Thinking and communicating – how many levels do we actively do these activities on a regular basis. How many activities do we “go through” every day without even thinking or communicating. For example in my house there are two adults, one of which is up and gone from the house before the rest of us (total of 4 more) are even awake. I have always been very impressed with the activities of this person in the morning as I am not a morning person. It has been generally accepted that Jon is a morning person. Recently this has changed. A good bit of time I am up during this time. Although I am not a morning person, I has tried to engage in conversation – this has not gone over well. It is not that Jon is not agreeable to conversation, it is just that when I am up, the routine is broken and things are forgotten, things that are NEVER forgotten – lunch, keys, brief case … Once we even lost track to time and he was almost late – I say almost as he is always early.
Me on the other hand I have three other people up when I am up all of us trying to get ready to get out the door – one of which I need to help a great deal. I have communication thrust at me whether I am ready for it or not. Sometimes I am good about it, sometimes not so good and ask if I can talk to them in a few minutes. It is also that I do not ever forget anything, but it is rarer then when I am up with Jon in the morning.
I bring these things up as we are people of routine. How many things in our days are routine and how many things are actual thinking things. I have come to realize I am growing up their chronologically that I need some “peace” in the routines of certain things, but crave the opportunities to think actively. Over the years this has evolved from learning new facts in school or at out of school events to reading research to conducting research – even to evaluating other peoples’ research. This kind of thinking stimulates me in a very good way.
What types of activities stimulate you out of the routine of the everyday? Can you add communication to the routine activities and still “perform” them at an acceptable level? When you are using your higher order thinking skills, are you able to communicate to others at the same time? Does this communication hinder or help you in the thinking process?
“…and a redneck nonetheless”
I’ve been working a little on the multi-touch table project with Mark and Jenny. The mechanical details are still being worked out, but the game will basically model the discourse around climate change—values, attitudes and beliefs amid the social factors that influence them. The current iteration would have players dropping colored dots onto a map of the US. These dots would have a localized social effect, rippling out to influence other dots.
The game could really be about anything, as high-quality general models exist to represent social decision-making in a large population. Mark showed me one they were thinking of using, and I can’t say I understood it. It’s spooky to think that humans are that predictable, but it’s not really surprising. The social sciences are sciences, folks.
But what could these arbitrary dots say about our beliefs? Does the model represent the reasons for our behavior? That’s something the social space of the touch table, along with the game project itself, will address. I’m looking forward to eavesdropping.
We’re all odd concretions of disparate identities. There are no molds cranking out factory-perfect “hippies” and “rednecks.” In my experience, these and other designations often fall apart quickly with even idle conversation. The human—or, I think, any—mind is more complex than its verbal and gestural expressions. These are the things that continually bring us to the table—multi-touch or otherwise.
Diving into the world of cyberlearning
I’ve plunged into the Free-Choice Learning Lab pool and now I am completely immersed in the world of cyberlearning! As an incoming Marine Resource Management student, I am excited to support the efforts of Dr. Shawn Rowe and assist with the implementation of the cyberlab at Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC). My work will be focused on the multi-touch table research platform that Katie and Harrison have previously blogged about. This unique technology will provide an incredible opportunity to explore cyberlearning in an informal science setting.
Cyberlearning was a new term for me and the definition is still evolving between researchers, educators, and those in the technology field. In 2008, the NSF Task Force on Cyberlearning initially defined the word as “the use of networked computing and communications technologies to support learning.” A Cyberlearning Summit was held in January 2012 with 32 speakers giving TED-talk style presentations on topics that included digital learning using mobile technologies, collaborative knowledge-building through social networking, and scientific inquiry through online gameplay. It was apparent how excited and passionate these speakers were on sharing their work and encouraging new methods for learning opportunities in different educational settings.
