Follow the Fossils

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha B. Ocon ◽  
Lisa Lundgren ◽  
Richard T. Bex II ◽  
Jennifer E. Bauer ◽  
Mary Jane Hughes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Science Learning ◽  
Informal Science ◽  
Informal Science Learning ◽  
Affinity Spaces ◽  
Team Activity ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Education Platform ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Better Than

The ability for people to connect, learn, and communicate about science has been enhanced through the Internet, specifically through social media platforms. Facebook and Twitter are well-studied, while Instagram is understudied. This Element provides insight into using Instagram as a science education platform by pioneering a set of calculated metrics, using a paleontology-focused account as a case study. Framed by the theory of affinity spaces, the authors conducted year-long analyses of 455 posts and 139 stories that were created as part of an informal science learning project. They found that team activity updates and posts outside of their other categories perform better than their defined categories. For Instagram stories, the data show that fewer slides per story hold viewers' attention longer, and stories using the poll tool garnered the most interaction. This Element provides a baseline to assess the success of Instagram content for science communicators and natural science institutions.

scholarly journals Social media for informal science learning in China: A case study

2014 ◽  
pp. 262-280
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Science Learning ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Informal Science ◽  
Informal Science Learning ◽  
Social Events

This article reports a case study on a popular informal science learning community via social media in China, named GuoKr (meaning “nutshell” in English). Data were collected through a variety of Chinese social media and social networking sites, web-based community portals, and discussion boards. Content analyses and data mining were conducted to investigate how GuoKr successfully attracted and engaged public in informal learning on scientific topics in particular. The study found three key characteristics that contributed to the success of such learning communities: (a) utilizing a variety of social media to empower participants with just-in-time, accidental learning opportunities; (b) daily tweets related to emerging or ongoing social events or hot topics to provide brief but intriguing knowledge “bites”, which often leads to extended readings and related resources; and (c) the integration of social media and traditional face-to-face local events to engage the public in science-related learning and knowledge sharing. Practical and research implications are discussed with suggestions for future research as related to ubiquitous learning communities for informal science learning.

scholarly journals Measuring the long-term effects of informal science education experiences: challenges and potential solutions

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy L. Staus ◽  
John H. Falk ◽  
Aaron Price ◽  
Robert H. Tai ◽  
Lynn D. Dierking
Keyword(s):  
Science Learning ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Informal Science Education ◽  
Informal Science ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Science Center ◽  
Informal Science Learning ◽  
Learner Outcomes ◽  
Key Issues

AbstractDespite the fact that most science learning takes place outside of school, little is known about how engagement in informal science learning (ISL) experiences affects learners’ knowledge, skill development, interest, or identities over long periods of time. Although substantial ISL research has documented short-term outcomes such as the learning that takes place during a science center visit, research suggests that the genuine benefits of informal experiences are long-term transformations in learners as they pursue a “cascade” of experiences subsequent to the initial educational event. However, a number of major methodological challenges have limited longitudinal research projects investigating the long-term effects of ISL experiences. In this paper we identify and address four key issues surrounding the critical but challenging area of how to study and measure the long-term effects or impacts of ISL experiences: attribution, attrition, data collection, and analytic approaches. Our objective is to provide guidance to ISL researchers wishing to engage in long-term investigations of learner outcomes and to begin a dialogue about how best to address the numerous challenges involved in this work.

Applications of Augmented Reality in Informal Science Learning Sites: a Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 433-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric E. Goff ◽  
Kelly Lynn Mulvey ◽  
Matthew J. Irvin ◽  
Adam Hartstone-Rose
Keyword(s):  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Science Learning ◽  
Informal Science ◽  
Informal Science Learning
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