Evaluating Wireless PocketPC's in Introductory Geoscience Courses

评估WIRELESS POCKETPC在地球科学入门课程中的应用导论科学教学，包括气候变化和自然灾害等引人入胜的地球科学主题，传统上依赖于静态的教科书和/或课程包，在被动的观众面前以独白的形式（尽管充满激情）进行演讲。此外，广泛的课堂讲稿现在可以在互联网上找到。许多学生没有动力去上课，更不用说参与了。传统的教学方法并没有给学生提供很多机会去批判性地思考正在形成的论点。在地球科学中，正在发展的概念通常通过图像和/或动画很好地说明。但是，即使是最令人惊叹的图像或电影，在激励学生的同时，也只能让他们被动地参与到学习中来。该项目结合了丰富的地球科学图像、即将到来的技术进步和新的教学方法，旨在提高学生在概览级地球科学课程中的学习和参与度。在密歇根大学的两个大型地球科学课程中，通过使用无线PocketPC电脑进行交互式空间概念挑战，采用了同伴指导技术。虽然所采用的技术（浏览器、PocketPC、无线网络）在很大程度上是现成的技术，而同伴指导技术在本科科学课堂上的成功也有很好的记录，但由于成本、实施的可感知努力程度以及记录其对学生学习价值的相对适度的数据量，这种组合并没有被广泛采用。

EVALUATING WIRELESS POCKETPC'S IN INTRODUCTORY GEOSCIENCE COURSESIntroductory science teaching, including otherwise engaging geoscience topics such as climate change and natural hazards, traditionally relies on static textbooks and/or course packs, with presentation delivered as a monologue (albeit impassioned) in front of a passive audience. In addition, extensive lecture notes are now available on the Internet. Many students are left with little incentive to attend class, much less participate. Traditional instructional methods do not provide much opportunity for students to critically think through arguments being developed. In the geosciences the concepts being developed are often well illustrated through imagery and/or animation. But even the most stunning of images or movies, while motivating, offers the students only passive participation in their learning. This project couples the rich imagery of the geosciences, forthcoming advances in technology and new pedagogical approaches with the goal of improving student learning and engagement in survey-level geosciences classes. Peer Instruction techniques are being used in two large geosciences classes at the University of Michigan through use of interactive spatial concept challenges utilizing wireless PocketPC computers. While the technologies to be employed (browser, PocketPC, wireless networks) are largely off-the-shelf technologies and the success of Peer Instruction techniques in undergraduate science classes are well documented, the combination is not widely employed due to cost, perceived level of effort to implement and a relatively modest volume of data documenting their value to student learning.