From Digital Library to Cognitive Tool

Steps and Potholes along the Transformative Road

Nancy Butler Songer

The University of Michiganhttp://biokids.umich.edu

Are there simple steps for the transformation of rich digital resources into powerful cognitive tools?

Resource wealthy, educatively unfocused

Portia fimbriatajumping spider---------------------------------------------------------------

---------Written by Andrea Jackson, University of Michigan

student Classification * Kingdom: Animalia * Phylum: Arthropoda* Class: Arachnida* Order: Aranae* Family: Salctidae* Genus Portia * Species: Portia fimbriata Table of Contents* Geographic Range * Physical Characteristics * Natural History * Food Habits * Reproduction * Behavior * Habitat * Economic Importance

Physical Characteristics

•The appearance of P. fimbriata is unlike that of other spiders. They are about 1 cm long, and have cryptic markings, tufts of hair and long spindly legs. Because of their unusual appearance, P. fimbriata are often mistaken for detritus by both prey and potential predators. (Jackson 1992)

•^ Food Habits

•P. fimbriata are primarily araneophagic, meaning they eat other spiders, including other salticids. P. fimbriata also eat insects and the eggs of other spiders.

•P. fimbriata are predatory, and they use several methods of predation. One is aggressive vibratory mimicry, in which P. fimbriata climb on to the web of their victim and use their legs and palps to pluck signals on the web. They imitate the signals of their intended victim's prey. When the victim comes close to P. fimbriata , they make their attack.

•P. fimbriata are specialists at catching cursorial salticids. Most cursorial salticids don't build typical webs, but they spin orb-like nests out of silk. P. fimbriata make vibratory signals on the silk of the nest. When the salticid pokes its head out to investigate, they attack. This is called nest probing.

•Another type of predation used by P. fimbriata is cryptic stalking. In this method, the hunter moves very slowly. If the salticid turns to face it, P. fimbriata pulls its palps back and out of the prey's view and freezes. In this position P. fimbriata resembles a piece of detritus. Other jumping spiders of the genus Portia exhibit aggressive mimicry, nest probing, or cryptic stalking. P. fimbriata is the only species that exhibits all three behaviors. P. fimbriata also displays species specific predation tactics. The jumping spider Euryattus (species unknown), is sympatric with P. fimbriata in the rainforests of Queensland (Jackson 1985, Jackson 1998)

Transformations

Digital Resources

Evaluation Materials

Transformations

Digital ResourcesWho is the intended audience?What is your learning goal?What level of support is needed?

Evaluation Materials(e.g. tests--What is success?)

Transformations

Digital ResourcesWho is the intended audience?

BioKIDS Project Goals

Longitudinal, empirical evidence of hundreds of inner city 5-8th graders’ deep conceptual understandings of complex ideas in science and with learning technologies across several inquiry-fostering programs

Educational Challenge

American students’ understanding of complex science drops sharply between 4-8th gradesAudience: Declines very pronounced for urban childrenHow do we transform digital resources to support science and tech literacy for urban kids over multiple years and programs?

Intended Audience

Urban 5th and 6th graders

Virtually no experience with digital resources or data

Resource wealthy, educatively unfocused

Portia fimbriatajumping spider---------------------------------------------------------------

---------Written by Andrea Jackson, University of Michigan

student Classification * Kingdom: Animalia * Phylum: Arthropoda* Class: Arachnida* Order: Aranae* Family: Salctidae* Genus Portia * Species: Portia fimbriata Table of Contents* Geographic Range * Physical Characteristics * Natural History * Food Habits * Reproduction * Behavior * Habitat * Economic Importance

Physical Characteristics

•The appearance of P. fimbriata is unlike that of other spiders. They are about 1 cm long, and have cryptic markings, tufts of hair and long spindly legs. Because of their unusual appearance, P. fimbriata are often mistaken for detritus by both prey and potential predators. (Jackson 1992)

•^ Food Habits

•P. fimbriata are primarily araneophagic, meaning they eat other spiders, including other salticids. P. fimbriata also eat insects and the eggs of other spiders.

