Digital Resources for Teachers Laura Digital Resources for Teachers Joon-Ho Lee, Devyn McHugh, Laura Sandford, Bin Zou Sponsored by the London Science Museum
Presentation Overview 1 Project Background 2 Project Goal 3 Front-End Research 4 Development 5 Test and Improve Prototype 1 Prototype 2 6 Recommendations Laura
Project Background Museums provide unique learning opportunities Freer atmosphere, self-directed learning Observation/interaction with physical objects But teachers can struggle with: Making curriculum links Engaging students, especially in object-rich galleries Laura
Project Goal “To develop and evaluate innovative interpretation methods for an object activity for use by Key Stage 3 Science teachers to help them engage their students using mobile technology suitable for an iPad.” Laura
Museum Mission Deepen visitor engagement with historic collections Bridge the gap between classroom and museum learning styles Help teachers while visiting the museum Engage students Create meaningful learning experiences Teach confidently Laura This is WHY we’re aiming to complete our project goal, as stated previously what the museum hopes to get out of our project
Objective 1: Front-End Research Goals To understand current technologies used in museums To understand learning in the museum environment To understand teacher and student behaviour in museums Preliminary Stage Archival research Interviews via email and telephone Observations at Boston Science Museum On-site Training with Hannah Clipson Observations of KS3 school groups Teacher training course JH
Objective 2: Develop Prototype How can we meet the Science Museum’s design criteria and choose an interface to easily share our application with teachers? How can we choose relevant, interesting content to include in the application to meet the needs and expectations of teachers? JH New media helped us with development
Interfaces of Development 1 Preparatory Stage 2 Prototype Development JH Prep stage: Mention Skype & Blogger (how we began development used sponsors’ expertise) Why we chose PPT – not because lack of knowledge of Apple products/compatibility (hyperlinks, could use with PCs, easier to share in the future) Note that each stage influenced what we included for content and how we could display it 3 Prototype Implementation
Developing Content What to include How to organize How to navigate Objects KS3 subjects Tutorial Map How to organize By objects By topics How to navigate Object Information, Visual Aids, Activities, Discussion Questions JH Objects & KS3 subjects – how we chose which ones to include & why Why we chose to include tutorial & map Why we organized by objects first, then both objects & topics How the 4 options were developed from the ScM’s criteria for content
Prototype 1 Structure JH Prototype 1 skeleton based on suggestions from the New Media team
Objective 3: Test and Improve Why test? To receive direct feedback on teachers’ wants and needs from a digital resource To determine how effective our prototype is at addressing these expectations Methodology of formative testing for both prototypes Development of aims and objectives Qualitative testing questionnaire Accompanied visits in MMW Data coding, entry, and analysis Devyn Why we chose accompanied visits over observations, focus groups, etc. Data analysis led to findings and improvements
Prototype 1: Aims and Objectives Usability Ease of navigation, simplicity, ease of use Can teachers successfully navigate and use the app? Engagement Understanding, likes and dislikes Do teachers understand and enjoy the application? Motivation Effectiveness, helpfulness Is the app a tool that teachers want to use? Devyn First step in P1 testing How we decided to choose these objectives we wanted to test the fundamentals of the app, how well it worked overall
Prototype 1: Successes Usability Engagement Motivation Content “If I can use it, then anyone can!” “It's pretty self-explanatory once you get the hang of it.” Engagement “It’s a good way to motivate students; it brings science to the students' level.” Motivation “[The app] gives me ideas to start planning. It encourages me to use this gallery because it provides information on-hand.” Content “Teachers need to have an aim in mind when visiting a museum, otherwise it’s just a nice day out.” Devyn Usability: The app is a simply designed, easy to use tool Engagement: Teachers understand and enjoy the app Motivation: The app is an effective resource that teachers are motivated to use on future school group visits Content: There app presents clear links to the KS3 National Curriculum
Prototype 1: Barriers Usability Engagement Motivation Content Confused by the ‘Objects’ path—many prefer ‘Topics’ option Map and tab features can be confusing Engagement Visual aids are difficult to share with large student groups Motivation Teachers feel they need time to prepare before using the app Teachers do not read the tutorial, but want access to the information Content Teachers want supplemental material during and after their Science Museum visits Devyn
Prototype 1: Improvements Design Tutorial made into a step-by-step process Revision of home page Clarified features of map Tab feature removed Content Zoom option and a clearer label added to more pictures Discussion questions ranked on a scale of difficulty Bin Improvements mainly related to usability *Where we will show both iPads for comparison* Show tutorial, home page, maps, Stephenson home page Led to new prototype skeleton
Prototype 2 Structure JH Prototype 2 skeleton based on findings from Prototype 1 testing
Prototype 2: Aims and Objectives Content Relevance of object information, visual aids, activities, and discussion questions Is the content appropriate for a range of KS3 students’ ages and abilities? Engagement Students’ understanding and enjoyment Will students be engaged in and learn from the app’s content? Usability Ease of navigation, simplicity, ease of use Can teachers successfully navigate and use the app? Bin
Prototype 2: Successes Content Engagement Usability “Having access to activities at your fingertips is brilliant.” "Oh yeah, cool. I didn't think about that." Engagement “The more information I know, the more engaged the students will be.” “Making personal connections [through object information] makes the content more relevant and important to them.” Usability “It’s clear, easy to navigate. There’s lots of good information and it’s well presented.” Bin Content: Having the app Engagement: The amount and range of information allows a teacher to better engage their students Usability:
Prototype 2: Barriers Content Engagement Usability Material is geared towards higher level students and would likely be too challenging for those of lower ability Engagement Interest in the app’s different features is influenced by the age and level of students The wide range of student abilities makes it difficult for a teacher to share the app’s content Usability Navigation using the home and back buttons can be challenging Teachers struggle to orient themselves using the gallery map Bin
Objective 4 – Recommendations Usability Choose an interface most compatible with iPads Avoid confusion by clarifying home page options Remove extraneous features Improve various design aspects Clarify map, improve tutorial, simplify navigation buttons JH
Objective 4 – Recommendations Engagement Allow teachers access to prototype content pre-visit to ensure: An understanding of the app’s purpose and functions The opportunity to plan lessons and prepare students Develop content-based materials for sessions post-visit Motivation Use an interface that utilizes iPad capabilities or augmented reality Provide pre-made materials (worksheets, booklets, etc.) for the museum visit Devyn, Laura Engagement: Post-visit activities should be more hands-on Access to prototype pre-visit could include purpose and tutorial Could be via email or ScM website through Word Doc or PPT (if not the app itself)
Objective 4 – Recommendations Content Organize each section by order of difficulty in accordance with National Curriculum levels Ensure the app’s content is kept up-to-date with the current curriculum standards Development of content should be aided by KS3 teachers to ensure: Relevancy to KS3 curriculum A range of interesting activities and questions for students of varying abilities Flexibility within the app’s content Bin
The Future of the App Continue developing application as a learning resource and evaluating through accompanied visits with teachers and students Expand application’s content to include more galleries, objects, as well as curriculum topics and years Explore adapting the app to create a student version or creating similar apps for public use Ensure app is well advertised so teachers know it is available through the museum JH *Open up to questions*