Collaborative Research: Supporting whole-class science investigations with spatial simulations

协作研究：通过空间模拟支持全班科学研究

• 批准号: 0735569
• 负责人: Thomas Moher
• 金额: $ 68.37万
• 依托单位: University of Illinois at Chicago
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-01-01 至 2011-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0735569&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Supporting; whole; class

Where learning technologies were once circumscribed by the form factor of the desktop computer, emerging ubiquitous computing and communications technologies are giving rise to new designs that expand the space of activity structures available to students and teachers. This project explores the capabilities of one such design framework, Embedded Phenomena, in which conventional classroom computers serve as location-dependent "portals" through which learners collaboratively conduct investigations of simulated spatial phenomena. Embedded phenomena are distinguished by their unique utilization of classroom space and time. The simulated phenomena are purported to occupy the physical space of the classroom, so that not only are phenomena embedded within the space, but also learners themselves are embedded within the phenomena. The simulations run continuously for days and weeks, concurrent but asynchronously with respect to the regular flow of instruction, giving learners the opportunity to explore the kind of "patient science" that requires the accumulation of evidence gathered over extended periods of time.The project includes both learning and technology research objectives. The learning research objective of the project is to explore the impact of the embedded phenomena framework on student learning, motivation, and participation. This question will be investigated through an empirical study of learner outcomes in upper elementary school units in seismology and insect ecology. Design teams including teachers, domain specialists, technologists, and learning researchers will design two "matched" versions of each instructional unit, one using existing embedded phenomenon applications (RoomQuake and RoomBugs, respectively), the other employing the same instructional design and set of activities but without the spatial and temporal embedding. Over the course of two school years, two teachers (one each from an urban and suburban school) will teach both variants of the two units. In each intervention, outcomes including development of skill in science practice, conceptual understanding, and affective stances toward investigation will be characterized using a battery of formative and summative assessment instruments. The technology research objectives of the project are to broaden access to embedded phenomena applications and to develop and evaluate new interaction techniques that could further expand the space of activity structures available to students and teachers. To increase access, the research team will build an Internet-based Phenomenon Server that will allow teachers to configure and schedule simulated phenomena for delivery to their classroom, along with an electronic Phenomenon CaseBook permitting teachers to store and retrieve records of classroom experiences with the units. New interaction techniques involving the use of handheld computers as simulated portable instruments, simulated phenomena that respond to sound and motion, and mechanisms for sharing simulated phenomena across multiple classrooms, will be designed, implemented, and pilot-tested in classrooms separate from those involved in the formal learning research study.

曾经通过台式计算机的外形限制学习技术的地方，新兴的无处不在计算和通信技术正在引起新的设计，以扩大学生和老师可用的活动结构的空间。该项目探讨了一个这样的设计框架，即嵌入式现象的功能，在该现象中，传统的课堂计算机充当位置依赖性的“门户”，学习者对模拟空间现象进行协作研究。嵌入式现象以它们独特的课堂空间和时间利用来区分。据称，模拟现象占据了教室的物理空间，因此不仅嵌入了空间中的现象，而且学习者本身也嵌入了现象中。模拟连续进行了几天和几周，同时但在定期的教学流方面是异步的，这使学习者有机会探索需要在长时间内积累证据的“患者科学”类型。该项目包括学习和技术研究目标。该项目的学习研究目标是探索嵌入式现象框架对学生学习，动机和参与的影响。这个问题将通过对地震学和昆虫生态学上级小学单元的学习者成果的实证研究进行调查。包括教师，领域专家，技术人员和学习研究人员在内的设计团队将设计每个教学单元的两个“匹配”版本，一个使用现有的嵌入式现象应用程序（分别为Roomquake和Roombugs），另一个使用相同的教学设计和一系列活动，但没有空间和临时嵌入。在两个学年的过程中，两名教师（一名来自城市和郊区学校的教师）将教两个单元的两种变体。在每种干预措施中，都将使用一系列形成性和总结性评估工具来表征包括科学实践中的技能，概念理解和对调查的情感立场在内的结果。该项目的技术研究目标是扩大对嵌入式现象应用的访问，并开发和评估新的互动技术，以进一步扩大学生和教师可用的活动结构的空间。为了提高访问权限，研究团队将建立一个基于Internet的现象服务器，该服务器将使教师能够配置和安排模拟现象以将其交付到他们的课堂上，并提供电子现象案例书，允许教师存储和检索单位课堂体验的记录。涉及使用手持计算机作为模拟便携式仪器的新互动技术，对声音和运动做出响应的模拟现象以及在多个教室中共享模拟现象的机制，将在教室中设计，实施并进行试验测试，并在教室中进行试验。