Data analysis skills are crucial in science and technology. Unfortunately however the necessary underlying Maths and Statistics are typically regarded as difficult and abstract by students who as a consequence may struggle to engage. This issue is made worse by traditional teaching relying on "uninspiring" material (such as made up data and problems). This presentation will report on an alternative approach built around the use of real current and openly available data. The availability of such data which has increased substantially in recent times can and should be exploited in the classroom to develop more authentic and inclusive teaching and learning activities. These ideas are being implemented into the OpenDataStat.org website.
