In this paper, commissioned as part of a consensus study on successful out-of-school STEM learning, we draw on the research literature to consider (1) what is known about the impact of tinkering and making experiences on school-aged children’s learning (interest in, engagement with and understanding of STEM in particular); (2) the emerging design principles and pedagogies that characterize tinkering and making programs; and (3) the specific tensions and possibilities within this movement for equity-oriented teaching and learning.
This volume explores how technology-supported learning environments can incorporate physical activity and interactive experiences in formal and informal education. It presents cutting-edge research and design work on a new generation of "body-centric" technologies such as wearable body sensors, GPS tracking devices, interactive display surfaces, video game controller devices, and humanlike avatars. Contributors discuss how and why each of these technologies can be used in service of learning within K-12 classrooms and at home, in museums and online. Citing examples of empirical evidence and
Dinosaur Island is a 3D computer simulation with herds of sauropods and ceratopsians, flocks of pteranodons, hunting packs of carnivores and authentic plants and trees from over 65 million years ago all controlled by the user. You can think of Dinosaur Island as a digital terrarium in which a balance between the species and their diets must be maintained or the ecosystem will collapse. It is up to the user to determine how many and what kinds of dinosaurs and plants populate the island. Start off simple with just a few sauropods and some plants; but you better make sure that those big plant-eaters have the right food to eat. Did you know that many of the plants from the Jurassic were poisonous? You also need to make sure that there are some carnivores around to keep those sauropod herds in check; otherwise they will quickly outstrip their food supplies. Dinosaur Island is an Adventure: Yes, it is a bit like those famous movies because you can take 'photographs' of your dinosaurs, save them, post them and share them with your friends (you can even 'name' your dinosaurs, 'tag' them and track them throughout their lives). You will be able to walk' with the dinosaurs without being trampled under their giant feet. You will be able to follow along when a female T-Rex goes out to hunt without fear of becoming dinner for her family. You will be able to 'garden' by 'planting' vegetation where you like and watch the plants grow over time. Dinosaur Island is Educational: Our reputation – both in our 'serious games' and our contracted simulations – is for historical accuracy. All of our computer games, serious games and simulations are meticulously researched. Dinosaur Island will also include an extensive hyperlinked interactive 'booklet' about the dinosaurs that live on Dinosaur Island, their habitat and the plants and vegetation that grow there. Designasaurus, the game that we created in 1987, was named Educational Game of the Year. We will exploit the computer environment that is now available (more memory and faster machines allow for 3D rendering) to make Dinosaur Island even more of an immersive educational experience. Dinosaur Island is Fun: Playing with herds of dinosaurs is just good fun. You can 'pick them up' and move them around, plant crops for them to eat or you can even 'get inside' a dinosaur and control its actions. Regardless of your age, Dinosaur Island is guaranteed to be hours of fun.
Educators from K-12 and higher education are collaborating on a new school of the future projects involving humanoid robots and other forms of robots and student and teacher productivity tools. We are working in the areas of STEAM Plus. (science, technology, engineering, visual and performing arts, mathematics, computer languages and foreign languages) All team members will share their action research results through a traveling exhibition to all twelve public libraries in the city of Long Beach, California. Kids Talk Radio through its Backpack Science, Journalism, and Backpack Robotics programs will create video and audio podcasts of the action research and share findings over the Internet with schools, libraries and museums around the world.
