Visualizing the possible:

Science Teaching & Learning in the age of Web 2.0 and beyond

NSTA 2010: Charting the Course to Excellence

Teaching Science in the 21st Century

Lynne Schrum

lschrum@gmu.edu

Goals for Today

21st Century SkillsTPACKWeb 2.0 in science todayVirtual Environments …

Technology & Science

Difference between ‘learning to be a scientist’ or ‘learning science’ (Bruner, 1996)

Not everyone will be a scientist; affordances help become scientifically literate citizens

Ability to do what we always have done better

Ability to do what we dream about

Capable, conscientious, concerned & optimistic, determined to succeed: 96 % say doing well in school is important

94 % plan to continue their education 90 % between 5-17 use computers 94 % teens use Internet for school research

> 3/4 are creators of content on Internet

Teens spend > time using Internet than TV

Our Students

Digital Natives

Parallel process and multi-task

Prefer graphics before their text

Prefer random access

Function best when networked

Thrive on instant gratification & rewards

Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Marc Prensky 2001

Bloom’s Updated

Original Bloom Updated, active, better?

ISTE NETS – Students

1997

Basic Operations/Concepts

Social, ethical, human issues

Tech Productivity Tools

Tech Communication Tools

Tech Research Tools

Problem solving/decision

making

2007

Creativity & Innovation

Comm & Collaboration

Research & Info Literacy

Critical thinking, Problem solving, & decision making

Digital citizenship

Tech operations/concepts

Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Standards must reflect more than content

Necessary to assess 21st century skills

Teachers must be trained & supported

ICT literacy is ability to develop 21st Century content, knowledge & skills

Content includes global awareness, financial literacy, civic literacy & health awareness

Targeted, sustained investment in R & D

TEACHING IS A COMPLEX ACTIVITY THAT DRAWS ON MANY KINDS OF

KNOWLEDGE

Pedagogical Content Knowledge

The ways of representing and formulating the subject that make it comprehensible to others.

C P

Technology

C Pontent edagogy

TEACHING IS A COMPLEX ACTIVITY THAT DRAWS ON MANY KINDS OF

KNOWLEDGE

C P

T

Technological Pedagogical Knowledge

Technological Content

Knowledge

Pedagogical Pedagogical Content KnowledgeContent Knowledge

CONTE

XT CONTEXT

CONTEXT

CONTEXT

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge

TPCK

TPACK

Total Package

TPACK & Science

NRC’s framework: life sciences, earth & space sciences, physical sciences, engineering & technology

more limited # of core ideas; students learn in greater depth

science learning: “ongoing developmental progression”

integration of content knowledge with practices for scientific inquiry & design

Question: With endless new

tools and possibilities, what are educators doing to engage & prepare their learners?

Web 2.0 Collage logos Originally uploaded by premiardiego

Advent of Web 2.0

First, a little introduction… Growing collection of new, emerging web-

based tools Not “find and use information” but online tools

that interact, enhance, morph, and evolve Similar in function to desktop applications, Using browsers – not installing on computers. Tools are free and available to all; Some social & promote self-expression - social

networks, blogs, wikis, photo and video sharing sites, and more

Compare: Old & New WebWeb 1.0 Web 2.0

Application based Web-based

Isolated Collaborative

Offline Online

Licensed or purchased Free

Single creator Multiple users

Proprietary code Open source

Copyrighted content Shared content

Use of Web 2.0 Tools

Podcasts for news, TV, radio, interviews, entertainment www.ibizradio.com

Wikis for idea generation, information sharing and updates; Key Issues for Teachers/students (http://teacherlibrarianwiki.pbwiki.com/)

Blogs by/for learners and teachers to share, build, collaborate, create

http://www.go2web20.net/

Wikis

Joint wiki-10th graders in GA & Bangladesh; impacts of Friedman’s global flatteners: globalization, open-source, off-shoring.

