Playful Invention and Exploration (PIE) Institute: Professional Development Opportunities for Informal Educators

“好玩的发明与探索(PIE)研究所”是一个为期三年的项目，旨在提高博物馆教育者和参展商为公众设计和实施技术综合探究活动的能力。合作者包括探索博物馆、麻省理工学院媒体实验室、明尼苏达州科学博物馆、沃斯堡科学与历史博物馆、探索科学中心和阿尔伯克基儿童博物馆。可交付成果包括一系列技术丰富的活动、专业发展机构、在线教育人员资源和一本面向博物馆教育人员的教学设计原则手册。这个项目建立在之前NSF支持的开发PIE网络的工作基础上，PIE网络开发了“Cricket”，这是一种廉价的计算机，使非正式的学习查询活动更具吸引力。该项目有可能对博物馆非正规科学教育的理论和实践产生影响。它将实施新的理论和工具，代表一种新的方法，利用反映实验室调查过程的游戏和实验来吸引和支持参观者的学习体验。它还提供了一种创新的合作模式，通过将具有独特和互补专业知识的科学中心聚集在一起，开发和实施一个重大的复杂项目。

The "Playful Invention and Exploration (PIE) Institute" is a three-year project to increase the capacity of museum educators and exhibitors to design and implement technology-integrated inquiry activities for the public. The collaborators include the Exploratorium, MIT Media Lab, Science Museum of Minnesota, Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, Explora Science Center and the Children's Museum of Albuquerque. The deliverables include a portfolio of technology-rich activities, professional development institutes, online educator resources and a handbook of pedagogical design principles for museum educators. This project builds upon prior NSF supported work that developed the PIE Network, which among other things developed the "cricket," an inexpensive computer that makes informal learning inquiry activities more compelling. This project has the potential to impact both the theory and practice of informal science education in museums. It will implement new theories and tools that represent a new approach to engaging and supporting visitors' learning experiences using play and experimentation that mirrors the processes of laboratory investigation. It also provides an innovative model of collaboration that develops and implements a major complex project by bringing together science centers with unique and complementary expertise.