Key to introducing information and communication technologies in museums is to support meaning-making activity in encounters with artefacts. The study presented in this paper is exploratory in nature and investigates the use of social and mobile technologies in school field trips as a means of enhancing the visitor experience. It is anchored in sociocultural perspectives of learning as meaning making, with a focus on mediating artefacts in the development of understanding. The Museum of London was selected as the site of the study and the participants were a Year 9 History class (13-14 years
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Koula CharitonosCanan BlakeEileen ScanlonAnn Jones
The article looks at so-called Maker spaces, areas of public libraries devoted to helping patrons work together and learn by offering tools, access, and training to create ideas and objects. The spaces' focus on learning through play is emphasized. Other topics include incorporating 3-D (three-dimensional) printing and mentoring.
The article presents information on library makerspace models in the U.S. that allow patrons to create, build, and craft using technology, including ideas related to deliberate opportunism, collaboration, and centralization and development. The author looks at strategies used at Allen County Public Library (ACPL) in Indiana, the Cleveland Public Library in Cleveland, Ohio, and the DeLaMare Science and Engineering Library at the University of Nevada in Reno, Nevada.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Travis GoodAmerican Library Association
resourceresearchProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
The article discusses the highlights of the sixth annual "Spring Event in Rome on Modern Leonardos" Internet conference co-sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Italy and The American University of Rome on May 23, 2013. Maria Stella Rasetti of the Biblioteca San Giorgio, Pistoia provided a video of the public library's YouLab in action. Other presentations included one on Fab Lab Barcelona by its director Tomas Diez and another by Neil Gershenfeld, originator of the fabrication laboratory concept.
Modern zoological gardens have invested substantial resources in technology to deliver environmental education concepts to visitors. Investment in these media reflects a currently unsubstantiated belief that visitors will both use and learn from these media alongside more traditional and less costly displays. This paper proposes a model that identifies key factors theorized to influence the likelihood of visitors engaging in technology-delivered media. Using data from two case studies of large National Science Foundation-funded projects in zoos, the authors argue key factors in predicting
This study examined the verbal prompts a tutor used to promote reflection and young students' responses to these prompts. Seven children (ages 8-12) participated in 260 min of one-on-one tutoring to learn scientific concepts related to gear movement; the tutor spontaneously provided these students with 763 prompts for reflection. Prompts reliably induced reflection: Students responded verbally 87% of the time. Turn-by-turn discourse analysis revealed seven distinct types of prompts and 11 distinct types of verbal responses. High-level prompts were strongly associated with high-level responses
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Travis WilsonMichelle PerryCarolyn AndersonDean Grosshandler
The article discusses the growing interest and excitement over Makerspaces referred to as places where design and entrepreneurial ideas are allowed and where technology and construction equipment are available in an area dedicated to play. It cites the launching of Techbridge in 16 schools in California where U.S. Department of Education officials participated on a lively discussion on how Maker activities with the Departments pursuit of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and Common Core goals. It notes how the physical and digital nature of the spaces are reminiscent of
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TEAM MEMBERS:
David LoertscherTeacher Librarian
resourceresearchProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
Features the Science Learning Network (SLN) project, an alliance of science center, K-8 schools and Unisys Corp. providing communication capabilities and collaboration opportunities for K-8 teachers in the United States. Partner schools of the science centers; Mission; Distinction from other computer networks; Significance of networked technology; Benefits of the participants.
The article discusses the promotion of creative thinking at school libraries through Makerspace, a space in which students, teachers and librarians can take advantage of multiple learning styles. Individuals who are users of this space may be considered non-conformists, radicals and misfits. They use the Using, Tinkering, Experimenting and Creating (uTEC) Maker Model which guides them to the creative and inventive processes.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
David LoertscherLeslie PreddyBill Derry
The article presents a lesson plan for eighth-grade students on neuromuscular control and biomedical engineering based on the engineering and design of prosthetic hands.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Justin RyanDavid FrakesTirupalavanam GaneshChristine Zwart
Natural history has all but disappeared from formal education in the United States. This places the responsibility of introducing people to natural history within nonformal educational settings, with interpretive naturalists taking a leading role. This qualitative study of the life histories of 51 natural history-oriented professionals establishes additional roles for interpretive naturalists interacting with and programming for people with an emerging interest in natural history. Young adults with a strong interest in competency in natural history topics were characterized by having access to
Amateur astronomers play a critical role engaging the general public in astronomy. The role of individual and club-related factors is explored using data from two surveys (Survey 1 N=1142; Survey 2 N=1242) of amateur astronomers. Analysis suggests that formal or informal training in astronomy, age, club membership, length of club membership, and participation in club service are factors that contribute to the likelihood of an amateur engaging in education and public outreach. Sex (male or female) and club service were found to influence the level of outreach amateurs engage in. Interventions