WEBLABS

WebLabs is creating new ways of representing and expressing mathematical and scientific knowledge in European communities of young learners (10-14 years). The focus is on collaborative construction and on the description and interpretation of how things work. Our aim is to use the web as a medium in which European students collaboratively construct and critique each others' evolving knowledge and working models. WebLabs is investigating mathematical and scientific concepts in three knowledge domains: numbers, big numbers and infinity; kinematics and dynamics; and complex systems. A further component is tangibles: we are building an interface with physical devices together with the set of sensors and actuators capable of instantiating two-way mapping between experiments in the real and virtual worlds. We are constructing sets of Transparent Modules which can be combined and reused for building more complex functionalities. These modules are shareable and can be scaled to meet learner needs, they are transparent (mechanisms can be easily inspected and modified), and employ multimedia and multimodal functionalities. We are using ToonTalk, a state-of-the-art programming system in which abstract computational concepts are represented by concrete animated analogues. Students located across European will create, share and modify multimedia web-based reports on their understanding of selected knowledge domains as this knowledge develops within carefully designed, educationally powerful activities involving the building and debugging of models with sets of TMs. The web reports will include working models along with multimedia descriptions, interpretations and reflections that may include audio and video clips, textual and graphical explanations and reflective guidance. We will develop appropriate evaluation methodologies for formative and summative assessment of individual and community learning, provide guidance on educational application and disseminate results widely.

L'obiettivo del progetto WebLabs e di creare nuovi modi di rappresentare e di esprimere le conoscenze scientifiche in ambiti di apprendimento collaborativo. Semplici esperimenti sono una parte integrante del programma di studi degli studenti nella fascia d'età di interesse al progetto. Lo scopo è di arricchire queste attività creando un ponte tra gli esperimenti fisici, quelli che usano visualizzazioni e simulazioni al computer e le riflessioni sui risultati degli esperimenti fatti sia nel mondo reale che in quello virtuale. Weblabs intende trasformare Internet in un medium collaborativo, a livello europeo, con cui gli studenti costruiscono e criticano l'evoluzione delle loro conoscenze e dei loro modelli operativi.