Collecting and Creating Visual Representations Within a Technology-Mediated Astronomy Curriculum

• In Event: Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: Technology-Based Learning Environments for STEM Education

Abstract

We engaged 46 middle school students in a ten-week inquiry-based astronomy unit with a focus on collecting and creating visual representations. Our analysis concerns the visual representations (n=222) that students contributed to a technology-mediated environment called Common Knowledge. We identify characteristics of two types of visual representations: images that students downloaded from the Internet and images that students created themselves. We examine the extent to which both image types demonstrated “coherence” with students’ corresponding research questions. Our results show that student-generated images were more coherent – with respect to corresponding research questions – than downloaded images. We demonstrate the value of asking students to annotate/modify the representations of others, and of having students share these new representations with peers.

Authors

• Rebecca M. Quintana, University of Toronto

• Cheryl Ann Madeira, OISE/University of Toronto

• James D. Slotta, University of Toronto