Promises and Challenges of Using Learning Technologies to Promote Student Learning of Science

Sixth Graders’ Co-construction of Explanations of a Disturbance in an Ecosystem: Exploring relationships between grouping, reflective scaffolding, and evidence-based explanations

“…Engaging students in collaborative processes is another pedagogical strategy for creating opportunities for the articulation of explanations and the coordination of inquiry work and explanation building (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 1994), as having students collaborate affords the externalization of ideas and the joint creation of understanding between the members of a group. Learning technologies have the potential to support students' deep understanding of scientific concepts (Krajcik, 2003). Scaffolded software tools can support learners in overcoming significant obstacles which arise when trying to make sense of complex data; such obstacles are often related to conceptual, epistemic, and metacognitive difficulties.…”

Assessment of Application Technology of Natural User Interfaces in the Creation of a Virtual Chemical Laboratory

“…ICT technology, regardless of the name, may help students and teachers to broaden their thinking horizons, better mutual communication of one another, a better understanding of scientific phenomena and conducting investigations to carry scientific research (Edelson 1998;Krajcik 2002;Zhang 2013). It follows that ICT tools can be useful to students in inquiring and further understanding of scientific concepts (Krajcik 2002). One of the ways to use ICT in education can be the Serious Games.…”

“…Depending on the context of the use of ICT technology, these various expressions are used: information technology (Xie and Reider 2013), information and communication technology (Linn 2003), technology of learning (Atwater 2000;Krajcik 2002), new technologies (Krajcik et al 2000) and innovative technologies (Calik 2013;Ebenezer et al 2011Ebenezer et al , 2012Xie and Reider 2013). ICT technology, regardless of the name, may help students and teachers to broaden their thinking horizons, better mutual communication of one another, a better understanding of scientific phenomena and conducting investigations to carry scientific research (Edelson 1998;Krajcik 2002;Zhang 2013). It follows that ICT tools can be useful to students in inquiring and further understanding of scientific concepts (Krajcik 2002).…”

Exploring shifts in the characteristics of US government-funded science curriculum materials and their (unintended) consequences

“…In terms of delivery format, curriculum materials for science education have traditionally adopted the form of textbooks, worksheets and/or notebooks that could be accompanied by a kit providing physical resources for science investigations (Davis et al, 2014). Advances in educational technology generated ample new opportunities to present and engage students with scientific phenomena, impacting the ways in which science is taught and transforming the field of curriculum design (Krajcik & Mun, 2014;Linn, Gerard, Matuk, & McElhaney, 2016). For example, computer simulations provide many opportunities to enhance science teaching and learning by re-creating aspects of the real world that would otherwise be too complex, time-consuming, or dangerous to do in a conventional classroom setting (Smetana & Bell, 2012).…”

“…There is no doubt that technology offers ample opportunities to enhance science teaching and learning, and has contributed to transforming the field of curriculum design (Krajcik & Mun, 2014;Linn et al, 2016). However, a key consideration for researchers, curriculum developers and policymakers worldwide is opportunity-cost.…”