Educational Technology

Presenters will discuss the challenges and successes encountered in customizing inquiry science curricula according to the principles of universal design for learning (UDL) and in then enacting those Web-delivered curricula in secondary classrooms.

How should science curriculum developers respond to the changing technological landscape in school and out?

This session will showcase and solicit feedback on a prototype online learning community designed to facilitate collaboration between teachers and scientists. A team of scientists and education researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute developed the learning community as part of the Investigations in Cyber-enabled Education (ICE) Program, a DR K–12 program. The unique learning community is the central component of an online course for secondary teachers.

The capabilities of interactive, Web-based media offer approaches that can be especially valuable to students and teachers who find STEM content challenging to learn. Through the lenses of both general education and special education, the presenters are designing new products to be effective for all teachers and students. Web-based tools link multiple visual representations and allow immediate feedback to teachers and students. See and discuss free tools that Dynabook and SmartGraphs are developing.

In this session, panelists from five NSF-funded gaming projects will discuss ways in which digital game-based learning can enable learner-led exploration, taking games beyond the "quiz" model many educators still think of.