Engineering and Technology Curriculum Development
Using Entertainment Technology To Teach Physics
There is an insufficient amount of qualitative and/or quantitative research available as to the effectiveness of using educational entertainment as a motivator for studying engineering and technology-related subjects. The integration of entertainment technologies with core academic subjects establishes a foundation for learning that can stimulate curiosity, inspire as well as inform, motivate change, encourage people to take action, plus help shape the way we perceive the world. An examination and exploration of how entertainment can be combined with education may help us to produce more effective and empowering learning experiences (http://www.users.nac.net/, 2001). Entertainment technologies such as video games, computers, music CD’s, DVD videos, digital film, cartoon and 3-D animation are being used to achieve specific educational objectives. Hence, the utilization of entertainment in technology education may tender prospective solutions to fostering engineering-like thinking especially as it relates to physics (science) education.
Because a number of students lack a genuine interest in physics, instructional principles and strategies are needed to reach a wider audience and make physics more interesting, relevant and meaningful to students. An examination of physics concepts [by means of an engineering and technology-related approach] via entertainment technologies has the potential to provide a more enriching educational experience for those students who might ordinarily be reluctant or even averse to study physics. For this reason, the application of entertainment in technology education may proffer some solutions to enhancing the quality of instruction as it relates to physics education.
Since the infusion of engineering design concepts and principles is now at the forefront of issues concerning content standards for technology education, a re- examination of physics instructional principles and strategies that exploit entertainment technologies is exigent to meeting the needs of a new generation of learners living in technologically-driven society. Processes in technology education are often based on how engineers think and what engineers do. Furthermore, physics is fundamental to many areas of engineering plus provides the basis for countless technological developments. Since physics permeates the engineering field, an ample perception of physics can facilitate students’ cognitive ability to understand basic engineering and technological skills more swiftly. Moreover, the study of physics primes students for greater proficiency when studying subject matter that requires a higher level of thinking. Unaware of the significant impact that physics has on modern society, many students lack the desire or interest to learn physics. These issues are forcing educators to develop new and innovative ways of teaching physics.
In light of the aforementioned issues, the proposed project will investigate the use of educational entertainment as a method of fostering interest in the study of physics concepts and principles among 9th grade students. The objective of this project is to design and test a prototype learning module that employs entertainment technologies, namely cartoon animation, as a delivery system for conveying physics concepts and principles by using engineering and technology education as a content organizer. To further build on the concepts conveyed in the cartoon animated series, students will explore the subject physics concepts via hands-on/minds-on learning and will document their activities in an engineering journal or notebook. These activities will help reinforce concepts presented in the cartoon component.
Significance of Study
Being that many students are adverse to or have difficulty understanding and/or applying scientific principles, learning units that use cartoon animation as a delivery mechanism have the potential to foster greater student interest in physics, and, in turn, may lead to the development of higher order cognitive abilities.
As a culmination to the project, students will exercise their metacognitive abilities to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the content matter by documenting their learning experiences. Using an engineering notebook or journal students will write about the paths that their minds followed as they engaged and explored the learning material. Some students may choose to write a fictional story that demonstrates their understanding of the material. These stories will be used to evaluate structural or behavioral characteristics peculiar to 9th grade students participating in science, technology, engineering and mathematically-related studies. Moreover, these metacognitive accounts will be used as an assessment or evaluation tool to guage the effectiveness of the subject project-based learning module and to provide statistical data that validates the effectiveness of engineering and technology education as a content organizer for core academic subjects.
Target Population
The proposed curriculum model will be developed for interdisciplinary educational environments, such as those found in Small Learning Communities (SLC’s) to report and predict engineering design and /or technology concepts and principles. The intent is to learn how 9-12 grade students employ their metacognitive abilities to develop conceptual metaphors, analogies, narratives, and/or stories to convey their understanding of engineering concepts and principles. The following paragraphs give a brief overview and outline of the proposed curriculum model. I will be publishing each activity on-line in the near future. The outline below is worded in a manner that orientates the reader as to the style of delivery that will be used.
