The Internet as Knowledge Integration Partner: Improving Science Learning

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9453861 Linn Although the Internet offers a vast resource of scientific information and experiences, even experts regularly report confusion, frustration, and inefficiency when participating in network activities. What are promising roles of human and electronic guides to the Internet? The project will explore tradeoffs between human and electronic resources, group and individual exploration, as well as between immediate and long-term benefits. How can Internet tools encourage students to continuously build on their ideas and integrate information into more abstract, comprehensive explanations or models? As the information highway reaches homes, schools, and the workplace we seek to prepare students who will continue to use it long after they complete their science courses. How can we help students solve personally relevant problems, develop a firm foundation of science understanding, and continue to explore scientific questions? The project will draw on the Internet participants to create innovative approaches that dramatically improve what scientists can contribute and what educators can deliver. The project will document particular solutions as well as identify broad strategies to capitalize on this amazing resource. The project will research solutions that encourage learners to link and connect ideas rather than to isolate them and that allow students to solve relevant, personally compelling problems rather than perform exercises. Project networking tools will build on Mosaic and World Wide Web to take advantage of the science information on the Internet. The tools will help teachers design activities that draw on Internet information, guide students as they complete projects, and allow students from all over the Internet to jointly discuss topics that interest them. A central research question for this project concerns the sort of guidance each type of user needs to organize knowledge including users who are autonomous as well as those who are not. ***