MCL2-Knowledge Diffusion

Virtual Field Trips

I looked at virtual field trips and Exploratorium as I could see my junior high students really enjoying learning through both of these platforms. Sugar and Bonk (1998) explained, “sociocultural researchers are searching for situations wherein inexperienced students actively construct new knowledge in authentic settings under some expert guidance.” They feel that virtual field trips and Web-based science expeditions are one way to accomplish this goal as students often have an egocentric view of the world and can look outward through online global collaboration. Sugar and Bonk quoted Lauzon and Moore (1989) in predicting that, “[U]biquitous online educational communities will shift instructional design concerns from the prevailing human-computer interaction issues to more personalized hum-human agendas.” This view was before the widespread use of the internet, Smartphones, Facebook, Google Plus , Twitter, Skype and FaceTime.  Sugar and Bonk suggest that learning experiences should be teacher lead but also include experts in the area of study who can provide additional information on the topic. They concluded that students who participated in a Virtual Field Trip or Web-Based Science Expedition “assumed higher levels of perspective taking than typical preadolescent and adolescent youth.”

In response to how networked communities can be embedded in the design of authentic learning experiences in math and science I see virtual field trips playing an important role. We cannot afford to take students to all parts of the world to discover the amazing math or science concepts that surround them. We can, however, with the assistance of technology view these places through virtual field trips, cameras and the internet.  As video cameras become smaller, cheaper and built in to Smartphones we have increasingly more access to video from around the world. The internet has established a platform for sharing those videos and schools can benefit greatly from them. Classrooms can go from home to Europe to Asia to the South Pole and back again, all within one class period.

Exploratorium

Exploratorium is dedicated to sharing, explaining and researching scientific and art concepts both online and through their physical museum located in San Francisco. In Exploratorium, I looked at how they explain the difference between days and years on different planets in our solar system. They provide you with the information once you enter your birthday on Earth and then go on to explain why each planet is different. It then leads you to discover your weight on the other planets and other interesting related topics. There are many other science and math topic to look at and learn about. It truly encourages science discovery and exploration.

Reading Falk and Storksdieck (2010) caused me to reflect on why I would visit science centers, zoos, museums and aquariums as leisure activities. As outlined in their research one attends science centers as an explorer, facilitator, professional/hobbyist, experience seeker, or recharger. (Personally, my visits may include all these reasons mentioned.) They note that most adults “engage in a degree of self-reflection and self-interpretation about their experience.” Others use the visit to feed their curiosity or to foster learning in the people they attend with, mostly their children. It is neat to see how Exploratorium uses its physical site to set up its virtual website and how the learning philosophies are intertwined.

References:

Falk, J. & Storksdieck, M. (2010). Science learning in a leisure setting. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 47(2), 194-212.

Sugar, W. A., & Bonk, C.J. (1998). Student role play in the World Forum: Analyses of an Arctic adventure learning apprenticeship. In C.J. Bonk & K.S. King (Eds.), Electronic collaborators: Learner-centered technologies for literacy, apprenticeship & discourse (pp. 131-155). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

As a visual and kinesthetic learner, I find great value in using information visualization software for learning and teaching math and science concepts. I appreciate the resources that were shared by the group and have compiled a list of practical resources to share with my colleagues in the math and science departments, as a result. I was pleased to see that I already implement some of the resources into my teaching but was even more excited to add to my list of great teaching tools.

The software that Tom and I examined was designed to help students understand how to draw a line of best fit accurately and provide practice. The application was very basic in structure but simulated the principle quite well. Students were able to plot their data points on a graph and then use the software to come up with an accurate line. They could alter or delete data points to see what the difference on the line would be, as well. I see myself using the Illuminations Line of Best Fit applications in math and science to ensure that students understand the concept as well as help them self-correct their work. Students could also use the application to practice creating line of best fit, given as data set, in either math or science. It is an important concept to master as it affects the data analysis after experimentation as well as mathematical calculations.

As I reflect on the many websites and applications shared over the last few weeks I see that many are designed to practice a specific skill or learn a specific concept. I am apprehensive in adopting all these simulations into my teaching as the question of authenticity arose in our discussions. Are online simulations better or worse than real life experiments?  As Srinivasan et. al. (2006) explained, “They seem to need/want authenticity to be able to make the connections the experts make with the simulations.” However, they also note that a computer and software can be much cheaper than the actual hardware necessary for the real-life experience. I see schools using a mix of the two, using simulations where appropriate and hands-on activities when possible. Teachers need to be aware of the possibilities of computer-based simulations and judge accordingly whether to use them or not. Finkelstein et. al. (2005) agreed as they concluded, “computer simulatisons that are properly designed are useful tools for a variety of contexts that can promote student learning.” They noted that virtual equipment is more productive than real equipment. I will add that the simulations shared were typically cheaper and more reliable, as well.

I plan to add more virtual simulations to my teaching as they help create constructive environment for learning. Once students are pointed in the right direction, I feel that they will want to explore other simulations and “mess about” with scientific play (Finkelstein et. al., 2005) increasing learner engagement. Information visualization is an effective learning tool as it uses multiple senses to teach without the need for all the equipment, cost and time.

Finkelstein, N.D., Perkins, K.K., Adams, W., Kohl, P., & Podolefsky, N. (2005). When learning about the real world is better done virtually: A study of substituting computer simulations for laboratory equipment. Physics Education Research,1(1), 1-8.

Srinivasan, S., Perez, L. C., Palmer,R., Brooks,D., Wilson,K., & Fowler. D. (2006). Reality versus simulation. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 15 (2), 1-5.