The Benefits and Challenges of Using Real-Time Data in the Classroom: Perspectives From the Students, Educators, and Researchers

This note discusses the advantages of using real-time data (RID) from the perspective of the student, educator, and researcher; our experience in the classroom and field using RID; and a quick survey of the spectrum of RID available to students. We also present some of the challenges sometimes associated with using RID and offer strategies that could improve the use of RID in the classroom. Our focus is on authentic aquatic data that stream in either real-time or near-real-time or are slightly dated and archived.