FULL GRANTS

LETS GO: Learning Ecology with Technologies from Science for Global Outcomes
Marcelo Milrad, Växjö University and Roy Pea, School of Education, Stanford University
Växjö Katedralskola and Kronoberg School, Sweden and Redwood High School, U.S.

Learning ecological science content and inquiry strategies should increasingly use new tools from science-sensors for data capture, information visualization for data-analysis, low-cost mobile computers and mobiles for field-based science. We'll advance the sciences, technologies and practices of education via collaboration of Stanford & Vaxjo University faculty, along with Vaxj6 & Redwood City educators & students to develop, implement, research, and sustainably scale a new paradigm for fostering high school student learning in teams for ecological sciences. Our "open inquiry" vision uses mobile computing to provide open software tools/resources, participation frameworks for learner project collaboration, mobile media/data capture, analysis, reflection and publishing. We integrate geo-positional data-sensing, multimedia communication, information visualization and Web 2.0 tools to create science learning collaboratories, using co-design methods with teachers, learners, developers, learning and domain scientists. We'll develop an innovative environment to engage learners in exploring and experimenting with multiple representations of causal interactions and functional relationships typical in science, to promote inquiry methods and deeper domain understanding. Some tools to realize our vision are here but not integrated into one system: our integration, solid pedagogical foundation, and methodologically sound evaluation will be our contributions. For project assessment we will carry out a Iifecycle evaluation of the envisioned system and activities, with formative testing and exploration of breakdowns and breakthroughs at each developmental stage. Our project leverages many PI years of related scientific, technical and educational expertise, including influential studies of mobile learning. Three project phases will be completed with open environment development partners, such as Intel (donating Classmate PCs) and the pre-eminent National Geographic Society.

Talking and Seeing Math in Games
Lena Pareto, University West and Dan Schwartz, School of Education, Stanford University
Uddevalla primary and Secondary School, Sweden and Hawes Elementary School, U.S.

The overall project aims to develop successful models for fun educational games that incorporate artificial intelligence, and that help all students learn, make teachers' lives easier, and provide alternatives for learning where traditional classroom activities have not worked for children. We propose the refinement, testing, and dissemination of a new type of lCT that integrates the best of learning theory and game design so that it (a) targets essential "gate-keeping" mathematical concepts and skills; (b) works at home or school; and, (c) includes teacher tools that help improve classroom-level integration and instruction. Our specific instance involves the gateway concepts and skills associated with place-value in the base-10 system. The WGLN planning grant enabled us to develop the core system and conduct a proof-of-concept experiment, resulting in promising evidence worthy of more ambitious research. The core system will be extended in four ways: convert to server-side architecture, provide a front-of-the-class display that can be used with digital whiteboards, provide automated scoring, and include social features to the agent. Several partner schools will participate in both nations. We will study the learning outcomes with respect to mathematical understanding and motivation, as well as the assimilation in classroom teaching, homework practices, and dissemination of new technology. Three different models of dissemination and sustainability will be explored: the school-only model (diffusion through teacher and school networks), the home-only model (out-of-school uptake), and the hybrid-model (game-playing at home is leveraged back at school). Expected results of the overall projects include freely available distribution-ready software and support materials, a dissemination model, a strong tie between Stanford and Swedish educational efforts, and multiple papers and conclusions from learning outcome studies.

PLANNING GRANTS

Inquiry to Insight: Investigating Environmental Problems (I2I)
Michael Thorndyke, Kristineberg Marine Research Station and David Epel, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University
Valentinsson Gullmarsgymnasiet Lysekil, Sweden and Seaside High, U.S.

