Virtual Worlds for Science Learning

This chapter proposes that the use of virtual worlds for science education is warranted and fits well with contemporary learning theory in the context of constructivist instructional approaches being desirable and that learners learn best when they are engaged in active mental processing. Over recent years, games have become increasingly social, supporting massively multi-player online game experiences and then evolving into virtual worlds, such as Second Life, which show significant promise for educational uses. This chapter introduces the field of virtual worlds, and then discusses relevant theory and research. The authors describe the potential of virtual worlds for education by emphasizing how they can be leveraged as an effective tool for constructivist teaching techniques. In addition, the authors present some of the literature that supports their use for science education. This chapter concludes with practical concerns and some possible solutions in the context of future research directions.

AVU's Experience in Increasing Access to Quality Higher Education through e-Learning in Sub-Saharan Africa

Universities and other tertiary institutions in developing nations around the world are facing major challenges in meeting the demand for increasing access to higher education (HE): limitations imposed by inadequate funding, poor infrastructure and sometimes lack of political vision, added to the demographic explosion, make it almost impossible for some of these developing nations to ensure access to all to higher education solely through the conventional face-to-face mode. In this context, the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are providing an alternative to face-to-face education. Moreover, they have the potential to significantly increase access to quality higher education, improve management of tertiary institutions, increase access to educational resources through digital libraries and open education resources, foster collaboration and networking between universities, foster collaboration between the private sector and tertiary institutions, enhance sub-regional and regional integration and facilitate the mobility of teachers and graduates. In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the African Virtual University (AVU), a Pan African Inter-Governmental Organization initially launched in Washington in 1997 as a World Bank project, works with a number of countries toward reaching the goal of increasing access to quality higher education and training programmes through the use of ICTs. The AVU has been the first-of-itskind in this regard to serve the Sub-Saharan African countries. In this chapter, the AVU’s twelve years experience in delivering and improving access to quality higher distance education throughout Africa will be discussed. The AVU has trained more than 40,000 students since its inception; this is the proof that it is possible to achieve democratization of tertiary education in Africa despite many challenges.

Enhancing ICT Application in Science and Mathematics Education

This chapter reviews the Malaysian experience in implementing the Smart School Flagship initiatives, notably in the implementation of information communication technology (ICT) application in science and mathematics education. From a macro perspective, this chapter takes stock of the achievements of the Smart School Flagship in enabling ICT infrastructure and Internet connectivity in Malaysian schools. It attempts to appraise current trends and practice, clarifies emerging issues or challenges that schools face in trying to improve the ways in which ICT is applied to enhance teaching and learning, and identifies promising good practices so that general lessons may be drawn that are of interests to Malaysia and other countries. It does not claim to comprehensively cover every aspect of the initiatives but aims to contribute to current thinking about this topic by presenting a practical and pragmatic evaluation of some of its key features.

The Role of ICTs in Primary Science Education in Developing a Community of Learners to Enhance Scientific Literacy

The purpose of this chapter is to show how information communication technologies (ICT) facilitated communication between primary pre-service teachers that enabled a ‘community of learners’ to develop children’s scientific literacy. Cultural-historical theory was used to frame a study that sought to explicitly go beyond thinking as being individualistic, and to show how thinking can also be considered as a collective endeavour. In particular the study identifies how thinking forms part of a ‘community of learners’ both virtually and in reality within classrooms. The study was able to make visible child and pre-service teacher interactional sequences that brought together everyday concepts and scientific concepts to support concept formation in science. The study revealed the dialectical relations between everyday concepts and scientific concepts for moving from an interpsychological level to an intrapsychological level. The collective, rather than the individual orientation, made such a perspective possible. Importantly, the use of ICTs facilitated communication between members of the collective.

Diffusion of ICT Innovation in Science Education

In this chapter, the authors first discuss how Roger’s theory of innovation diffusion can be incorporated into ICTs in formal and informal learning and teaching environments. The authors begin by presenting the use of ICT in education in general terms, then they introduce Rogers’ diffusion of innovation (DoI) theory and the related literature. This is followed by a description of a project which explored the relationship between some characteristics of primary science teachers and their attitudes toward the use of ICT in education. A national project was funded by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBITAK), and Ege University, Science and Technology Application and Research Center. The last section involves a discussion of the diffusion of technological innovations into science education in the light of Rogers’ DoI theory.

