| Project | Conceptual Software Video Collection Project |
| Contact | Margo Nanny |
| MargoN@aol.com | |
| URL | http://www.ildgroup.com |
| Project description | I am video taping exemplary pieces of conceptual software that have been created over the last 10 years. The video for each piece will show the main person who created that piece talking about the vision behind it. Nearly all the interesting pieces of software are examples of multiple representation and visualization. My goal is to use these samples in speeches and workshops to demonstrate powerful uses of technology for education and to make the point that if we want to give learners the skills for an information based world of the 21st century we must find ways to move the software industry away from creating more and more drill and practice programs. We must also move teachers towards using powerful visualization software with kids, and we must influence parents to value these skills so as to help support the market for high quality products. |
| Theoretical background | Basically I hope to stand "On the Shoulders of Giants". I am not a researcher but hope to leverage the research of some of the great labs like BBN TERC EDC who have created wonderful examples of software that helps learners make conceptual leaps through the use of technology. My project is to create a tape of some of this work and find ways to help the quality of these sorts of software ideas get into real products in the future in order to assure that the software industry does not just continue to create the next version of drill and practice software for each grade level. |
| Challenges | The software industry, particularly the CD-ROM industry has collapsed from many perspectives. Companies cannot afford to make profound software and are settling for creating the next "Jump Start" look-alike offering drill and practice for each grade level. I'm looking for collaborations and examples that can inspire people in the industry to create more profound software. I need to understand what the current engines can do, what the great examples are that are being created, and help to hook up software developers with the researchers who are creating these high quality educational experiences. |
| Partnership | I would like to gather the great examples from the past, many of which could be identified by the people who have been creating visualization software. I'd like to show these examples to developers and hook up the researchers and developers in hopes that some collaborations can help to get the researchers' great ideas into products which will receive wide visibility and have greater impact. |