There are gender wars, and then there are casualties. It wasn’t until 2011 that the behemoth toymaker LEGO acknowledged girls’ desire to build with bricks, even though the company had long before made a seemingly effortless pivot to co-branding, video games, and major motion pictures. So it’s little wonder that girls face all-too-real obstacles when […]
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Incorporating interactivity that is purposeful. Users perform knee surgery, understanding the process and steps. (EdHeads) Exploring the properties of ocean waves. (Pearson / Prentice Hall) Another exhibit, experimenting with ocean wave periods and amplitudes with a different interface. (National Geographic (Volvo Ocean Race)) Problem You need to explain how a process works. Solution Devise
Creating an online environment that fosters discovery. The sun in Monet’s “Impression Sunrise” is oddly vivid due to a curious visual phenomenon. Users explore this phenomenon by varying color saturation and brightness. (WebExhibits) Problem A web site that offers only text does not encourage visitors to delve deeper into the subject matter. Solution Create
Interactivity helps explain why the sky is blue. Problem Some subjects are naturally difficult to teach, while others are perceived as tedious. Teaching through the use of static text and images leads to a passive learning experience that doesn’t engage students. As a result, students’ attentions wane and the information isn’t assimilated. Solution Introduce
Enriching the learning experience with interactivity. Students become disengaged and learn less when information is presented passively, such as through lectures or static text. Although your web site may contain a wealth of educational information, the way the information is presented may not be engaging your visitors. When learners aren’t engaged, they don’t assimilate the
Constructivism
June 1st, 2006 by IDEA
Actively assimilating knowledge while constructing and interpreting new ideas. The core of Constructivism is learning by doing. The next time this cat wants to go fishing, he’ll try a different approach. Problem How do people go beyond their personal experience in order to learn and implement new concepts and ideas? Theory Constructivism has its
Cooperative learning
June 1st, 2006 by IDEA
Actively engaging students who work in collaboration. According to Cooperative Learning theory, you can read or hear about driving, but you can’t truly learn how to drive until you actually get behind the wheel. Problem How do interactivity and reality-based learning make people learn more effectively? Theory Cooperative Learning theory, an offshoot of Constructivism, incorporates
Bridging the digital divide requires flexibility. In a village meeting, adults get the weekly news and discuss the pressing issues of the day – a far cry from the technology parks and campuses that are driving the Indian technology boom. Problem Should we take the practices of our technological culture into emerging technological cultures? Solution
Stepping into emerging markets with informational infrastructure. An “obsolete” computer in the West might be useful and well-received by poorer communities. Problem The digital divide that exists between those with access to technology and those without is exacerbated by the constant improvements – revisions and upgrades – generated by software developers and hardware manufacturers in