Background
The nine-week elective class,
Exploring Technologies, offered to twenty-three, 7th and 8th grade students,
was taught at a gifted and talented magnet middle school. The middle
school is located in the southeastern region of the United States. The
class was designed so that students would learn to use technologies
in the context of learning science and mathematical concepts. Through
the efforts of a school-university partnership, monies were allocated
for Casio graphing calculators, data analysis systems, probe ware, computers,
a printer and a scanner to help teachers integrate technology in their
science and mathematics classes. The focus of this study was to use
the Casio data analysis system in the class to actively engage students
in using technologies and giving them various thought-provoking activities
that would increase their knowledge of science, mathematics and technology.
(American Association for the Advancement of Science [AAAS], 1989).
The real-time data collection system included the EA100 Data Analysis
System, FX7400G plus graphing calculator and sensitive probes to measure
temperature, light, voltage, and motion (Casio, 2001).
Most of the activities were
carried out in small and whole group settings. By integrating student
presentations in activities, students shared and defended their ideas
with peers. Students were provided the opportunity to build upon each
other’s suggestions within their small group in an attempt to
better understand data collection experiments. The students’ use
of language and gestures as they utilized the tools in their problem-solving
and critical thinking tasks were carefully analyzed and explored. Studying
the classroom discourse and interactions of students as they used the
tools over the nine-week period enabled the researcher to search for
evidence of advances in the students' scientific reasoning ability.
Initial and Final Technology Skills Surveys (Appendices A and B respectively)
were administered to students during the first and final week of the
course to determine any changes in their attitude towards using the
technologies. The results were also used to further understand students’
feelings towards using technology as a tool. Specifically, the study
examined middle school students’ ability to analyze and interpret
data gathered using the tools. Evidence that the presence of technologies
contributed to students’ skills in scientific inquiry and added
to their understanding and interpretation of graphically presented data
using data collection tools was investigated (Newton, 2000).
Exploring
Technologies
Twenty-three middle school
students participated in a structured set of activities, which resulted
in their eventual use of technology as a tool to explore scientific
ideas. Cazden's model of scaffolding (1998) was used in structuring
the curriculum for changing the students’ use of technology as
a novelty, to a tool capable of mediating higher learning. The three
instructional phases: teacher directed, teacher/student directed, and
student directed were effective in providing students with the necessary
knowledge and skills to use technologies as tools. Students were first
taught fundamental skills in using the tools in data collection. Then
students were provided 
with
several experiences using technologies to conduct scientific inquiry
and engage in scientific discourse. The gradual release of responsibility
by the teacher afforded students' the opportunities to take increased
responsibility for the use of the technology tools. During the next
step of the instructional approach, the instructors presented lessons
to help students gradually gain confidence in using the tools to carry
out investigations. The next two activities enabled students to use
the technologies to complete problem solving tasks. Students were able
to design a carnival game that met the instructors’ specific probability
criteria and solve a mystery by using specific clues. By completing
these activities, students were able to make mistakes, learn to diagnose
and correct errors while becoming independent learners. The data collection
devices relieved the tedious aspects of data collecting so that students
were willing to recollect data when, in the process of their investigation,
necessary corrections to their experimental designs were recognized
(Brasell, 1997).
Some students were able to
construct initial understandings of scientific phenomena as a result
of using the technologies to perform scientific experiments. For example,
one group of students was able to explain how the presence of humans
in the classroom influenced the temperature measurements of the room.
Another group explained the importance of insulation in gloves, while
another group used the tools to calculate the calories in potato chips.
In essence, the learning environment created in the study afforded students'
opportunities to process scientific and technological ideas and skills
using technology as a tool.
Conversations recorded during
student presentations reflect the students' abilities to carry out investigations
and engage in the sense making process.
Lana - okay, we tested
gloves to see which one was warmer. We put our hands in the gloves
for…Amy did it each time. We put the temperature probe in our
hand each time and…oh we switched…they were all done in
Celsius.
Jane - how long did
you do it for, like how long?
Lana -…2 minutes
Joseph - it says 2.1…degrees
Celsius…
Lana - Yaw, I think
we messed up on this…that's what it said on the thing….
Clair - and how we
calculated the calories we took the ending temperature… and
we subtracted it from the starting temperature and then we multiplied
it by ten cause there are 10 ml of water and um that equals the calories.
Joseph - you said that…
you kept the matches under there but wouldn't that like keep the fire,
the water burns more.
Pierce - yeah but we
used the same amount of matches though.
