School: Blessed Sacrament
Teacher: Christine Sullivan
Audience:8th grade physical science
Project: Sullivan is interested in a program that can teach
students about the periodic table, how the elements are arranged and
why. Her students love to use the computers at school (there is a
Mac lab with perhaps a dozen computers, all with only 4MB of RAM!),
and the idea of a hands-on interactive tutorial is very appealing.
Possible tools are Hypercard and Hyperstudio.
Comments: This is a challenging project because of the RAM
restrictions and because of the content; the goal is to make something
more effective than the textbook,
that will run smoothly with 2.5 MB of RAM or less
School: Blessed Sacrament
Teacher: Jacqueline Colicci
Audience:Grade 2 Language Arts
Project: Colicci regularly assigns her students sentences on
paper that need to be corrected (because of misspellings,
ungrammaticalities, etc.), but after several corrections and
rewritings, the paper gets quite messy and she would like a program that
can simulate the exercise in a way that will be less tedious and
confusing for the students. Students should be able to use the program
working alone or in pairs, and again the Mac lab (i.e. the Quadras
with 4MB of RAM) is the place where the students will use the tool.
Again, the possible tools are Hypercard and Hyperstudio.
Comments: This is a nice example of how the computer can
improve on a paper & pencil exercise, and this is an opportunity for
a very innovative program that is elegant and powerful.
School: Blessed Sacrament
Teacher: Lona E. Robillard
Audience:First grade mathematics
Project: To create a program to teach basic counting
skills, either through the theme of time-telling or money-counting
(e.g. using coins of different denominations). Robillard imagines
a variety of possible scenarios for each possibility, and again
the possible tools are again Hypercard and Hyperstudio.
Comments: This project provides a great chance to observe
how very young children learn basic mathematical concepts, and to design
something imaginative and effective for helping them to acquire these
concepts more quickly and pleasurably.
School: Brown University
Teacher: Roger Mayer
Audience: Visual Art 10 (and Color Theory) undergraduates
Project: For a module on color theory, Professor Mayer would like a
computer-based version of "Goethe's Triangle," as well as an exercise
in pattern transformation, and neither of these are available to him
on the Albers CD-ROM he currently assigns in "Art 10," and in his class
on color theory.
Comments: A great and challenging programming project that provides an
opportunity to learn a good deal about color theory, while also
appreciating how tricky it
can be to program color on the computer. The project will most likely
require Java, C, or C++, and documentation (both of the project and the
product) will be critical. In addition to Professor Mayer, I imagine
the project team will look to members of the Brown Graphics Group
"Exploratoria" GISP for advice and assistance.
School: Brown University
Teacher: Barrett Hazeltine
Audience: Managerial Decision Making undergraduates
Project: For a module on Information Technology, Professor Hazeltine
would like a computer-based exercise that illustrates some of the
interface and "usability" issues surrounding the use (or non-use)
of integrated networks of information in a corporate setting. Drawing
on a Harvard Business School case study concerning Peat Marwick,
and their interface/tool "The Shadow Partner," Professor Hazeltine
teaches his students to better understand the complexities of
designing an effective information tool for the workplace.
Comments: This is an interesting project that offers the opportunity
to learn a good deal about interface design and discussion, as they
might take place in a "Business School" or Consulting Firm setting.
Possible tools include
Authorware and HTML, and user studies should be possible.
School: Brown University
Teacher: Peter M. Scharf
Audience: Undergraduate/Graduate
Project: The basic idea is to create an electronic book that
presents information
used in a second-year Sanskrit reading class, and that allows students to
"unfold" information as they read a primary text. Using information in
related files of tab-separated fields, the project involves creating
a database and suitable interface to access the
information in layers, letting less analyzed information remain on display
as more detailed information is called upon. The
selection of appropriate "buttons" for a selected verse should
permit the display of
the original Sanskrit verse, Roman transliteration, text without euphonic
combination, related Sanskrit prose sentences, English translation, and
notes. The selection of a word in the text without euphonic combination
display, should show the word's
morphological information, stem, part of speech, translation, and
derivation. Possible tools are Authorware, Filemaker Pro, and of course
more sophisticated database structures and Web interfaces (e.g. SQL
served as HTML using Perl scripts).
Comments: This is a classic Humanities Computing project, of the
sort that might be undertaken by Brown's Scholarly Technology Group. For
a team with some familiarity with Sanskrit and databases, this project
is a wonderful opportunity to create an interesting and effective
electronic book for immediate use at Brown.
School: Brown University School of Medicine
Teacher: Catherine Dube, Ed.D.