Overview of Project-Based Learning Segments
Science and Engineers
Engineers apply scientific principles to solve problems and design useful products. Without science many of the technologies that we enjoy in our daily lives would not exist. Physics is a branch of science that involves the study of the interaction between matter and energy. Moreover, physics involves the study of the natural or material world and phenomena. The study of physics is grouped in traditional fields such as acoustics, optics, mechanics, thermodynamics, and electromagnetism, as well as in modern extensions including atomic and nuclear physics, cryogenics, solid-state physics, particle physics, and plasma physics. All of these areas involve aspects of engineering. The investigation of science concepts is an important part of engineering and will be the focus of this project-based learning activity. In this particular curriculum model, we will exploit the use of the Five E' s of science education.
The Five E's Approach to Science Education
Engage
The first phase involves providing students with an exciting or exhilarating intervention, such as demonstrating circular motion concepts using spinning tops or gyroscopes in order to capture the attention of students. This first phase involves introducing the students to the topic of circular motion by providing some sort of interactive experience and/or demonstration of the concepts to be explored.
Explore
In the second phase, students are introduced to materials that they can use to experiment with in order to gain first-hand experience with the phenomenon. This phase provides the students with an opportunity to embody each circular motion concept via hands-on activities which are outlined in each circular motion module (See Modules: Forces and vectors, plane polar coordinates, etc). Students will record/document their experiences and observations through journal writing, audio-visual recordings, and/or drawing. Students will keep an account of each activity and will need to have the facilitator sign off on their activity sheets before moving on to the next one. At some point in the exploration phase, the class will be introduced to concept mapping and will begin to make associations to prior knowledge and what they have just learned.
Explain
Phase three involves transforming the abstract experiences of students into a form that can be situated, contextualized, understood and communicated by the learner. The facilitator will help elucidate meaning of abstract (i.e. circular motion concepts) experiences by giving the students an opportunity to communicate their experiences through language and communicable labels (i.e. engineering notebook/journal and concept mapping).
Elaborate
Phase four involves expanding on the knowledge that was gained by the students in the first three phases. The ultimate objective is for students to make real-world connections which transcend what they have learned in the classroom. Students will conduct further research into circular motion concepts (e.g. history and uses of gyroscopes). They will research real-world applications for regarding circular motion (i.e. gyroscopes, motorcycles, CMG’s, inertial guidance, Helicopter blades, etc.). For example, a student who is interested in sports may want to explore the rotational kinetic energy exhibited by a spiraling football or even a baseball, Frisbee, or boomerang after they have been thrown. Moreover, transferability of concepts learned in the classroom is desired and students should begin to identify and extrapolate meaning and make connections with other related phenomenon in their environments.
Evaluate
Evaluation of student understanding is a continuous process that identifies if the student has reached a concrete level of understanding. Evaluation goes on throughout each stage and serves as a teacher’s guide for planning future lessons. With the lessons learned teachers can modify, make improvements or further refine the instructional model as necessary to accommodate the variety of different learning styles or preferences of students. By viewing the evaluation process as an open-ended, continuous cycle exemplifies the constructivist approach to learning as it treats the learning process as a dynamic (versus static) continuum that allows room for change.
The subject curriculum model is based on research that I have been conducting for the National Center of Engineering and Technology Education (See NCETE link below) at Utah State University concerning cognitive science in engineering and technology education.
This site provides background literature and information pertaining to pedagogical approaches that deliver science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) ideas. Being that many students are adverse or have difficulty understanding and/or applying math and science in the real world, the employment of engineering and technology education will be used as an organizing mechanism to provide relevant reference frames for math and science education. Hence, BlackSpace Digital and its affiliates are dedicated to exploring alternative methods of renewing and/or gaining student interest in professional careers that apply math and science concepts and principles, i.e. the world of engineering and technology.
Shapes of Things to Come
The following posts provide information about the research that I have been conducting in regards to learning theories that address effective teaching methods and how they relate to engineering and technology education. The following posts presents the background literature for the engineering and technology curriculum model that is currently being developed and sets the foundation for modular units that will be an integral part of the curriculum model.