Representational Inquiry Competences in Science Games

This chapter considers the enactment of competences in a particular science learning game Homicide, which is played in lower secondary schools. Homicide is a forensic investigation game in which pupils take on the role of police experts solving criminal cases in the space of one week. The Homicide game-based learning environment was designed with the aim of supporting scientific inquiry through a simulation of elements of a professional forensic practice situation. The game is thus designed to support work with genuine scientific inquiry and to meet the seventh- to tenth grade curriculum objectives for science and Danish education in Danish schools. This chapter presents the results of a long-term empirical study conducted with four school classes who played the game. The focus of the study has been to understand what competences are enacted when a professional inquiry is played out in schools. The chapter considers how students constructed visual representations of the cases they investigated and how they used these representations to establish hypotheses and evidence. The term ‘representational inquiry competences’ is developed; it refers to the students’ ability to construct, productively use, transform and criticize visual representations as an integrated part of conducting an inquiry in the science game.

Enhancing Scientific Literacy through the Industry Site Visit

Citizens in contemporary societies are encountering more and more issues that are somehow related to science and technology. Therefore, science and technology education plays an important role in providing students with the knowledge and the competences they need in their life. The research and development project discussed in this chapter focuses specifically on scientific literacy. It is considered as a crucial element of multiple literacies required in modern life. These proficiencies are often referred to in terms such as information literacy, media literacy, environmental literacy, political literacy, computer literacy etc. (see e.g., Lankshear & Knobel, 2003). In order to enhance student scientific literacy the authors introduce a model of industry site visit for lower secondary school science education as a form of out-of-school learning. The potential of the site visit and other learning activities connected to it are discussed in the frameworks of scientific literacy, motivation and interest. The site visit and the activities, such as the use of ICT in reading and writing, are scrutinised with regard to the specified educational goals. The analysis of the motivational aspects of the site visit is based on self-determination theory. Self-determined learning could occur when an activity at a site is considered by a learner to be interesting, enjoyable, or personally valuable. Furthermore, the site visit offers role models which are critical for students’ choice of advanced studies and careers in science. Some empirical results on both cognitive and affective learning outcomes, as well as challenges that were encountered are presented on the basis of first design and evaluation cycle.

Empowering Students to be Scientifically Literate through Digital Literacy

The objective of this chapter is to discuss the relationships between the three literacies that are mentioned above: digital literacy, science literacy and multiple literacies. The chapter will define digital literacy and scientific literacy and argue that being digitally literate would enhance the development of scientific literacy. It will look at the similarities in skills required for the two literacies (i.e., skills derived from learning science and learning to use digital technology). These are skills at both the operational and conceptual levels. The chapter will draw on these similarities to discuss how being digitally literate could better support the independent and personalized learning of science in the development of individuals who are scientifically literate. The use of multiple literacies pedagogy, the multimodal means of learning and communicating, as bridging the two literacies will be made. Specific examples will be used to illustrate the objective of this chapter. The chapter will conclude with a conceptual framework for the development of digital literacy in empowering students to become scientifically literate.

Multiple Literacies in the ICT Age

The exponentially changing world of the Information Age is reflected in the emphasis on multiple literacies and the impact of information communication technology (ICT) in teaching and learning practices in global educational environments. Students’ learning, teachers’ curricula and teacher education programmes are being adapted to these changing circumstances. The concept of multiple literacies has had a powerful influence on classroom practice. Multimodal and multidimensional curricula have become the standard for students from a very young age to lifelong learners. While discipline-specific literacies such as scientific literacy are widely acknowledged as essential components of a multiple literacies concept, notions of ‘information literacy’ have taken centre stage in discussions of students’ ability to access, retrieve and critically evaluate the information that floods the ICT driven delivery modes of the 21st century. However, it is important to remember that learning is a complex process, and that “Who is looking after our children?” is still an essential question to ask.

Multiple Literacies and Environmental Science Education

A project by James Cook University’s School of Education created an online learning environment targeted at rural and regional schools in Far North Queensland. Pre-service teachers worked with practising teachers and children to develop learning activities which were shared through the BirdNet website. The site hosts a wide range of learning activities for bird identification, building school gardens, as well as professional learning tools such as lesson plans and integrated units of work. Project successes indicate that innovation, creativity and place-based learning can support high levels of both ICT and scientific literacy in all participants. The challenges faced included those resulting from technical issues, effects of distance, child-safety provisions for an on-line environment, and entry level of skills for participants. The value of informal learning by pre-service teachers, freed from the formal learning assessment regime, is endorsed as a valid sustainable, strategy which can be adopted by teacher educators.