•P. fimbriata are predatory, and they use several methods of predation. One is aggressive vibratory mimicry, in which P. fimbriata climb on to the web of their victim and use their legs and palps to pluck signals on the web. They imitate the signals of their intended victim's prey. When the victim comes close to P. fimbriata , they make their attack.

•P. fimbriata are specialists at catching cursorial salticids. Most cursorial salticids don't build typical webs, but they spin orb-like nests out of silk. P. fimbriata make vibratory signals on the silk of the nest. When the salticid pokes its head out to investigate, they attack. This is called nest probing.

•Another type of predation used by P. fimbriata is cryptic stalking. In this method, the hunter moves very slowly. If the salticid turns to face it, P. fimbriata pulls its palps back and out of the prey's view and freezes. In this position P. fimbriata resembles a piece of detritus. Other jumping spiders of the genus Portia exhibit aggressive mimicry, nest probing, or cryptic stalking. P. fimbriata is the only species that exhibits all three behaviors. P. fimbriata also displays species specific predation tactics. The jumping spider Euryattus (species unknown), is sympatric with P. fimbriata in the rainforests of Queensland (Jackson 1985, Jackson 1998)

animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu

Reference written by Lindsay Lane, Bio 50-112 (11AM- first half). Edited by Stephanie Fabritius. Page last updated 30 April 2002.

Disclaimer: The Animal Diversity Web is intended as an educational resource written largely by and for college students. It doesn't contain all the latest scientific information about every species, nor can we guarantee its accuracy.

Transformation Potholes

Not focusing the content appropriately to audience background knowledge

Too ambitious a taskE.g.Trying to

translate all critters in ADW or translation without vocabulary rules

Transformations

Digital ResourcesCan you identify a specific learning goal?

Specific Learning Goals

National Research Council (2000) Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards

INQUIRY 5-8: “Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data”“Develop explanations and predictions using evidence”SCIENCE: “Compare and contrast food, energy, and environmental needs of selected organisms”

Learning Goals

Which schoolyard zone has the greatest biodiversity?Which animals in urban Detroit are competing for food, shelter or space?What relationship, if any, exists between human population density and species biodiversity?

Specific Learning Goals

National Research Council (2000) Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards

INQUIRY 5-8: “Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data”

Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data

Enter in the field via PDA

Icon-based entry

Visual Maps

Biokids blurb• Sci

Learning Goal-related Potholes

Goals remain too vague, e.g. kids will learn how to analyze dataUse of digital resources remains too vague, e.g. kids will use PDAs to collect and analyze dataGuidance of use of digital resources is too vague, e.g. use visualizations to design an experiment…..

Transformations

Digital ResourcesWhat level and kind of support

is needed?

Scaffolded Learning

Use Intermediate Abstractions (Barbara White, 1989)Bridges between abstract and real-world representations

Specific Learning Goals

National Research Council (2000) Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards

INQUIRY 5-8: “Develop explanations and predictions using evidence”

Scaffold through Intermediate Abstractions (e.g. building explanations)

“Which schoolyard zone has the greatest biodiversity?”

“CLAIM: I think zone ___ has the greatest biodiversity because……..”

How many different kinds of animals were found?How many total animals were found?Where were the animals found in this zone?

Scaffolding Potholes

Bridges between abstract and real-world representations are still too complex or too prescriptive e.g. Which schoolyard…? Give one reason that supports your answer.

Transform Evaluation Materials

What kinds of responses demonstrate success on your learning goal(s)?

• Find various kinds of assessments (e.g. multiple choice, open-ended, practicum exams)

• Use multiple measures, e.g. formative and summative assessments that match

• Use other people’s assessment items, e.g. PALS on SRI website

Cohort One Results

95 % African American and/or Hispanic/ Latino/ ChicanoN= 600 5-6th graders in 7 DPS schools

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Carver TP ClippertTP

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Conceptually Simple Transformative Steps

Transform resourcesKeeping in mind a target audience, a specific learning goal

and specific bridges, e.g. between various representations or contexts

Transform how success is determinedKeeping in mind a strong match between activities and

evaluation, and multiple measures to represent different kinds of understandings

Practice iterative improvements with research, patience

Biokids blurb• Sci

Quote from Seymour Papert, 1972

For More Information

biokids.umich.eduonesky.umich.edu