Full Scale Development: Collaborative Research--Using Narrative in a Digital Learning Evironment to Engage Children and Teens in Engineering

史密斯学院和斯普林菲尔德技术社区学院之间的这一全面的研发合作项目计划通过“与我交谈”（TTM）网站提高儿童在工程教育领域的技术素养。TTM课程的方法借鉴了Bransford的“人们如何学习”和埃根的想象教育和知识建设来组织活动。研究问题是：知识建构话语的质量是什么？随着时间的推移，它会变得更好吗？如果有机会，学生们会把话语扩展到新的领域吗？学习环境需要什么样的支架来支持这个话语中的新手参与者？叙事的使用是否影响知识构建的参与？某些类型的叙述在影响参与知识建设方面更有效吗？该网站与我交谈（TTM）将提供工程教育课程，通过使用叙述和互动多媒体促进互动知识的建设。TTM网站将包括来自康涅狄格州课后网络的非正式教育工作者和领导者的可用性、价值有效性和易于实施的评价反馈。结果包括展示工程和工程概念的性质的理解，增加的兴趣，综合思维和应用工程概念的能力，并纳入TTM资源。评价将包括：目前，很少有关于儿童和青少年参与工程教育活动的研究，使用叙事作为一种结构，以促进学习工程概念和原则。这个在线教育计划将通过互动论坛和博客，年轻的成人小说（英语和西班牙语版本的音频和文本），八个广泛的搭配活动，社交网络连接和电子投资组合，为中学生和课后计划网站总监参与儿童和青少年的参与，提供由想象力教育发展结构的叙述。从这个拟议的项目开发的研究和活动有助于非正式科学和工程教育领域。该项目的成果可能会对来自代表性不足社区的中学生和成员以及女童产生积极影响。

This full scale research and development collaborative project between Smith College and Springfield Technical Community College plans to improve technical literacy for children in the area of engineering education through the Talk to Me (TTM) website. The approach for the TTM curriculum draws on Bransford's "How people learn" and Egan's Imaginative Education and Knowledge Building to structure the activities. The research questions are: What is the quality of the knowledge building discourse? Does it get better over time? Will students, given the opportunity, extend the discourse to new areas? What scaffolding does the learning environment need to support novice participants in this discourse? Does the use of narrative influence participation in knowledge building? Are certain types of narratives more effective in influencing participation in knowledge building?The website Talk to Me (TTM) will provide engineering education curriculum that facilitates interactive knowledge building through the use of narratives and interactive multimedia. The TTM website will include evaluative feedback for usability, value effectiveness and ease of implementation from informal educators and leaders from the Connecticut After School Network. Outcomes include demonstrated understanding of the nature of engineering and engineering concepts, increased interest, integrative thinking and ability to apply engineering concepts, and incorporate TTM resources. The evaluation will include: documentation on the impact of narrative and multimedia tools in the area of engineering education.Currently, there is very little research regarding children and young teen engagement in engineering education activities using narrative as a structure to facilitate learning engineering concepts and principles. This online education program will deliver narratives that are developmentally structured by Imaginative Education through the engagement of children and young teens via interactive forums and blogs, young adult novels (audio and text with English and Spanish versions), eight extensive tie-in activities, social network connections and electronic portfolios for middle school age students and afterschool program site directors. The research and activities developed from this proposed project contributes to the field of Informal Science and Engineering Education. The results from this project could impact middle-school aged children and members from underrepresented communities and girls in a positive way.