My World is an example of a Learning-For-Use (LfU) model which involves motivating students, having students construct their own knowledge, and allowing students to refine that knowledge. The goal of this inquiry-based, constructivist LfU model is to create a learning environment that recognizes that:
- Learning takes place through constructing and refining knowledge
- Knowledge construction is goal-directed
- The circumstances are important for knowledge construction and its future use
- The use of the knowledge must be understood before it is constructed and then applied
Edelson (2001) asserts that technology is important in “supporting knowledge application activities” (p. 380), particularly in the sciences. My World is an excellent example of a technology that allows and encourages students to learn the content (declarative knowledge) through the process of inquiry (procedural knowledge). Instead of inundating students with simple facts that lead to “inert knowledge” (Edelson, 2001, p. 356), they are presented with a scenario and questions (a meaningful task) to be answered through a semi-structured guided process and the use of My World.
My World allows students to visualize and analyze the data as they input it.
Reference
Edelson, D.C. (2001). Learning-for-use: A framework for the design of technology-supported inquiry activities. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 38(3), 355-385.