Transcript Connecting Beyond the Field Trip: The On

Connecting Beyond
the Field Trip:
The On-line Wonder Wall
©Lownds and Heeter, 2006
Wonder Wall
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Background
How we have used the Wonder Wall
Kid’s questions, use and reactions
Connections beyond the field trip
How you can get the Wonder Wall
Let you use (play with) the Wonder Wall
• Students
• Moderators
• Questions, questions…
Field Trips
• 20 million elementary and junior high
students each year
• Effective teaching tools
• “Catalyze, enrich or culminate”
instructional units
• Promote curiosity and
wonder
Field Trips
• Pre-visit
• Visit
• Post-visit
Field Trip Visit
• Interest and excite students
• Basis for lots of questions
• Never enough time to:
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See everything
Do all the activities
Ask questions
Answer all the questions
Seeds of Science
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Day-long field trips
Multi-day (usually 3 days)
Visits separated by 1-2 weeks
Specific between visit experiments,
activities, connections
Seeds of Science
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Science process
Plant Parts
Plant Problems
Plant growing experiment
Plant evaluation experiment
Questions, questions, questions…
Seeds of Science
Questions, Questions…
Wonder Wall Questions
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Why do we even have aphids?
Where do plant smells come from?
Do Poinsettias have red chlorophyll?
Do the leaves of Sensitive plant close
when it rains?
Asking Wonder Wall Questions
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Time to think about the questions
Don’t have to be verbal
Can post drawings
Can ask anonymously
Questions will be answered
Questions beyond the field trip
• How can we stay connected between
field trips?
– Answer questions that come up based on
field trip activities, experiences
– Prepare for next field trip
– Continue experiments started on the
field trip
On-line Wonder Wall
http://wonderwall.msu.edu/preview
On-line Wonder Wall
Wonder Wall Administration System
ACCOUNT
ORGANIZATION
Group
Group
Group
ORGANIZATION
Group
Group
Wonder Wall Administration
System
• Each account has a unique URL
4hgarden.wonderwall.msu.edu
• An account can create unlimited
number of organizations (programs)
• An account license reserves
simultaneous logins (“seats”), shared
across all of their organizations and
groups.
Wonder Wall Administration
• Unique ID and password for each
group
• Moderator for each Wonder Wall
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Notified of each post
Answers all posts
Receives all chat logs
Sets up new Wonder Walls
Can “meet” with class
Wonder Wall set up
• Connecting up
– Internet connection (high speed best)
– Web browser (recommend Firefox)
– Flash 8 player
• Wonder Wall checks and directs you to the
free download
When, Where… Wonder Wall?
• Asynchronous
– Any time and any where
• Synchronous
– Scheduled meeting with a scientist, etc.
– Kids meeting each other
– Moderator answering
questions
Wonder Wall Connections
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Student to scientist
Teacher to scientist
Student to student - within class
Teacher to teacher
Student to student – different classes
Student – Scientist
Field trip follow up
• 3 fourth grade classes
• 80 students
• Connected for one week between field
trips
• Connected for two weeks after field
trips
Student – Scientist
Field trip follow up
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First morning access: 7:00 to 7:30 am
Final daily access: 9:00 to 9:30 pm
Average of 40 daily posts outside of school time
Maximum posts outside of school hours on a single
day = 95
• Minimum posts outside of school hours on a single
day = 15
• Approximately the same
number of posts were made on
Saturday and Sunday
Student – Scientist
Field trip follow up
• 65% or more of the Wonder Wall questions
were wonderment questions
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50 to 65% comprehension
10 to 20% application
5 to 25% analysis
1 to 3% synthesis
• In general, the complexity of questions
increased as students
used the Wonder Wall
more times.
Other interactions
• Students prearranged with classmates to
“meet” on the Wonder Wall in the evening
or on the weekend to chat
• Students stayed on task and asked
questions or chatted about plants
• Students read posts by other students and
often answered each others’ questions
• Students stayed connected
for over 6 months
Wonder Wall Questions
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Are plants healthy for you?
Do some plants have a poison smell?
Is chlorophyll in every plant?
How can a maple tree make red
pigment?
• If plants make glucose why
do they need nutrients
from the ground?
Student – Scientist
Experiment support
• Student designed experiments
• Set up in classroom with scientist
present
• Rest of experiment was done at home
Student Designed Experiments
• Students were able to complete the
experiment using only the Wonder
Wall to connect with Ms. Kelli
• 100% of questions asked were
wonderment questions
– 74% synthesis questions
Student – Moderator
Experiment support
Student
Moderator
I’m wondering why me Is your lettuce next to a
lettuce (Freckles) is
window? If so, do the
growing sideways?
leaves seem to be going
toward the window? If
they are, could you
hypothesize why the
window is so important?
Student – Moderator
Experiment support
Student
Yes it is by a window. I
think it might be
good, because when
we were growing
lettuce at the MSU
gardens Freckles
was growing
sideways just the
same as it is doing
now.
Moderator
Excellent observation!
Your lettuce is
probably doing
great. Now, think a
bit more about why
the window might be
so important.
Wonder Wall –
Student reactions
• Students loved the Wonder Wall
• Students liked to have their questions
answered and would then ask more questions
• Students would revisit the Wonder Wall to
check for answers
• Students stayed connected for months
after the field trip
• Students asked 5th grade
teacher if they could use
the Wonder Wall
Wonder Wall – Grad Students
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Questions about topics covered
Comments on readings, assignments
Questions for incoming guests
Quick reading of class
Fun release from other class
pressures
Wonder Wall – Master Gardeners
• Introduce yourself
• Questions about topics covered
• “Checking in” – timely check on how
class is going, thoughts, concerns …
• Experience elegant technology
integration
Summary – Wonder Wall
• Effective tool to expand field trips
beyond the museum visit
• Encourage questions, curiosity and
wonder
• Engaging for students in and out of
class
• Tool to stay connected
for a long time
Wonder Wall and you
• How would you use the Wonder Wall?
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What topic?
Connections to scientists?
Connections to other teachers?
Connections to other classes?
Other ideas?
How to Wonder Wall
• http://wonderwall.msu.edu/preview
– Enter as participant
– Organization = demonstration
– Group = Museums & the Web
– Password = museum
Interested?
Contact:
Dr. Norm Lownds
[email protected]
517-355-5191 ext. 1-349
A behind the scenes moment…
• Groups have one or more group managers
• Group Managers can create (an unlimited number of…)
• Moderators
• Members
• Wonder Walls
• A Group Image Library
Group Manager Admin System
Overview of a Wonder Wall
• Each account has a unique Wonder Wall URL such as
4hgarden.wonderwall.msu.edu
• An account can create unlimited number of organizations
• Accounts license reserved simultaneous logins (“seats”), shared
across all of their organizations and groups.
• Each organization can create an unlimited number of groups.
• When logging in, picking an organization causes that organization’s
groups to appear in the Choose Your Group popup.
• Group
• When logging in, picking an organization causes that organization’s
groups to appear in the Choose Your Group popup.