Designing Games that Resonate with Learners and Learning
Eric Klopfer, Professor and Director of the Scheller Teacher Education, MIT
Room 204, Building2, 20th May, 2019
Abstract:
Network science provides us with theoretical and methodological foundations drawn from physics, graph theory, sociology and social psychology to make sense of various complex systems in disaster and public health preparedness. Disaster and public health preparedness is a collective action conducted by a group of individuals and organizations, in which information and communication flow from multi levels becomes critical to the functioning of the complex systems. Awareness of locally situated knowledge and shared understanding of disasters among public and hierarchical governing systems can be instrumental in supporting decision making, early warning and outbreak detection. Network science enables us to analyze the underlying structures and model the dynamics of networks representative of real-world systems in disasters. From this, we can examine the effectiveness of disaster management, monitor public awareness, achieve early recognition of disaster occurrence, and enhance the robustness of response systems. Data availability provided by digital evolution can support the study of large scale network in disaster at local and global level. Our proposition is here to suggest effective strategies using network science to study social and organizational systems at play in disaster preparedness and response. In our presentation, we will present a series of work related to modelling social systems for detecting early warning signs, improving our understanding of locally situated information of disaster affected areas, and supporting communication and collaboration across public and hierarchical governing systems. We will further discuss strategies to develop a hybrid information flow among public and governing systems for improving disaster and public health preparedness.
CSCL for All: Technology Support for Inquiry Learning
Dr. Cindy Hmelo-Silver, Professor of Learning Sciences, Indiana University
Room 108, Building10, 21st May, 2019
Abstract:
Technology has created new forms of inquiry that can support learning and engagement across the lifespan. The results of a recent synthesis report show that Indeed, the most robust uses of computer-supported collaborative learning in STEM domains are to support inquiry. From citizen scientists working on locally relevant problems over time to secondary students using technology to communicate across space, STEM inquiry can serve as a path to civic engagement. In this presentation, I will talk about the use of computer-supported collaborative learning to support inquiry, in particular, how different combinations of technologies, pedagogies, and modes of collaboration interact. In particular, I will consider how the Jeong & Hmelo-Silver (2016) framework of Seven Affordances for Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning has been instantiated in recent robotics and game-based learning projects, ways that they have the potential to support deep collaborative engagement in inquiry learning, provide structure for student agency, and conjectures about opportunities realized and challenges faced. In particular, this talk will address how new technologies provide opportunities for CSCL for all learners.
