Five Key Resources for an Electronic Community of Elementary Student Weather Forecasters

Curtis Jay Bonk, Kenneth E. Hay, and Robert B. Fischler

Journal of Computing in Childhood Education, Vol 7,
No. 1/2 1996, p. 93-118

The Indiana Weather Project (IWP) investigated how the joint application of situated learning and constructivist theory might support elementary school students' understanding of weather systems. Using a number of forms of learning assistance (e.g., tool, teacher, peer, expert, and university resources), fifth- and sixth-grade students created multimedia documents and used on-line information resources in an attempt to generate excitement for science and learning. Multimedia composition tools specifically designed for elementary students (e.g., HyperStudio) were used to turn the learning environments of three schools (one urban, one rural, and one suburban) from a focus on knowledge consumption to knowledge production. Additionally, students were electronically exposed to a community of science practitioners as well as hundreds of peers working on the same electronic unit. Students were, in effect, led into more authentic learning activities by merging multimedia design goals with an electronic connection to a community of practice (e.g., meteorological personnel). Measures of knowledge structures (i.e., concept maps, similarity judgment triads, and open-ended metacognitive reflection questions) indicated significant cognitive gains during the multimedia weather unit. In terms of teacher and school change, teacher interviews were focused on initial infrastructure issues, innovative forums for teacher collaboration across distant sites, curriculum organization, and establishing procedures for electronic interaction. Infrastructure issues, results of cognitive assessments, and future directions are detailed.

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Howard J. Bender, Ph.D.
President
The Education Process Improvement Center, Inc.
P.O. Box 186
Riverdale, Maryland 20738
hjbender@epicent.com