ScienceKit for Science Everywhere: A Seamless Scientizing Ecosystem for Raising Scientifically Minded Children

• In Event: Connecting Learners to Place, Space, and Personal Experience With Technology and New Media

Abstract

Objective: In this project, we are designing and implementing ubiquitous technology tools (collectively called ScienceKit) that include 1) mobile social media; 2) tangible, community displays, and 3) streaming media that are deeply embedded into an urban, low-SES neighborhood. Along with ScienceKit, we are implementing a program called Science Everywhere comprised of partnerships between tightly connected neighborhood organizations with mentors, teachers, parents, and researchers to help learners develop scientifically literate practices both in-and-out of school. Our research is focused on how cyberlearning technologies and strategies can improve information flow and coordination across a neighborhood ecosystem to create environments where children can connect their science learning across contexts and time.

Perspective: We are examining how to design seamless scientizing technologies that guide members of their bounded community to promote positive learning for children. Our vision of connected science learning is one where every learner can develop the ability to “scientize” his or her everyday life. Scientizing is the ability to recognize the importance and relevance of science knowledge in one’s everyday life and to engage in the pursuit of science in these domains (Clegg & Kolodner, 2014). Research has shown that scientizing is not the norm for learners (e.g., Lee & Fradd, 1998), even though it is a necessary attribute for identity, disposition, and engagement (Clegg & Kolodner, 2014). Our challenge is to support learners’ development of patterns of engagement in science that connect to their internal values and perspectives of themselves (e.g., Gee, 2000).

Method & Results: For ten months, we have been working with a group of 12 families (25 children ages 5-15 years old, 10-12 parents) in a low-SES neighborhood in Eastern USA. These families participated in weekly afterschool programs, which included design sessions for ScienceKit. The first four months focused on understanding community values. In February 2015 we launched the ScienceKit app with the community. Participants used the app in weekly sessions and at home, school, and daily life settings. We have collected data from learners’ online posts, video of learners’ interactions, parental focus groups, and family design sessions. We will present a content analysis of learners’ posts to reveal scientizing practices that we see as learners move between afterschool, home, and school settings. Preliminary analysis suggests that while learners initially used the app to capture everyday curiosities, some of their use became limited over time. We will triangulate these findings with the other observational data to understand the ways parents promote their children’s scientizing practices and how community technologies can be designed to better support such practices and engagement.

Significance: This work addresses the fundamental challenge of connecting learning across contexts for youth in low-SES neighborhoods through the development of an innovative socio-technical system. Through iterative design processes, we are advancing understanding of ways personal and ubiquitous technology can be designed to support information flows and connected practices that bring neighborhoods together around science learning. Our analysis of the community’s initial experience with ScienceKit uncovers ways to leverage community technologies to promote learners’ scientizing dispositions and identity development.

Authors

• Tamara Lynnette Clegg, University of Maryland - College Park

• June Ahn, University of Maryland - College Park

• Jason Yip, University of Washington - Seattle