DiscussionCompare

The three foundational educational technology projects that we explored approached teaching and learning in similar but different fashions. E ach project focused on student centered learning in which each student (or group of students) was involved in solving authentic real-world problems or investigating real-world phenomena. The intent of each project was to have students take an active role in their learning instead of having students take a passive role using the traditional textbook method of learning that rarely provides opportunities for students to apply their skills and knowledge to everyday experiences.

The Jasper series was created in the early 1990s when web technologies were not nearly as readily available as they are today. As the videos were only for watching, all of the work in the group would have been done using pencil and paper. As a group we agree that the process of watching the Jasper video, brainstorming as a group, collecting and interpreting data, and presenting the solution(s) to the class (Jasper in More Detail, n.d.) provides an excellent example of anchored instruction. Our group agreed that introducing an interactive technology-oriented program such as the Jasper Series would increase student interest and discussion within the classroom. The videos provided all of the information necessary to solve the problems. However, our group raised a few concerns: would the series be inclusive of all learners? For example, in today's multicultural, multilingual classrooms, students speak English as a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th language and have also been taught math using the metric system. Sophisticated grammar coupled with a measurement system they have never seen before might discourage them. Also, how would teachers who don’t have access to a class set of computers or DVD players and televisions use these videos in their instruction?

While the Jasper Series was created as a project to be watched on DVD, the second project that we looked at was entirely web based and interactive. WISE was created so that students of all ages could work on constructivist group projects. The content covers the natural sciences and offers an exploratory approach to learning rather than standard textbooks. In exploring current research students may feel that what they’re learning is more relevant. Unlike the Jasper Series, many of the WISE projects took an almost web quest approach with many assessment activities based on content. Different sites such as Discovery and National Geography were linked so that students could read articles, watch videos, and listen to sound bytes. The different types of media creates many opportunities for various learning styles which, in turn, creates opportunity for students working in groups to coalesce their knowledge and learn from each other. Furthermore, WISE allows for teachers to add their own content and modify existing content which wasn’t a possibility with Jasper. Perhaps one of the most important aspects of WISE is that the content created can be multi-lingual as can be seen in their many Korean projects.

World Watcher:

World watcher is a client side application that a user downloads to their computer to use. According to the documentation on the site "WorldWatcher is a supportive scientific visualization environment for the investigation of scientific data. It has been designed specifically for use in educational environments and can support data in a variety of fields including earth science, biology, physics, geography, and more. The software's aim is to provide an accessible and supportive environment for students to explore, interpret, and analyze scientific data in a manner which allows them to emulate the work of actual scientists."

It is designed to take geo science into a digital realm by allowing students to explore different elements of the earth such as climatology. Where the program excels is in taking visualizations and coupling them with actual climate data, then applying that data to key concepts that students must learn and understand. For example, an instructor who wants to explain the greenhouse gas effect can have a student look at actual greenhouse gas data which has been collected over several years and use that data to determine trends. This trend data could be used to compare other data sets or act as a catalyst for discussion or exploration. Students can also input their own data sets allowing for exploration of hypotheticals. One of the things that we discovered upon exploration was that the average elevation and Bathymetry of the Earth is -7830 feet. In other words the Earths trenches and valleys under water are actually deeper than the mountain ranges above sea level are high. This simple concept can be explained via visuals and by using average real trend data. You could send students on quests to discover the answers to questions, then thread the answers into a wider theme.

Because there is a lot of information and the information varies in complexity, we can see that World Watcher is a program that could apply across many different grade levels. The program does include some inquiry based lesson plans such as "investigations in environmental science" and "drawing temperature visualizations". It could be used by groups of students or for individual assignments.

World Watcher looks like an excellent resource for science teachers who have students that are capable of using reasonable sophisticated technology programs unsupervised. Instructors with less technically skilled students would need to do more active facilitation. Students at different levels could be sent off on quests to uncover data which could then be used to solve problems or to uncover wider themes. World Watcher does a good job of creating an environment that mimics the types of tools that real world geo scientists and climatologists use.

However, the program appears to currently be unsupported. It looks like development on the system may have ceased, according to the Northwestern site. Also, it does not appear to be completely accessible (for example for students who are blind). This is a major issue for instructors who have students with disabilities. For a program like this to be truly useful it should have cross-functional content, and the company should also accelerate development to an open platform which is accessible to all educational institutions (like MERLOT for example).

Overall we thought planet watcher was a good example of a student centered science teaching environment that couples visualizations with working data. It provides some great example teaching activities and uses sound teaching pedagogy (such as PBL, constructivism and inquiry-based learning) as a basis. It also appeals to different student learning styles. It does however need additional work on accessibility and thus does not represent a good tool to be used in an inclusive or unified classroom.

Each of these projects approaches learning in a student-centered environment. The learning activities are authentic and engage students in meaningful learning. However, one of the greatest limitations of all three projects is that they are not accessible. Even in a technology rich school there are usually a limited amount of computers available and they are often in high demand. Some projects can take up to five class periods. It would be very difficult in most schools to book out a lab during the same period for that much time. Further, as there are students who don’t have access to this technology at home, it would be very difficult and even unfair to assign homework that required WISE resources. At the same time, in a degree based on educational technology, this is an argument that will likely always plague us.

References:

Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt (1992b). The Jasper series as an example of anchored instruction: Theory, program, description, and assessment data. Educational Psychologist, 27(3), 291-315.

Jasper in More Detail. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2008 from [].

Vye, N.J., Goldman, S.R., Voss, J.F., Hmelo, C., & Williams, S. (1997). Complex mathematical problem solving by individuals and dyads. Cognition and Instruction, 15(4), 435-484.

Edelson, D. C., Salierno, C., Matese, G., Pitts, V., & Sherin, B. (2002, April). Learning-for-Use in Earth science: Kids as climate modelers. Paper presented at //the Annual Meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching//, New Orleans, LA.