Emerging communication technologies familiar to high school/gymnasium students are utilized in this project to engage them in understanding complex environmental problems from a unique international perspective. Students in sister schools in Sweden and the US learn the science and through a social network become engaged in an international dialogue on how their respective countries deal with these issues. The science will be introduced by working scientists via brief streaming videos and links to research life in the scientific community. Deeper understanding of the science will come from virtual laboratories that simulate real experiments using state-of-the-art science. Further understanding of how their countries view these problems will develop as students use
ICT tools to examine the role of their media and learn how these problems are viewed e.g. from the medical, economic and legal sides. Motivation will result from the opportunities created by teams of teachers in the two countries that allow the students to communicate what they researched with sister schools. Focusing on how their respective countries treat these similar issues and gaining international perspective will expand their parochial view.

Our approach is to help students direct their own learning using the new tools of information and communication technology and to extend this opportunity to a much larger community. By constructing interactions between students from Sweden and the US, students can collaboratively explore the scientific evidence, reflect upon the contrasting perspectives in the different countries and learn sensitivity to cultural differences. The methods and practices arising from this project can be a model for schools to build similar international student collaboration that could transform education and in the future lead to international consensus on common problems and empower students to resolve them.

Activboards for Active Learning and Global Understanding in Elementary School
Mathematics?
Brian Hudson, Umeå University and Shelly Goldman, School of Education, Stanford University
Rösjöskolan School and East Palo Alto Charter School U.S.
 
The main goals of this project are to improve student and teacher understanding and knowledge of mathematics in the elementary school through developing effective teaching methods using interactive whiteboard (IWB) technology. It builds on existing innovative classroom practice and international links between three schools in Sweden, the US and New Zealand. The project will involve analyzing the effectiveness of IWB use and also aims to increase teacher interest, confidence and motivation in mathematics through collaboration, discussion and cooperation in an international learning community for professional development across the three countries. The teachers will adopt an action research approach within an Integrative Didactical Design framework that combines qualitative and quantitative methods and which aims to integrate approaches to dissemination and evaluation for local and broader impact. Qualitative methods will be adopted for purposes of classroom observation and interviews with both students and teachers. Experimental methods will be adopted for measuring levels of mathematical achievement involving experimental groups in the project schools and control groups in parallel schools in the local region. The schools and teachers will be supported in the processes of project design, research, evaluation and dissemination by teams from the participating universities. The key research questions will focus on how the use of IWBs improves children's learning and understandings of mathematics, levels of teacher interest, confidence and motivation in mathematics and also ways in which innovative practice can be more widely disseminated so as to lead to broader impact across the wider education system.

Mathematics for the digital generation. Encouraging lCTin the mathematics classroom through a university and K-12 partnership.
Per Jönsson, School of teacher education, Malmö University

The use of suitable technical tools can help schools to teach and students to learn mathematics as well as enhancing students’ interest in mathematics.  The overall aim of the project is to develop and evaluate a sustainable model for the integration of ICT in mathematics teaching and learning in order to promote students learning and motivation. Expected outcomes are: (1) A range of examples of teaching integrating ICT in mathematics classrooms; (2) A list of ICT tools used in the teaching experiments, (3); Empirical evidence of effects on students´ learning and motivation; (4) Empirical evidence of changes of teachers knowledge of and attitude to ICT as a regular tool for mathematics teaching; (5) Empirical evidence of teachers broadening and changing of didactic repertoire in mathematics classrooms; and (6) A general model for the use of technology to enhance learning and motivation in mathematics, which can be implemented into new school contexts.
Key questions

• How can education and learning be integrated with and make use of ICT?
• Will students’ learning of mathematics and attitude towards mathematics improve through the usage of ICT?
• Will teachers’ knowledge of ICT and motivation to use ICT in mathematics improve?
• What social supports (training and materials) are shown to be effective in the teaching experiments for improving student learning and motivation?
• What social supports are likely to be needed for improving student learning on a large scale?
• What social supports are shown to be effective for developing teachers’ will and capacity to change their use of ICT in mathematics education and for broadening their didactical repertoire?
• How is sustainability of the project’s findings secured and spread to more schools and teachers?

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