Astronomy Society to Hear About Videogame Efforts
Thu Aug 23 2007
Members of the Astronomy Society of the Pacific will learn about NASA-funded research into videogame design at their annual conference.
Dr. Chuck Wood, director of the NASA-sponsored Classroom of the Future, and Dr. Debbie Denise Reese, senior educational researcher at the Classroom of the Future™, will present a poster session entitled “Selene: A Videogame for Learning About the Moon.” The session will highlight the Classroom of the Future's work in designing Selene and using it to study how kids learn through videogames. The research started in May and is ongoing. In Selene players learn how the Moon was formed and get a chance themselves to help in its creation.
That session will take place Sept. 5 at the conference, which runs Sept. 5-7 at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza in Chicago.
In addition, another member of the Classroom of the Future, which is located in the Center for Educational Technologies®, is involved in two sessions at the conference. Dr. Laurie Ruberg, assistant director of the Classroom of the Future, is one of four authors presenting “Multiwavelength Astronomy: Galaxies in a Different Light.” This activity was created at the University of Texas and is designed to lead high school students to an understanding of how astronomers use different wavelengths to learn about the nature of galaxies. The activity's developers followed guidelines provided by the NASA-funded Virtual Design Center created at the Classroom of the Future, and they also worked with Ruberg and other researchers at the Center for Educational Technologies.
Ruberg is also a member of the NASA Pre-Service Education Working Group and is the lead presenter of a paper detailing the group's recent work. The paper, “Efforts of Space Science EPO Professionals to Meet the Needs of Pre-Service Students and Faculty: Analysis of Results,” was authored by members of the working group.
The working group, which was created by the Science mission directorate, is composed of scientists and educators from throughout the United States committed to facilitating better preparation of teachers in core science concepts and pedagogy, while bringing the excitement of space science directly into the classroom. This poster presentation will highlight results of needs assessments, workshops, partnerships, findings from survey research among stakeholders, and lessons learned.
