Science Everywhere
Engaging entire neighborhoods in science learning with technology
Science Everywhere is an NSF funded research study aimed at understanding how technology can engage entire communities in science learning. We utilize a design-based research approach in which we co-design innovative science learning technology with families, teachers, and leaders in a community, implement that technology in the community, and then redesign that technology in an iterative design process. Broadly, this study will contribute to theory on connected learning by developing an understanding of how to connect science learning at home, school, and community spaces with technology. This study also aims to contribute to our understanding of parent-child learning, interactive display design, and social media for learning.
After School Programs
In Science Everywhere we run after school programs that focus on science learning in life relevant contexts. Programs include topics like kitchen chemistry, engineering and design through Minecraft, and investigating how things fly.
New Technology
For this study we developed a suite of science learning technologies. These technologies include a social media app for science learning and an interactive display for schools and public spaces.
Co-Design with Families
In our Science Everywhere design sessions we work with parents and children from our communities to co-design technologies for science learning. These families help us understand the process of making connections from school to home and the dynamics of parent-child and peer-to-peer learning.
School Integration
We also work with science teachers in our communities to help us with the design of our technologies and to integrate our technologies into science classrooms. These partnerships help us to further investigate connected learning practices.
Partners and People
There are several groups that partner together to make Science Everywhere a possibility. These organizations include the University of Maryland iSchool and College of Education, the University of Washington iSchool, Prince George’s County Public Schools, Solid Rock Church, Highline Public Schools, and KidsTeam UW. The principal investigators of this study include Dr. June Ahn and Dr. Tamara Clegg from the University of Maryland, and Dr. Jason Yip from the University of Washington.
Other members of the research team include:
Dr. Jochen Rick, designer and developer
Elizabeth Bonsignore, PhD candidate at UMD iSchool
Daniel Pauw, PhD candidate at UMD iSchool
Judith Uchidiuno, PhD student at CMU
Austin Beck, PhD student at UMD College of Education
Kelly Mills, PhD student at UMD College of Education
Caroline Pitt, PhD student at UW iSchool
Past research team members:
Meridian Witt, Media Arts student at Wellesley College
Videos
Papers, Posters, and Presentations
Yip, J., Clegg, T., Ahn, J., Uchidiuno, J., Bonsignore, E., Beck, A., Pauw, D., Mills, K. The Evolution of Roles and Social Bonds During Child-Parent Co-design. Proceedings of the 2016 ACM annual conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2016). [PDF]
Pauw, D. A., Clegg, T. L., Ahn, J., Bonsignore, E., Yip, J. C., & Uchidiuno, J. (2015). Navigating Connected Inquiry Learning with ScienceKit. Presented at the Computer Supported Collaborative Learning 2015. [PDF]
Ahn, J., Clegg, T., Yip, J., Bonsignore, E., Pauw, D., Gubbels, M., Lewittes, B., & Rhodes, E. (2014). Seeing the unseen learner: designing and using social media to recognize children’s science dispositions in action. Learning, Media and Technology, (ahead-of-print), 1-31. [LINK]
Yip, J.C., Clegg, T.L., Ahn, J., Bonsignore, E., Gubbels, M., Rhodes, E., & Lewittes, B. (2014). The role of identity development within tensions in ownership of science learning. Proceedings of the Eleventh International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS 2014). [PDF]
Clegg, T.L., Bonsignore, E., Ahn, J., Yip, J.C., Pauw, D., & Gubbels, M. (2014). Capturing personal and social science: Technology for integrating the building blocks of disposition. Proceedings of the Eleventh International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS 2014). [PDF]
Yip, J.C., Ahn, J., Clegg, T.L., Bonsignore, E., Pauw, D. & Gubbels., M. (2014). “It helped me do my science.” A case of designing social media technologies for children in science learning. Proceedings of the 13th International Conference of Interaction Design and Children (IDC 2014). [PDF]
