Investigation and Experimentation
In the Hook-ups initiative, young people learn by designing and constructing Hook-ups - physical objects that can control games, animations, and other computer programs they create. Hook-ups can be modified versions of traditional computer interfaces (e.g., joysticks) or entirely new types of interfaces (e.g., a spaceship steering wheel). In creating Hook-ups, young people learn to integrate virtual media with familiar materials from the world around them. In the process, they gain confidence and motivation to explore topics within fields such as interface design, programming, and physics.
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Here’s some more interesting research and student science activities to check out:
http://llk.media.mit.edu/videos.php
Here’s how the Lifelong Kindergarten project describes it self:
“How to engage people in creative learning experiences:
The Lifelong Kindergarten group is sowing the seeds for a more creative society. We develop new technologies that, in the spirit of the blocks and finger-paint of kindergarten, expand the range of what people design, create, and invent—and what they learn in the process. Our ultimate goal is a world full of playfully creative people, who are constantly inventing new possibilities for themselves and their communities.”
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the Hook-ups Initiative
Lifelong Kindergarten - Hands on Science activities
7. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will:
Investigation and experimentation
a. Select and use appropriate tools and technology (including calculators, computers, balances, spring scales, microscopes, and binoculars) to perform tests, collect data, and display data.
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b.Use a variety of print and electronic resources (including the World Wide Web) to collect information and evidence as part of a research project.
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c.Communicate the logical connection among hypotheses, science concepts, tests conducted, data collected, and conclusions drawn from the scientific evidence.
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d.Construct scale models, maps, and appropriately labeled diagrams to communicate scientific knowledge (e.g., motion of Earth’s plates and cell structure).
e. Communicate the steps and results from an investigation in written reports and oral presentations.
This video is a sample of what can be found on YouTube for teachers.
Check out http://www.youtube.com - a place your students are already very familiar with, and sometimes a great resource for visual learners!
It’s posted by ThinkWorks, Website: http://www.ThinkandThrive.com
How ThinkWorks describes itself:
“We are a small company founded by two Cornell University research scientists with a BIG Vision: Thinking at every desk. Join us in our Vision to bring 21st Century thinking skills to every desk, school, and district in America...”
Description of video below:
A 7th grade teacher infuses essential thinking skills into a lesson on Human Anatomy. Although students could describe each system of the human body, they struggled, to find connections among these systems. The teacher used Guiding Questions to probe students' construction of ideas.
The outcomes? Deeper understanding of the Human Anatomy and thinking skills for the 21st Century.
YouTube Category: Education
TAGS (for this Video): derek_cabrera thinkblocks thinkworks tactile manipulatives education teaching schools thinking_skills laura_colosi 21st_century_skills
What is TAGS?
“TAGS” is how information is organized into user customized categories by many online applications and browsers. Type a few TAG names into the YouTube search field for more videos like this. Each TAG is separated by a space, eliminate the space between words or use the underline symbol to search for two word topics e.g. lifelonglearning or lifelong_learning.)
-Free, no ads, but this video is from a commercial source: ThinkWorks, Website: http://www.ThinkandThrive.com. Pretty cool ideas from ThinkWorks!
From Youtube - a great resource for visual learners!