Applied Math Wiki Solutions Manual; students write collaborative solutions manual (http://am40s.pbwiki.com/)

Science Wikis

http://sciencecafe.wikispaces.com/

http://www.eoearth.org/article/Student_Scie

nce_Communication_Project

http://biowiki.org/

http://allanah.wikispaces.com/Science+Wiki

Blogs (webblogs)

Personal commentaries on issues the author deems important; text, images, and links

The Thinking Stick (http://jeff.scofer.com/thinkingstick),

Cool Cat Teacher (http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/)

A Difference (http://adifference.blogspot.com/)

Technology Directors: Around the Corner (

http://www.edsupport.cc/mguhlin/blog/) and The Strength of

Weak Ties (http://jakespeak.blogspot.com/)

Principals: Education/Technology (http://tim.lauer.name/)

Science Blogs

Applied Science Research course for students’ understanding of concepts (http://www.appliedscienceresearch.blogspot.com)

http://scienceblogs.com/ http://www.sciencewithme.com/blog/ http://www.science20.com/ http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/motherboa

rd.html?motherboardId=16

Podcasts8 grade students produce “The

Amazing Internet Radio Station”Honors chemistry students create

podcast about wide variety of topicsMuseums create podcasts that prepare

students for upcoming visits, or explain exhibits

Science Podcasts

http://www.scienceupdate.com/podcast.php

http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/podcast

s/listen/

http://www.podcastdirectory.com/format/Science

Other tools

Social bookmarking: shared lists of user-created bookmarks categorized- Del.icio.us (http://del.icio.us/)

Video editing: Jumpcut (www.jumpcut.com) Eyespot (www.eyespot.com), Grouper (www.grouper.com) and VideoEgg (www.videoegg.com)

Try Common Craft videos on using Web 2.0 tools

And more: Mashups Intel MashmakerBuild mashups on-the-fly - combine content from

multiple sources such as web content, videos, maps, RSS feeds, photos, and display in one place

Widgetbox: Mix and match content from two or more sites to create something entirely new; example: Flash Earth (www.flashearth.com), a mashup of Google Maps and Virtual Earth satellite imagery

Why would you spend the time?

We know a little @ learning

Research shows teaching with nonlinguistic activities (graphic organizers, mental images, & movement) helps to improve students’ understanding of content (Marzano)

Research concludes cooperative groupwork leads to learning gains & higher student achievement. This increased student interaction leads to more learning & great content retention (Cohen)

Examples of Students’ Work 6th gr science students create podcasts on

complex concepts (plate tectonics, glaciology, limnology) for colleagues/ study guides

Students write/share rap songs @ elements of Periodic Table

Schools use Web 2.0 tools to create online newspapers w/stories, blogs, and podcasts

A GA teacher creates ‘Studycasts’ to help students prepare & podcasts to demonstrate learning outcomes.

Simulation to teach velocity v. time & position v. time

Circuit Construction Kit

Force and gravity:Explore fall of 4 objects in air & in vacuum

Multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs)

Epistemic Games Players learn ways of epistemologies of digital age

Learning in digital age; develop domain-specific expertise under realistic constraints

Experience thinking & acting as journalists, artists, or engineers to solve realistic complex tasks

Professional practicum: blend of individual & collaborative work in real-life & virtual settings

MUVE example River City Project: interactive, middle grades

science, learn scientific inquiry & 21st century skills.

Content from NSTA, NETS, & 21st Century Skills Virtual 19th century town plagued by disease Students work in teams, study materials, develop

hypotheses Examine documents & photographs, visit

hospital & interview experts Virtual agents provide guidance; students

determine approach

Another MUVE

Quest Atlantis (http://crlt.indiana.edu/research/qa.html), (ages 9 to 12)

Poor leadership led to disaster in city; students are invited to help

Quests require environmental study, interviewing members of the community, studying other cultures, and developing action plans

Research on Virtual Environments

Ketelhut (2007) results “suggest embedding science inquiry curricula in novel platforms might act as a catalyst for change in students’ self-efficacy and learning processes” (p. 99).

In 2 studies of Quest Atlantis, sixth grade students made “larger gains in understanding and achievement” than in classes that used expository text to learn the same concepts and skills (Hickey, Ingram-Goble, & Jameson, 2009, p. 187).

What Might 2nd Life offer

for Learning?

Data Visualization

Read more about the weather map

Simple Simulations

NOAA(Meteroa Island)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Life Sciences Building

Remember ---

The future comes all by itself …

Progress does not!!!

Thank you!

(Paul Henningsen)

Web 2.0 in just under 5 minutesWhat is Web 2.0Understanding Web 2.0 A Vision of Students TodayDid you Know ? Shedding Light on Web 2.0Resources for shedding light on Web 2.0

More Information