Audience: First Year Medical Students
Project: To create a program that will help students learn
to write a medical history. Using the form of a medical interview,
the idea is to have students understand what to write down and how to
phrase and/or encode the information.
Students generally struggle with this unless they come from another medical
discipline. A computer can provide examples and opportunities to select
appropriate and inappropriate documentation techniques. This is a
writing/cognitive skill that can benefit from a drill and practice type of
format conducive to the computer medium. The design of the program should
allow for individuals to work on the computer clusters on their own time,
with the skills being reinforced in small "class" sessions. Possible
tools include Authorware, Hyperstudio, as well as Web-based applications.
Comments: This project is not only an excellent chance to
create a program with rich content that develops both the understanding and
technique of the medical student, but it is a unique opportunity to work
with Dr. Dube, who is a specialist in the area of
instructional technology.
School: Classical High School
Teacher: Steve Cohen
Audience: Grades 9-12
Project:The basic idea is to create a program, as a "game",
that would teach and test students on the variety of topics covered in
high school Health class. Cohen uses a variety of software (e.g.
A.D.A.M and Know Your Body) and says that his students enjoy the
interactivity of games that test both knowledge of a topic as well as the
ability to recall information. Some games might be used to introduce topics
(e.g. body systems, nutrition, STDs, contraception, smoking), while others
might provide questions for review and assessment. Possible tools include
Hyperstudio and Authorware.
Comments: Health turns out to be an important area of new
curriculum these days, particularly in Rhode Island, and this project is
a great opportunity to do something innovation and effective, working
with an experienced and enthusiastic teacher and good students.
School: Classical High School
Teacher: Adam Blumenthal
Audience: Grades 9-12
Project:
The Multimedia Lab at Classical HS (CHS) currently has four machines which
access the Internet via a dial-up connection. Within the next few months we
will be installing a full-time, high-speed (384K) connection to the
building with each machine in the Lab sitting on a 100-Base-T Ethernet
Network, and going out to the Internet thru an NT proxy server.
The project is to
develop a visually enticing, media rich, Internet primer/tutorial which
includes metaphoric representations of Internet concepts, practices,
networking, etc. I imagine an interactive, navigable, 3D space consisting
of a universe of nodes and links representing such technologies as the WWW,
Telnet, FTP, AOL, a web Page, a browser, a search engine, etc. Each of
these elements is represented within the metaphoric universe that we
create; selection of topics takes the user on a brief fly-through animation
to a section of the symbolic universe where the concept is represented and
explained. There should be a "tour" mode, a search mode, a browse mode,
etc.
Examples of what CHS wants users to understand include:
What is the Internet?;
What does the global network look like (symbolically)?;
How does AOL (or ISPs in general) relate to, link to, differ from
The Internet?;
What happens when I click send in my email client?;
What is a file download, and how does it work?; and
how is a Web page set up and how is it accessed?
Blumenthal writes:"
The Internet is a confusing, abstract concept to most users at my school,
and in general. I'd like to bring the Internet down to Earth, and make it a
tangible entity."
This software might be installed on all the CHS computers, or served
using the School's Intranet. Possible tools might be Hyperstudio,
Authorware, or Java.
Comments: We generally resist projects that "teach the technology"
rather than an academic subject, but the demand for this sort of software
and Blumenthal's expertise, enthusiasm and willingness to collaborate
with the CS92 team, make this an excellent project
that could easily
result in innovative software that could be widely used in K-12.
School: Hasbro Childrens Hospital Secondary
School Classroom
Teacher: Jeffrey Crocker, MAT
Audience: ESL students, grades 6-12
Project: There are
3 Pentium PCs that are part of the secondary school "classroom"
at Hasbro, and 1 has Internet access. A CD-ROM has been used to
teach vocabulary
in several languages to the students who find themselves at Hasbro, but
Crocker
would like software that would teach and test students on
English grammar skills, particularly students who are
native Spanish speakers. This school/classroom is an interesting
learning environment, because so many subjects and
age groups are being serviced, and Crocker has no idea who will arrive
in his "class" the next day, what they are studying in school,
or what their ability levels will be. The program should provide
immediate feedback or answers and be simple to follow/use, as the
teacher will not be in room at all times. The program could be
designed for classroom or bedside instruction, group or individual
use. Finally, the program needs to be designed with the understanding
that most students are not at Hasbro long enough to complete large
units of content. Possible tools include Hyperstudio and Authorware.
Comments: This is a challenging environment for "schooling",
and an interesting audience for which to create a well-designed and
effective program that teaches basic English skills.
School: Vartan Gregorian Elementary School
Teacher: Diane Maranhas
Audience: 3rd grade.
