Posts published in February, 2016

Week 8 Discussion - Juan G

In regards to parents explaining more to boys than girls when it comes to science, recently we have seen toy companies and the media trying to demonstrate the importance of attracting girls to the science field, I wonder the effects of  these on the average parent perspective. Challenging parents’ ideas becomes even harder in cultures that… Read more Week 8 Discussion - Juan G

Week 8 Discussion

The Zimmerman paper briefly mentioned a design principle called “heads up” that I found very innovative (80). This design goal aims to engage users in an evenly distributed amount of screen time and environment time. As users interact with the screen, they are prompted by real life objects and scenarios in their environment that support the science based… Read more Week 8 Discussion

Week 8 - Lisa G

I’m responding this week to Heather Zimmerman’s “Facilitating Place-Based Learning in Outdoor Informal Environments with Mobile Computers.” I’m vacillating between whether I find this article incredibly smart because it provides a very simple framework in which to make mobile-based learning more purposeful or meaningful (through a direct connection to place), or, if I find it uncompelling because the parallels they draw between placed-based education… Read more Week 8 - Lisa G

Week 8 Reading

The Steinkuehler study examined how World of Warcraft promoted scientific ways of thinking by providing a simulated world whose systems can be observed and investigated through social knowledge construction and experimentation. The article provides empirical evidence that the WoW fosters informal learning, particularly science literacy. If we assume that this study is correct, that games… Read more Week 8 Reading

Week 8 - Connecting open and planned learning

What intrigued me from this week’s readings is the seemingly conflict between open and planned learning. Even in classroom, it is hard to have both. “Even in the best schools, what may appear to be genuie group debates about an issue are usually heavily controlled by the teacher … [who] already possesses the understanding of an… Read more Week 8 - Connecting open and planned learning

DQC Week 8

It was sad, but not shocking, to read in the research report by Crowley et al that parents are explaining STEM topics to boys three times more often when compared to girls. While wondering around the California Science Museum, young boys are being engaged more often by their parents sharing explanations that may inform a boy’s interests and… Read more DQC Week 8

Week 8 - Explaining Science to Girls

As you can imagine, this study and its conclusions resonated with me on a very personal level and actually made me aware of the potential that I have to be bias with my daughter. Firstly, I was struck with how detailed and thorough the study was and how well the paper explained it. Secondly, I… Read more Week 8 - Explaining Science to Girls

Week 8 response - "a reason to reason"

The Steinkuehler and Duncan reading touches on something important that I think has less to do with science education than with the motivation and purpose behind reasoning and learning. Their argument is that games, and particularly MMORPGs like World of Warcraft,  might be excellent settings to foster scientific thinking. They note that in the WoW online forums,… Read more Week 8 response - "a reason to reason"

Week 7

I would first like to note that I found the Berkowitz reading to be fascinating. Particularly due to the success of this app and the clear demonstration that interaction with parents around math leads to math achievement. I suppose this is interesting to me because I am the daughter of a math teacher. Thus, my… Read more Week 7

Week 7 Discussion

“While MOOCs, high-quality educational materials developed by elite universities, are used to reinforce the advantage of privileged adults, the opposite appeared to be true for socio-economically disadvantaged youth, who might be spending significant amounts of time on leisure- oriented websites like coolmath-games that have little evidence for the potential in advancing their social and human… Read more Week 7 Discussion