There is an insufficient amount of qualitative and/or quantitative research available as to the effectiveness of using educational entertainment as a motivator for studying engineering and technology-related subjects. The integration of entertainment technologies with core academic subjects establishes a foundation for learning that can stimulate curiosity, inspire as well as inform, motivate change, encourage people to take action, plus help shape the way we perceive the world. An examination and exploration of how entertainment can be combined with education may help us to produce more effective and empowering learning experiences (http://www.users.nac.net/, 2001). Entertainment technologies such as video games, computers, music CD’s, DVD videos, digital film, cartoon and 3-D animation are being used to achieve specific educational objectives. Hence, the utilization of entertainment in technology education may tender prospective solutions to fostering engineering-like thinking especially as it relates to physics (science) education.
Because a number of students lack a genuine interest in physics, instructional principles and strategies are needed to reach a wider audience and make physics more interesting, relevant and meaningful to students. An examination of physics concepts [by means of an engineering and technology-related approach] via entertainment technologies has the potential to provide a more enriching educational experience for those students who might ordinarily be reluctant or even averse to study physics. For this reason, the application of entertainment in technology education may proffer some solutions to enhancing the quality of instruction as it relates to physics education.
Since the infusion of engineering design concepts and principles is now at the forefront of issues concerning content standards for technology education, a re- examination of physics instructional principles and strategies that exploit entertainment technologies is exigent to meeting the needs of a new generation of learners living in technologically-driven society. Processes in technology education are often based on how engineers think and what engineers do. Furthermore, physics is fundamental to many areas of engineering plus provides the basis for countless technological developments. Since physics permeates the engineering field, an ample perception of physics can facilitate students’ cognitive ability to understand basic engineering and technological skills more swiftly. Moreover, the study of physics primes students for greater proficiency when studying subject matter that requires a higher level of thinking. Unaware of the significant impact that physics has on modern society, many students lack the desire or interest to learn physics. These issues are forcing educators to develop new and innovative ways of teaching physics.
In light of the aforementioned issues, the proposed project will investigate the use of educational entertainment as a method of fostering interest in the study of physics concepts and principles among 9th grade students. The objective of this project is to design and test a prototype learning module that employs entertainment technologies, namely cartoon animation, as a delivery system for conveying physics concepts and principles by using engineering and technology education as a content organizer. To further build on the concepts conveyed in the cartoon animated series, students will explore the subject physics concepts via hands-on/minds-on learning and will document their activities in an engineering journal or notebook. These activities will help reinforce concepts presented in the cartoon component.
Significance of Study
Being that many students are adverse to or have difficulty understanding and/or applying scientific principles, learning units that use cartoon animation as a delivery mechanism have the potential to foster greater student interest in physics, and, in turn, may lead to the development of higher order cognitive abilities.
As a culmination to the project, students will exercise their metacognitive abilities to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the content matter by documenting their learning experiences. Using an engineering notebook or journal students will write about the paths that their minds followed as they engaged and explored the learning material. Some students may choose to write a fictional story that demonstrates their understanding of the material. These stories will be used to evaluate structural or behavioral characteristics peculiar to 9th grade students participating in science, technology, engineering and mathematically-related studies. Moreover, these metacognitive accounts will be used as an assessment or evaluation tool to guage the effectiveness of the subject project-based learning module and to provide statistical data that validates the effectiveness of engineering and technology education as a content organizer for core academic subjects.
Target Population
The proposed curriculum model will be developed for interdisciplinary educational environments, such as those found in Small Learning Communities (SLC’s) to report and predict engineering design and /or technology concepts and principles. The intent is to learn how 9-12 grade students employ their metacognitive abilities to develop conceptual metaphors, analogies, narratives, and/or stories to convey their understanding of engineering concepts and principles. The following paragraphs give a brief overview and outline of the proposed curriculum model. I will be publishing each activity on-line in the near future. The outline below is worded in a manner that orientates the reader as to the style of delivery that will be used.
Overview of Project-Based Learning Segments
Science and Engineers
Engineers apply scientific principles to solve problems and design useful products. Without science many of the technologies that we enjoy in our daily lives would not exist. Physics is a branch of science that involves the study of the interaction between matter and energy. Moreover, physics involves the study of the natural or material world and phenomena. The study of physics is grouped in traditional fields such as acoustics, optics, mechanics, thermodynamics, and electromagnetism, as well as in modern extensions including atomic and nuclear physics, cryogenics, solid-state physics, particle physics, and plasma physics. All of these areas involve aspects of engineering. The investigation of science concepts is an important part of engineering and will be the focus of this project-based learning activity. In this particular curriculum model, we will exploit the use of the Five E' s of science education.