Project: Vartan Gregorian Elementary, formerly Fox Point Elementary,
is a "core knowledge" school, with a well-articulated, sequential
curriculum in history. Ms. Maranhas' classroom has 2 Macintosh
computers, and she is interested in having an application that
students can use to explore some of the topics covered in the 3rd
grade American history (e.g. Native Americans and the Thirteen Colonies).
Possible tools are Hyperstudio, Authorware, and HTML (to
run locally), and there is ample opportunity for classroom observation
and excellent access to curricular materials.
Comments: This is an excellent project for folks interested in
technology, hypertext, and the dynamics of the elementary classroom. The
challenge of the "one computer classroom" is enormous, but so is the
potential for a good application to make a real difference in student
learning at the elementary level. There is also an interesting opportunity
to coordinate work on this project with the next, which continues
with Early American History in Grade 4.
School: Providence Children's Museum
Teacher: Louisa Jacobs
Audience: Children ages 5-11.
Project:
CITY STREETS is an exhibit for 5 to 11 year olds.
The main goal of the
exhibit is to promote an understanding of how a city works as a series
of systems, through an examination of the street system. The exhibit
contains many interactive elements that provide children with
the opportunity to explore the different underground utilities that support
the city. These elements work particularly well with the 5 to 9 year olds.
For the older children we would like a component that grapples with the
idea that roads are carefully planned and positioned. A computer program
would be the most appropriate medium because it can supply the multiple
consequences needed to engage the child in problem-solving.
A second concept that we want to present is that streets and the utilities
below them link people and services in an intricate system. Using the GIS
database, we can use real data to show children the system of streets and
services they provide and contain.
Below is a description of how Jacobs has envisioned the program so far,
and/but she is open to suggestions and new ideas for how to achieve these
goals. The project includes collecting the raw data, creating the program,
prototyping it with visitors, and refining the program. There is also a
possibility that a programmer from ESRI, the company which manufactures a
software program that manipulates GIS data, would work with the students.
Given the scale and sophistication of the project, a principled
prototype of the software envisioned by the Museum
would be a considerable achievement.
The target age group for the computer program is children ages 8-11.
Goals for the program: 1) examining the factors that influence the
street's path by presenting some of the obstacles that need to be
negotiated when connecting two or more points; 2) showing how the
below-street systems support the city, e.g. by providing all the homes and
businesses with water, gas, electricity, and connecting homes and
businesses with phone lines.
This customized program will utilize the Rhode Island
Geographic Information System (RIGIS) as a means to achieve the program
goals. The data contained in RIGIS will be manipulated by the program to
create several different activities for children. While achieving our
educational goals, this program will also introduce children to the concept
of GIS and its availability in schools and libraries. The program will be
designed to run on Pentium PC machines.
Comments This is an enormous project and it is not reasonable to
think that a CS92 team could complete it; still, for a team with strong
interests in GIS and experience with databases, this project could turn out
to be an incredible learning experience and might produce an innovative
prototype of the program the Museum has in mind. There is certainly an
opportunity to
contribute a great deal to the Museum's thinking about the design and
goals of the program.
School: Vartan Gregorian Elementary School
Teacher: Mari-Ellen Bosclair
Audience: 4th grade.
Project: As mentioned above, Vartan Gregorian Elementary,
formerly Fox Point Elementary,
is a "core knowledge" school, with a well-articulated, sequential
curriculum in history. Mrs. Bosclair's classroom has 2 Macintosh
computers, and she is interested in having an application that
students can use to investigate some of the topics covered in the 4th
grade American history (roughly from the Revolution to the early
Presidents). Possible tools are Hyperstudio, Authorware, and HTML (to
run locally), and there is ample opportunity for classroom observation
and good access to curricular materials.
Comments: This is an excellent project for people interested in
technology, hypertext, and the dynamics of the elementary classroom.
Again, the "one computer classroom" is a common phenomenon but the
difficulties in integrating into classroom practice are serious, even
while the impact of a good application (especially one that "picks
up" nicely where the previous project left off) can be tremendous.
School: The Wheeler School
Teacher: Dorothy D. Garfield
Audience: 7th grade science
Project: The major topics in the 7th grade science curriculum
at Wheeler are matter, cells and the human body.
For a unit on matter and cells, Ms. Garfield would
like a program that teaches students to distinguish physical and
chemical properties of and changes in matter, that makes
fun use of the periodic table of elements; but, she also has several
ideas for programs to teach elementary structures and functions of
the human body. Possible tools include Hyperstudio and Authorware.
Comments: This is a good project, with an enthusiastic teacher
and clear curricular goals. Best of all, perhaps, it could go in
several directions, as the team that chooses it will have several
choices of modules to develop.