes images and videos. We managed to show them how important data is in our daily lives and gave them a taste of how it’s constantly being created all around us, even during the most ordinary activities. We brought this to life with an Arreoblue-created superhero, who dashed to the shops in comic-book style to buy his new favourite game. This highlighted to the class that whenever anyone goes shopping, the items they buy and all the information around that purchase are captured and can be super useful—not just for the store but for their future experiences at the store, or one of their related branches.

Capturing & Storing Data

Next, we dove into how data is captured and stored. We introduced them to different storage methods, from old-school hard drives to modern cloud storage solutions. We took them on a whirlwind tour through time, starting with ancient stone carvings, moving through the early days of photography and dark rooms, then into the 20th century with classic VHS tapes and cassettes. Finally, we landed in the present day, showing them that their phones can pretty much do all we had talked about and more.

Accessing Data in the Cloud

Having previously done the cloud masterclass, which Ramen also attended, he thought it would be key to bridge the workshops to show how cloud computing relates to the world of data. One of the key topics was accessing data in the cloud. We demonstrated how cloud computing enables us to store and retrieve data from anywhere, facilitating easier analysis and insights. We brought this back to computer gaming again for the students to highlight how the ability to play games with players from far distant lands is all down to the cloud, the networks, and data.

Data Growth

You can’t talk about data without talking about how quickly it is growing. Using video game references, we were able to build up data size from bytes all the way up to gigabytes, which then gave us the perfect way to segue into the growth of data on a yearly timeline. We saw the steady rise of yearly data creation in the 2010s, followed by the huge leap during the global pandemic and then in the years beyond. Again, we were able to demonstrate the rise in data using their favourite games as a baseline reference; personally, I found this fascinating. Did you know the amount of data created yearly is in the magnitude of trillions of computer game character “skins”? If everyone played the game in the world, it’s the equivalent of everyone having around a million “skins” changes every year … there or there about!!

Getting Hands-On

To make the session even more engaging and really bring it to life, we concluded with a hands-on activity. We simulated a scenario where the class acted as video game creators analysing customer reviews and scores. Each student was given a selection of feedback, and they helped us carry out some high-level sentiment analysis and determine the minimum and maximum ratings. The idea was to illustrate how distributed computing facilitates large-scale data analysis and visualisation. Each of them played their part in being one of the distributed computes, and we acted as the central node bringing all the information together. This activity was very similar to one I had been shown when I first started learning about distributed computing; I still use that as my initial point of reference when considering how a spark program might compute my ask, so I felt it might be a powerful way to get the concept across. We then used their responses to help us graph up and visualise on the whiteboard what an exec member of the team might want in the form of a dashboard. We really felt that this helped the students grasp the practical understanding of the concepts discussed while allowing us to throw some fun and collaboration into the mix.

Parting Thoughts

Both Ramen and I thoroughly enjoyed our experience at the Lighthouse School. Being able to split the presentation was a great way for us to keep the content fresh and the students engaged. We both agreed that not only was the presentation itself a great experience but the time preparing the content was equally as satisfying. It made us take a step back from our day-to-day to really think about the best way to portray the concepts to the younger audience. As a consultant, I thrive on the dynamic nature of our workdays, where no two days are the same. But this was “something completely different” (bonus points for those who catch the coding nod). We hope that our efforts have planted the seeds of curiosity with them and that maybe one day they will be inspired to dive and delve deeper into the wonderful, whacky, and exponentially-growing world of data.

Ramen, I, and the wider Arreoblue community would like to thank the Lighthouse School for allowing us to come in and chat with the students, and the Northern Initiative for facilitating the opportunity.