Connecting Beyond the Field Trip: The On-line Wonder Wall ©Lownds and Heeter, 2006

Wonder Wall Background How we have used the Wonder Wall Kid’s questions, use and reactions Connections beyond the field trip How you can get the Wonder Wall Let you use (play with) the Wonder Wall Students Moderators Questions, questions…

Field Trips 20 million elementary and junior high students each year Effective teaching tools “Catalyze, enrich or culminate” instructional units Promote curiosity and wonder

Field Trips Pre-visit Visit Post-visit

Field Trip Visit Interest and excite students Basis for lots of questions Never enough time to: –See everything –Do all the activities –Ask questions –Answer all the questions

Seeds of Science Day-long field trips Multi-day (usually 3 days) Visits separated by 1-2 weeks Specific between visit experiments, activities, connections

Seeds of Science Science process Plant Parts Plant Problems Plant growing experiment Plant evaluation experiment Questions, questions, questions…

Seeds of Science

Questions, Questions…

Wonder Wall Questions Why do we even have aphids? Where do plant smells come from? Do Poinsettias have red chlorophyll? Do the leaves of Sensitive plant close when it rains?

Asking Wonder Wall Questions Time to think about the questions Don’t have to be verbal Can post drawings Can ask anonymously Questions will be answered

Questions beyond the field trip How can we stay connected between field trips? –Answer questions that come up based on field trip activities, experiences –Prepare for next field trip –Continue experiments started on the field trip

On-line Wonder Wall

On-line Wonder Wall

Wonder Wall Administration System ACCOUNT ORGANIZATION Group

Wonder Wall Administration System Each account has a unique URL 4hgarden.wonderwall.msu.edu An account can create unlimited number of organizations (programs) An account license reserves simultaneous logins (“seats”), shared across all of their organizations and groups.

Wonder Wall Administration Unique ID and password for each group Moderator for each Wonder Wall –Notified of each post –Answers all posts –Receives all chat logs –Sets up new Wonder Walls –Can “meet” with class

Wonder Wall set up Connecting up –Internet connection (high speed best) –Web browser (recommend Firefox) –Flash 8 player Wonder Wall checks and directs you to the free download

When, Where… Wonder Wall? Asynchronous –Any time and any where Synchronous –Scheduled meeting with a scientist, etc. –Kids meeting each other –Moderator answering questions

Wonder Wall Connections Student to scientist Teacher to scientist Student to student - within class Teacher to teacher Student to student – different classes

Student – Scientist Field trip follow up 3 fourth grade classes 80 students Connected for one week between field trips Connected for two weeks after field trips

Student – Scientist Field trip follow up First morning access: 7:00 to 7:30 am Final daily access: 9:00 to 9:30 pm Average of 40 daily posts outside of school time Maximum posts outside of school hours on a single day = 95 Minimum posts outside of school hours on a single day = 15 Approximately the same number of posts were made on Saturday and Sunday

Student – Scientist Field trip follow up 65% or more of the Wonder Wall questions were wonderment questions –50 to 65% comprehension –10 to 20% application –5 to 25% analysis –1 to 3% synthesis In general, the complexity of questions increased as students used the Wonder Wall more times.

Other interactions Students prearranged with classmates to “meet” on the Wonder Wall in the evening or on the weekend to chat Students stayed on task and asked questions or chatted about plants Students read posts by other students and often answered each others’ questions Students stayed connected for over 6 months

Wonder Wall Questions Are plants healthy for you? Do some plants have a poison smell? Is chlorophyll in every plant? How can a maple tree make red pigment? If plants make glucose why do they need nutrients from the ground?

Student – Scientist Experiment support Student designed experiments Set up in classroom with scientist present Rest of experiment was done at home

Student Designed Experiments Students were able to complete the experiment using only the Wonder Wall to connect with Ms. Kelli 100% of questions asked were wonderment questions –74% synthesis questions

Student – Moderator Experiment support Student I’m wondering why me lettuce (Freckles) is growing sideways? Moderator Is your lettuce next to a window? If so, do the leaves seem to be going toward the window? If they are, could you hypothesize why the window is so important?

Student – Moderator Experiment support Student Yes it is by a window. I think it might be good, because when we were growing lettuce at the MSU gardens Freckles was growing sideways just the same as it is doing now. Moderator Excellent observation! Your lettuce is probably doing great. Now, think a bit more about why the window might be so important.

Wonder Wall – Student reactions Students loved the Wonder Wall Students liked to have their questions answered and would then ask more questions Students would revisit the Wonder Wall to check for answers Students stayed connected for months after the field trip Students asked 5 th grade teacher if they could use the Wonder Wall

Wonder Wall – Grad Students Questions about topics covered Comments on readings, assignments Questions for incoming guests Quick reading of class Fun release from other class pressures

Wonder Wall – Master Gardeners Introduce yourself Questions about topics covered “Checking in” – timely check on how class is going, thoughts, concerns … Experience elegant technology integration

Summary – Wonder Wall Effective tool to expand field trips beyond the museum visit Encourage questions, curiosity and wonder Engaging for students in and out of class Tool to stay connected for a long time

Wonder Wall and you How would you use the Wonder Wall? –What topic? –Connections to scientists? –Connections to other teachers? –Connections to other classes? –Other ideas?

How to Wonder Wall –Enter as participant –Organization = demonstration –Group = Museums & the Web –Password = museum

Interested? Contact: Dr. Norm Lownds ext

A behind the scenes moment… Groups have one or more group managers Group Managers can create (an unlimited number of…) Moderators Members Wonder Walls A Group Image Library

Group Manager Admin System Overview of a Wonder Wall

Each account has a unique Wonder Wall URL such as 4hgarden.wonderwall.msu.edu An account can create unlimited number of organizations Accounts license reserved simultaneous logins (“seats”), shared across all of their organizations and groups.

Each organization can create an unlimited number of groups. When logging in, picking an organization causes that organization’s groups to appear in the Choose Your Group popup.

Group When logging in, picking an organization causes that organization’s groups to appear in the Choose Your Group popup.