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Project Descriptions

Playful Invention and Exploration (PIE) Institute: Professional Development Opportunities for Informal Educators

April 1, 2005 - March 31, 2010 | Professional Development, Conferences, and Networks
The "Playful Invention and Exploration (PIE) Institute" is a three-year project to increase the capacity of museum educators and exhibitors to design and implement technology-integrated inquiry activities for the public. The collaborators include the Exploratorium, MIT Media Lab, Science Museum of Minnesota, Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, Explora Science Center and the Children's Museum of Albuquerque. The deliverables include a portfolio of technology-rich activities, professional development institutes, online educator resources and a handbook of pedagogical design principles for museum educators. This project builds upon prior NSF supported work that developed the PIE Network, which among other things developed the "cricket," an inexpensive computer that makes informal learning inquiry activities more compelling. This project has the potential to impact both the theory and practice of informal science education in museums. It will implement new theories and tools that represent a new approach to engaging and supporting visitors' learning experiences using play and experimentation that mirrors the processes of laboratory investigation. It also provides an innovative model of collaboration that develops and implements a major complex project by bringing together science centers with unique and complementary expertise.

Funders

NSF
Funding Program: ISE/AISL
Award Number: 0452567
Funding Amount: 1987626

TEAM MEMBERS

  • Mike Petrich
    Principal Investigator
    Exploratorium
  • Collen Blair
    Co-Principal Investigator
    Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
  • Karen Wilkinson
    Co-Principal Investigator
    Exploratorium
  • Kristen Murray
    Co-Principal Investigator
    Science Museum of Minnesota
  • Keith Braafladt
    Former Co-Principal Investigator
    Science Museum of Minnesota
  • Robert Lindsey
    Former Co-Principal Investigator
    Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
  • Samuel Dean
    Former Co-Principal Investigator
    Exploratorium
  • Discipline: Education and learning science | Nature of science | Technology
    Audience: General Public | Educators/Teachers | Museum/ISE Professionals | Evaluators
    Environment Type: Professional Development, Conferences, and Networks | Professional Development and Workshops | Resource Centers and Networks

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