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Super School SoftwareBob BarbozaWalter Martinez
This is the first report in a series on game “impact types.” We begin with the problem. Our field needs a better way to talk about impact — a deeper conversation that is more fundamentally inclusive and multi-disciplinary, yet still evidence-based. This report is a first step, revealing the basic fragmentation and documenting its harm. Not just beginners, but our best journals and public awards can inadvertently overlook full categories of impact, and disagree on what evidence looks like. Creativity is too easily and unhealthily pitted against impact design. Even the language of “double-blind
This RAPID proposal was submitted in response to the NSF Dear Colleague letter soliciting proposals related to research addressing the Ebola challenge. The PBS NewsHour will produce 8 Television reports and Web coverage of scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and computer and technology experts as they apply their knowledge to tackling the Ebola virus. The programs will be distributed nationally through PBS, the NewsHour website, and multiple social media channels reaching a large national audience. The public needs to be kept informed about the research into Ebola in a way that is understandable to a broad general audience. Current news reports focus primarily on the immediate crisis of the victims and medical personnel while less so on the science of Ebola. The NewsHour programs will instead help people learn about the non-medical, non-clinical care research that can help lead to solutions about Ebola; information that may also be applicable to similar diseases. The videos and web content will show and explain the scientific work being done by some of the leading scientists, engineers, computer experts and big data gatherers. These researchers' stories and work will be told in ways that will be engaging to a large and diverse audience, increasing their knowledge of the scientific, engineering, and mathematical/computer data/modeling work that is critical to solving the Ebola crisis. The PBS NewsHour has significant reach through its nightly national broadcasts, its website, and its large social media following. Over 300 PBS stations broadcast the program each week night reaching 1.4 million people (11% African American and 51% female). The website has 3.8 million unique visitors and there are 575,000 Twitter followers. In addition over 1.5 million registered teachers use the PBS NewsHour educational materials. The videos and transcripts will be consolidated on the NewsHour website where they will exist permanently providing a resource for the public and researchers.
This cooperative agreement will support a program of targeted outreach, professional development and national visibility for libraries and museums as important, community-based venues for student/youth game development and STEM learning. IMLS will provide financial support amounting to $100,000 for work over the Project period of January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013. as part of this key learning and development phase, we will conduct activities including targeted outreach, professional development, youth workshops, national promotion and documentation/evaluation.
On behalf of the Sun'aq Tribe of Kodiak, the SEALibrary (Sun'aq Ecological Archives and Library) will undertake a project to enhance access to information on Kodiak ecology and Alutiiq heritage while serving as a bridge between tribal members, researchers, and regulators. It will collect, preserve, and disseminate valuable local and traditional ecological knowledge with the goal of protecting the ecological resources of the region. It will create a local storehouse of knowledge accessible both in-house and online, including not only local knowledge but also legal notices and impact assessments from naval military exercises, hazardous waste cleanup, changes to fishing regulations, and threats to local food security. This comprehensive project will include document management training, policy and electronic database systems implementation, preservation planning, archives assessment, and cross-cultural outreach services.
Rural and small public libraries provide a variety of critical services and information resources to meet the needs of residents across the United States. Recognizing the unique needs of rural communities, state governments and federal agencies support targeted programs to promote social and economic development. This IMLS research brief provides an overview of the state of small and rural libraries in the United States.
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Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)Deanne SwanJustin GrimesTimothy Owens
This report summarizes evaluative findings from a project titled “What Curiosity Sounds Like: Discovering, Challenging, and Sharing Scientific Ideas” (a.k.a.: “Discovery Dialogues”). The project, a Full-Scale development project funded by the National Science Foundation as part of its Advancing Informal Science Learning (AISL) program, explored new ways to actively engage both lay and professional audiences, and foster meaningful communication between scientists and the general public. Appendix includes survey and interview questions.
The Leonard Lief Library and Department of Art at Lehman College will create an Animated Information Literacy Advocate to explore the feasibility of using animation to foster information literacy in college-age students. Information literacy skills, including assessing information, locating sources, thinking critically, and acting ethically, are especially vital for young people entering the workforce. Four videos featuring an animated advocate developed using Kabuki RealTime Animation software will introduce learners to critical thinking in dramatic scenarios. Focus groups will be conducted to measure student satisfaction and measure outcomes of learning. The advocate will be the first animated character to deliver information literacy instruction, providing the broader library field with a new area of research in online instruction as well as the ability to test three pedagogical strategies.
Purdue University will develop CrowdAsk - A Crowdsource Library Help System, a web-based help system for academic libraries. CrowdAsk will allow librarians, students, and faculty to ask and answer questions about library resources and tools. CrowdAsk will also support ranking of questions and answers by users as well as the use of scores and badges for user motivation. The project addresses issues of existing fragmented library and academic help channels, content reuse and preservation, and lack of user (particularly expert) participation. CrowdAsk will be open source and shared with the public. It will impact the way users interact with libraries, as well as promote better understanding and use of library resources. The project will give users power to support others in getting research help.