Schedule for the Workshop
Description of format and schedule of activities planned
The workshop is divided into four sessions that include discussions and hands-on work with the different design processes across the projects. The first session contains a brief overview of three prominent perspectives in computer-based inquiry learning: Personal Inquiry, Mobile Collaboratories and Emerging Learning Objects. Their relevance in three ongoing science projects will be presented. Additionally, perspectives from projects from the participants selected by the organizers will be presented to seed the workshop discussions. The next session is Design Approaches that provides a set of tools for exploring how to use different design tools and processes to support the creation of inquiry learning environments. The third session consists of small breakout groups that will test out and discuss the different design tools and approaches in relation to three projects and participant’s own projects. The experiences from the previous session’s activities and created artifacts will inform the fourth session, the debriefing session. The aim of this final session is to discuss how inquiry based science learning supported by technology can be implemented more effectively in schools through exploring design approaches and what challenges this creates for the research, design, and eventually practice.
Session 1: Introduction (1 hour)
We will provide a setting in which the challenges of developing inquiry learning activities for computer-based learning environments will be described and discussed. Broad design requirements for creating and running activities will be identified specifically describing the design challenges from the different perspectives that include Emerging Learning Objects, Mobile Collaboratories, and Personal Inquiry and the participants.
Session 2: Design Approaches for Inquiry Activities (1 hour)
A set of design tools and processes will be presented that include research and professional practices. These tools are drawn from interaction, product, and learning centered design practices. Each of the breakout groups will use different tools to explore how design approaches can be used to better support inquiry learning to “work well”. The set of tools provide a means for the participants to get familiar with discussing the design experiences of the three case studies from different perspectives that include technology, users, emerging learning objects, the learning goals, and societal implications.
Session 3: Breakout groups for design workshops (3 to 4 hours)
This is the main part of the workshop in which the participants form small groups and use the design tools introduced in the previous session. The teams apply the tools to analyze and discuss the different projects. Each of the groups will have access to the tools, such as paper based cards, white boards, and assorted pens and papers to support their design discussions. The aim of this session is for each group to generate some key discussion points related to the theme of their group for session 4.
Session 4: Debriefing and Discussion: Evaluating Inquiry Activities (1 hour)
The final activity of the day is a group debriefing on the use of the three different design tools. The aim of this group discussion is cover topics such as scalability, sustainability, open standards and source, and teacher support for improving inquiry knowledge. The discussion will continue with the aim of identifying key design issues for the future of inquiry-based science learning with technology.