Blending emergent technology and educational content has sparked my imagination. What could be possible for HMSC as a cyberlearning location? It would be incredible to walk up to an exhibit and have the content personalized to my interests based on data collected from previous visits. Is it possible for the exhibit to know that I was fascinated by the life in intertidal zone (based on my manual inputs or eye-tracking), and then present additional knowledge through an interactive game? This game could simulate a tide pool and I would need to apply what I have previously learned to keep a digital sea creature avatar alive. Then I could share my sea creature’s experience with my friends on social networking sites…hmmm. So many research questions could come from this. Exciting days are up ahead!
Talk the talk
How did I learn to communicate scientific information to the public? While I was working towards my bachelor’s degree in biology I started working as an interpreter at a city park in Indianapolis. The position was advertised through the university’s biology department and I decided it’d be a great way to get involved in the community. A lot of what I did was nature hikes with home-schooled youth, Boy Scouts, and Girl Scouts, and a few family events. My knowledge about indigenous plants and animals grew every week (i.e. I learned a lot of content). While I simultaneously gained confidence talking to people, I received very little training on how to communicate. The experience, however, was a driving force for where I am now – environmental education. My communication knowledge and skills have developed in recent years from coursework and from having Shawn as a mentor.
How can we teach others to communicate science to the public? As Laia stated last week, we led a workshop about outreach. We focused on questioning, observing, and reflecting and the workshop seemed well received. During a small group discussion, some scholars and I talked about how to start a conversation with a stranger, engage kids with complicated science concepts, and how to talk to someone who is aggressive and says your research is wrong. These are all important and relevant topics, which we addressed using past experiences and how those experiences were handled. Hopefully the workshop is a stepping-stone for the scholars as they continue to think about and pursue outreach and communication opportunities. You can visit their blog to see what they had to say about communicating science at daVinci Days (a Corvallis event).
So, how did you learn to communicate science to the public?
Let there be Communication!!
Today I had the opportunity to do an “outreach about outreach” activity with a group of undergraduate Sea Grant Scholars. They are going to be volunteering at a local annual festival called Da Vinci Days, which celebrates art and science in honor of Leonardo da Vinci. After a brief presentation and chat session, we did the ever-popular ice melting in fresh and salt water, complete with food dye (my fingers are lovely green now). They seemed to receive it well, if a bit quietly. My past experience working with STEM undergraduates was very similar – they rather passively take in the information about communication.
Personally I think that all science undergraduates should have training in science communication, and more than just a workshop or two. There’s no way to stress how important it is to be able to converse about the work being done with more than just other scientists. Heck, there are even communication barriers between the sciences. Public perception of scientists remains remarkably static, and in large part I think it’s the lack of communication ability on the part of the scientists that supports this stagnation. And science supports the habit of poor communication skills within itself by not assigning it any importance, as reflected in its lack in the formal education process of science. There needs to be a greater push to support communication within science, since collaboration is the wave of the future, and with non-scientists to help change the public perception (misperception) of scientists.
Bottom of the bear-infested mountain?
Good news!!! My IRB was finally approved! Yesssss! I have several phone interviews scheduled, which is SO EXCITING. I really enjoyed my practice interviews and look forward to talking with COASST volunteers. It feels really good to get my project moving… but I can’t help thinking about all the hard work that’s left to go!
I find it difficult to think of my masters thesis as simply one product that comes out of my graduate education. Sometimes it seems like a giant solitary mountain, filled with large predatory mammals (sorry Smokey, I hate bears!). Now that my IRB has finally been approved, it is daunting to think I’m still at the base of this monolithic monster. On the other hand, I don’t think I could ever get tired of thinking about people’s perceptions of science, and the appropriate role of science in society. My research questions continue to fascinate me, which is a good sign.
And I have done a lot of work preparing and writing, which I hope will make things go smoothly and quickly.
Check out and test the H1 Zoom digital audio recorder…. check.
Test the backup voice recorder app on my phone…. check.
Review interview questions…. check.
Look over transcripts of practice interviews…. check.
Guess I’m ready! Wish me luck!
Katie