CILT99 Posters

Ubiquitous Computing

Human Interfaces To Knowledge Construction and Transfer Devices: Providing Meaningful Learning Experiences Utilizing Interactive Media

Dane Barse
http://www.cumberland.tec.nj.us/ettc/dbarse

As the width of our roads is derived successively from the size of train tracks, the width of the horse and carriage, and the ancient Roman chariot, the interfaces to technology we suffer from today are derived from the handy metaphors of the book and the television. In antiquity, Socrates feared that the written word would cause "forgetfulness" in human minds, yet the book became a powerful paradigm for information transfer, making possible the advances of the modern world, and thus is a pervasive metaphor we must deal with when considering interfaces to knowledge. Recent consideration of the problems of information delivery and knowledge informed by constructionist theory have led to the concept of creating interactive tools which allow persons to overcome the passive nature of the book and interfaces to electronic knowledge bases. Unfortunately, current interfaces to electronic media generally do not take advantage of the capabilities of the medium, utilizing paradigms left over from earlier technologies such as the book.

The challenge this project will consider derives from attempts to combine the metaphor of the book with new electronic media to create an interface that may facilitate meaningful learning experiences through the construction of interactive knowledge bases, combining the best characteristics of both paradigms. Since this objective is far too large a task for immediate consideration, an attempt will be made instead to provide an overview of the problem to be considered, along with a developmental form of a model for implementation of the concepts.

Multimedia Resources in the Field

Geri Gay

We are studying how learners collaborate and annotate using tablet technology running mobile DL software. This project draws from research into situated learning, CSCL and digital libraries. We view this as a complimentary effort to several CILT projects. Many people in the library, school technology and higher education communities have considered ways to enhance access through portable devices. Others, such as Bob Tinker, have focused more directly on the learning aspects of mobility and ubiquity. Our research portends that the introduction of mobile computers into the field experience can potentially transform the activities of learning and researching in and from the field..Activity theory provides a theoretical and methodological framework to enable the systematic exploration of these transformations. We examine the use of document annotations, online resources and other tools for group communication and learning in the field.

As students work on projects supported by multimedia resources in the field or at the point of learning, they can bring different perspectives to bear on problems (though whether they in fact do is a matter for investigation). Likewise, multimedia enables the expression and representation of knowledge in different forms. Hence it can augment the acquisition of tacit knowledge that is part and parcel of socialization into a community of practice (i.e., a profession), and provide students with an opportunity to learn in diverse contexts.

Integrating Learning Technologies into the Curriculum

Ann Rivet
http://www.hi-ce.org

This poster presentation will highlight the integration of curricula and learning technologies developed by the Center for Learning Technologies in Urban Schools (LeTUS). LeTUS is a joint effort of the University of Michigan, Northwestern University, the Detroit Public School System, and the Chicago Public School System to systemically bring learning technologies into urban schools through innovative curricula. One of the objectives of LeTUS is to develop innovative project-based curricula that integrate technology seamlessly into the units. The curricular approach is one that combines contextualization through the use of driving questions and anchoring experiences, supported and sustained inquiry, collaboration, and the use of learning technologies to enhance the learning of science content. The goals for technology use in the curriculum projects are twofold: to provide opportunities for learning that could not be afforded otherwise in the curricula, and to make technology use a natural and indispensable part of students' work in the project. One example of this use of technology is the eighth grade project 'Why Do I Need to Wear a Helmet When I Ride My Bike?' developed at the University of Michigan. In this project, students use motion sensors to develop concepts of motion, velocity, and acceleration as they inquire into the driving question and investigate what happens during a collision. The curriculum project is designed and supported so that the technology achieves its appropriate role: the need to use the motion sensors arises as the project naturally turns to asking questions about motion, acceleration, and collisions, and the motion sensor provides the integral link between action and representation that cannot be achieved through more traditional graphing activities. The presentation will include a demonstration of the motion sensor and examples of this and other curriculum projects developed by LeTUS.