Portable Technologies: Science Learning in Context. Innovations in Science Education and Technology

• Main Authors: Tinker, Robert F., Ed, Krajcik, Joseph S., Ed
• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Published: Kluwer Academic Publishers, Order Department 2001
• Subjects: Calculator Based Laboratories; Educational Technology; Elementary Secondary Education; Graphing Calculators; Laboratory Equipment; Problem Based Learning; Problem Solving; Science Activities; Science Experiments; Science Instruction
• ISBN: 0306466430; 9780306466434

Education has traditionally studied the world by bringing it into the classroom. This method can result in situated learning that appears to students to have no relevance outside the classroom. Students acquire inert, decontextualized knowledge that they cannot apply to real problems. The obvious solution to this shortcoming is to reverse the situation and bring the classroom to the phenomena--to learn in a rich, real-world context. The problem with the real world is that it is complex and filled with interactions that are hard to sort out. It is believed that the right tools might help students with this sorting process and result in learning in rich contexts. This book is an account of a series of experiments designed to explore the validity of this insight. Chapters include: (1) "Supporting Science Learning in Context: Project-Based Learning" (Joseph S. Krajcik); (2) "Incorporating Portable Technology to Enhance an Inquiry, Project-Based Middle School Science Classroom" (Ann M. Novak and Christine I. Gleason); (3) "Case Study at Mount Baker High School" (David Tucker); (4) "Curriculum Design Principles for Using Probeware in a Project-Based Learning Setting: Learning Science in Context" (Carolyn Staudt); (5) "Learning Science Content in a Project-Based Environment" (Joseph S. Krajcik and Mary Starr); and (6) "Educational Innovations in Portable Technologies" (Stephen Bannasch). (MVL)