The Five E's Approach to Science Education
Engage
The first phase involves providing students with an exciting or exhilarating intervention, such as demonstrating circular motion concepts using spinning tops or gyroscopes in order to capture the attention of students. This first phase involves introducing the students to the topic of circular motion by providing some sort of interactive experience and/or demonstration of the concepts to be explored.
Explore
In the second phase, students are introduced to materials that they can use to experiment with in order to gain first-hand experience with the phenomenon. This phase provides the students with an opportunity to embody each circular motion concept via hands-on activities which are outlined in each circular motion module (See Modules: Forces and vectors, plane polar coordinates, etc). Students will record/document their experiences and observations through journal writing, audio-visual recordings, and/or drawing. Students will keep an account of each activity and will need to have the facilitator sign off on their activity sheets before moving on to the next one. At some point in the exploration phase, the class will be introduced to concept mapping and will begin to make associations to prior knowledge and what they have just learned.
Explain
Phase three involves transforming the abstract experiences of students into a form that can be situated, contextualized, understood and communicated by the learner. The facilitator will help elucidate meaning of abstract (i.e. circular motion concepts) experiences by giving the students an opportunity to communicate their experiences through language and communicable labels (i.e. engineering notebook/journal and concept mapping).
Elaborate
Phase four involves expanding on the knowledge that was gained by the students in the first three phases. The ultimate objective is for students to make real-world connections which transcend what they have learned in the classroom. Students will conduct further research into circular motion concepts (e.g. history and uses of gyroscopes). They will research real-world applications for regarding circular motion (i.e. gyroscopes, motorcycles, CMG’s, inertial guidance, Helicopter blades, etc.). For example, a student who is interested in sports may want to explore the rotational kinetic energy exhibited by a spiraling football or even a baseball, Frisbee, or boomerang after they have been thrown. Moreover, transferability of concepts learned in the classroom is desired and students should begin to identify and extrapolate meaning and make connections with other related phenomenon in their environments.
Evaluate
Evaluation of student understanding is a continuous process that identifies if the student has reached a concrete level of understanding. Evaluation goes on throughout each stage and serves as a teacher’s guide for planning future lessons. With the lessons learned teachers can modify, make improvements or further refine the instructional model as necessary to accommodate the variety of different learning styles or preferences of students. By viewing the evaluation process as an open-ended, continuous cycle exemplifies the constructivist approach to learning as it treats the learning process as a dynamic (versus static) continuum that allows room for change.
The subject curriculum model is based on research that I have been conducting for the National Center of Engineering and Technology Education (See NCETE link below) at Utah State University concerning cognitive science in engineering and technology education.
This site provides background literature and information pertaining to pedagogical approaches that deliver science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) ideas. Being that many students are adverse or have difficulty understanding and/or applying math and science in the real world, the employment of engineering and technology education will be used as an organizing mechanism to provide relevant reference frames for math and science education. Hence, BlackSpace Digital and its affiliates are dedicated to exploring alternative methods of renewing and/or gaining student interest in professional careers that apply math and science concepts and principles, i.e. the world of engineering and technology.
Shapes of Things to Come
The following posts provide information about the research that I have been conducting in regards to learning theories that address effective teaching methods and how they relate to engineering and technology education. The following posts presents the background literature for the engineering and technology curriculum model that is currently being developed and sets the foundation for modular units that will be an integral part of the curriculum model.
posted by BlackSpace Digital Unlimited at 2:41 PM
2 Comments:
hey whats up, i just checked out the animation, it looks real like in that video, my email address is naceye@comcast.net and kiantra73@yahoo.com but the first one i mainly use ima finish checking out your page. (kiki).
hey, Zanj, i just was finally able to access the internet, it seemed like it took forever, i finally got a place in what they call an historical part of neworleans, its a 2 room duplex, im pretty content with it. i would have been got back but do to the big move my parents computer was runnung slow, there still working on it. I will always be greatful to those magical, inspirational words, it was uplifting to check my messages and read your touching words, im going to save it, i will stay in touch, and you do the same, love kiki, your friend always...
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