Now that I am in the final stages of revising and defending my thesis, I have begun looking at extending my research beyond the museum. The next stage in mobile research revolves around the design and use of interactive marine apps at nature and science centres. I am looking at the development of a marine field app students designed in partnership with a marine science centre and elementary students. Right now I am in the process of identifying partners and funding sources. Based on the work I have completed so far, it is exciting to see the possibilities in the development of interactive science guides.
 On January 27th, I presented an essay with the same title of this post at the University of Victoria's Heart Earth Lecture Series (click here for more information). We had about 40 participants for this presentation. This essay emerged from my recent interest in a recent scientific article published in the journal Science that documents geologic evidence of a new epoch called the Anthropocene. More specifically, I was interested in exploring how anthropogenic events might effect educational systems and institutions through multi-decade environmental audits and educational planning that is more closely linked to addressing the world’s major anthropogenic problems such as climate change and a global loss of biodiversity related to human development and activity. In the end, perhaps, this article explores how we might redirect ourselves as human catalysts for a more positive environmental and geologic legacy. You can find the science article The Anthropocene is Functionally and Stratigraphically distinct from the Holocene by researchers published in the journal Science by clicking here. It was a great day to explore the future of environmental education with a fantastic audience.
 In addition to teaching, writing, and research I am giving several presentations this summer. My first presentation is at the Canadian Society for the Study or CSSE's annual conference at my own university in Victoria. In addition to demoing some software, I will be presenting a paper on the OLPC program in Latin America. The abstract is below. Símbolo de Digital en el mundo nuevo: ¿Misión educativa o misionario?  It has been a very busy fall. In addition to the EBS project I noted in my previous blog, I have continued working on the educational software for museums and park settings. We have the first prototype completed and demonstrated its use with the Royal BC Museum here in Victoria. Hopefully we will be testing it sometime next year.
In other news, I have completed my preliminary research on the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project which culminated in an article I will be presenting at CCSE (Canadian Center for Science and Education) entitled Digital Symbols in the New World which explores the role of mobile devices like the OLPC laptop in education in this hemisphere from a post-colonial perspective. I have received several compliments on this paper and hope to send it out for publication this winter. Finally, I have been involved in the University's FIRST LEGO League program. On December 15th about one hundred fifty students from Victoria and other communities on Vancouver Island participated in the Vancouver Island Regional FIRST LEGO Qualifer. You can find a news article about the event here: http://www.saanichnews.com/community/184288701.html  It has been a fantastic summer! I met Dr. Claudia Urrea at the 2012 World Ed Media conference in Denver. Dr. Urrea works with the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) program and was sharing some fascinating research from Columbia. We discussed my museum project and I had expressed some interest in researching science education programs for OLPC. She offered to send me one of their machines to work on and I am very excited for its arrival at the University of Victoria.
In other news I helped facilitate an fantastic three day STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art & Mathematics) workshop for the teachers at Elizabeth Buckley Elementary School on the University campus. A great time was had by all as we explore native plants, microbiology, and paleontology in the earth sciences. The staff came up with a plan for science education that was recently covered in the local press. You can access the information here: http://www.vicnews.com/news/166419686.html Finally, my work in the museum is progressing nicely as well. My partner and I are reformatting the software we have developed into the iPhone. We also are developing some new application ideas but that is hush hush for now. What a great summer for science! Oh...don't think I spent all my summer working. As visitors to Canada we enjoyed exploring the coast near Tofino on Vancouver Island as well. What a beautiful place to study science education. I just returned from presenting at the 2012 EDMedia conference in Denver. In addition to showcasing a science education application I am developing for the Royal BC Museum, I had the opportunity to sit in on other presentations. One of the most fascinating ones for me was presented by Dr. Claudia Urrea and her colleagues. Dr. Urrea, the director for the One Laptop per Child program had a fascinating case study on the use of these computers in Columbia. After her presentation we had time for a discussion around the use of these technologies and their possible role in science education. The curricular design elements and parameters for this technology are more complicated than my earlier work with museums given that these systems are designed to run in open environments with little or no supporting infrastructure. I was excited to learn about some of the other OLPC programs (including one here in Canada) and the development of scientific programs for use by children here and abroad. I would love the opportunity to study this program in more detail in the future.
What should science look like when science schools and other science centers don’t exist? Given the power of increased scientific literacy to the public health, environment, and quality of life an many communities around the world, the lack of these educational resources and opportunities in many parts of the world can lead to the reverse effect. According to the Global Fund for Children, one in five children or approximately 150 to 200 million children are not currently enrolled in school. The lack of access to a basic education including science education will likely have profound impacts on their quality of life. Recently, I have been researching what role educational technologies and programs like the One Laptop per Child Program might play in addressing these issues. While the solutions for science education “in the streets” is promising, there are many challenges as well. I hope to be involved in efforts to enhance the educational experiences of children and other impoverished communities around the world in the future. There are so many possibilities for research and scientific empowerment!
Today’s move by Wikipedia, Google, and other internet providers that have blocked or reduce their websites and services to protest the imminent passage of SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect Intellectual Property Act) in Congress illuminates the intersection and conflicts arising in the areas of policy, creative/intellectual rights, and an individual’s right to free and unfettered access to knowledge. As educators and consumers of this knowledge (both individually and in our own practice as professionals) this move by providers is significant. Given how knowledge is used and manipulated through social media by ourselves and students, it is important to revisit the issue of intellectual property rights verses free and open access to information.
For educators outside of the United States, the debate around SOPA will likely be significant as variations of this policy is likely to be replicated in both the European Union and the Commonwealth. In Canada where I am studying, a CBC report by Daniel Swartz (2012) As a result, I would encourage everyone to become more familiar with this policy. For more information about the online blackout, SOPA, and PIPA I would refer them to the following sites: Wikipedia’ s position on SOPA and PIPA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:SOPA_initiative/Learn_more PC World has a series of articles on both bills as well: http://www.pcworld.com/article/248298/sopa_and_pipa_just_the_facts.html From my own perspective as a US citizen studying abroad, it is evident I have more research to do. It can be difficult to keep up with policy issues when you are living abroad. I commend these companies for taking a stand and alerting me to these issues. I will be reading up on both bills today and calling my representatives once I have determined my final view on these issues. Reference: Schwartz, D. (Jan. 18, 2012). Wikipedia limits service in privacy protest: Canada would feel the effects of proposed Stop Online Piracy Act. CBC. Retrieved: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/01/17/f-sopa-canada.html |
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