Robert's 411 on 422

JOURNAL #4

MAKING FIELD TRIPS PODTASTIC! – Use of handheld wireless Technology Alleviates isolation and Encourages Collaboration

Aliece M. Weller, John C. Bickar, and Paul McGuiness

This article describes a new possibility in interactive field trips to increase students time spent at each exhibit and increases the amount of thought put into each. The program was developed at Harvard in an attempt to improve student’s learning from outside sources, ie. field trips. Learning modules can be designed and customized by the educator and the students. The program uses podcasting which is a new hot trend. Podcasting uses a convenient format, delivery, and easy access to information. The students use a handheld computer like a Pocket PC. The use of a handheld computer allows the students to not only listen to the podcast, but also take digital photos and videos, record interviews, record notes to remember, and access additional information through the Internet. The authors tested their program at the Boston Museum of Science as part of their research at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The program uses a simulation of a monkey that lives at the museum to guide the students on the tour. As the students are guided from one exhibit to another may ask them questions about the exhibit or states facts about what the student is looking at. The value and knowledge gained from the exhibit it increases because the students explore the exhibits aurally, visually, and physically. This program is a way to not only customize learning for each child, but also support several national educational standards. By using technology tools in a traditional field trip, the National Technology Educational Standards are supported. The teachers can align the experience with national and state curriculum standards because they create the content. The model is set up to be simplistic and therefore can be very flexible in future applications.

Questions:

1. Does this program sound like something that could only be used in a money rich district? Unfortunately, the use of the handheld PC makes it a little out of reach for most I would believe. In addition, having even just 10-12 students on the field trip seems impossible for a school to have that many handheld PC’s. I would hope that there are programs where schools can get things like these donated by companies or can find sponsors that would buy them for a school.

2. What value would there be from this type of expenditure? The uses seem endless. The amount of additional knowledge gained and retained by the students is an important factor when looking at this program. Students are actively taking part in their learning in a way the I think students would think was “way kool.” The students understanding is also potentially increased