Abstract. How can we utilize ubiquitous computing to enable effective
project-based learning and enable it to scale.
Our focus will be on tools and their use.
Students carrying PDA's enter a teaching "space" (a classroom, a field,
etc.) The space senses who is there (there are ubiquitous sensors).
Classroom:
The students place their PDA's on their work tables, which are arranged
in groups of 4-5. Those tables are large screen that come alive.
This week's problem appears "How do you change the haze patterns"
The students together "write" down (w/pen, keyboard, speech, etc.)
everything they know about haze.
Process:
brainstorm:
the students start to develop questions they need to ask
the teacher's PDA gives feedback as to the activity levels of each
group.
the teacher moves to a group that has not generated much "thought".
She prompts them to talk about pollution (which was discussed in class last week).
The students start to generate ideas for experiments to carry out.
The field experiment, one group takes a digital camera and takes
pictures of the skyline. THeir digital camera transmits to their
PDA's.
James Landay
Wee-Chee Sim
Carolyn Staudt
Wally Feurzeig
Walter Stroup
Jeremy Burr
Kori Inkpen
To improve the educational environment. Helping students think as
scholars and scientists. Developing tools to facilitate project-based
learning.
interests in finding new appliations for ubiquitous computing and seeing
how to make devices easier to use
Play with toys and understand how they evolve different ways of communicating
communicating people (connecting people).
enhance collaboration between students doing projects
have a qay to quickly, easliy collect, share and analyze data (probes)
help kids fall in love with learning through the social interaction
possibilities make through unicomp
recognize the units of learning - many levels of learning
projects that are meaningful to more than one person (collective learning)
find innovative devices that support children's natural interactions in a learning
environment
Interdisciplinary team of computer scientists, engineers, eduacational
technologists,
Go back to the Breakout Report Index.