Earth Lab: A Local Network for Collaborative Classroom Science

Abstract

This article reports the implementation and research related to the first phase of the field test of a local area network system developed to support collaborative science activities in elementary school classrooms. The Earth Lab Project developed system and application software to run on a network of Apple II computers in a classroom or computer lab. The project also developed a sixth-grade science curriculum built around geographic issues, such as weather and climate. Observational research focused on issues such as classroom organization and the extent of collaborative planning among teachers. Preliminary results indicate that the network system is beginning to act as a catalyst for student collaboration and cross-curriculum integration.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Mitchell

L. S.

, Young Geographers: How They Explore the World and They Map the World, Basic Books, New York, 1963 (originally 1934).

Slavin

R. E.

, Cooperative Learning, Longman, Inc., New York, 1983.

Johnson

R. T.

Johnson

D. W.

, and Stanne

M. B.

, Comparison of Computer-assisted Cooperative, Competitive, and Individualistic Learning, American Educational Research Journal, 23: 3, pp. 283–392, 1986.

Newman

, Local and Long-Distance Computer Networking for Science Classrooms, Educational Technology, in press.

Levin

J. A.

and Riel

M. M.

, Educational Electronic Networks: How They Work (and Don't Work), paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, 1985.

Hawkins

Sheingold

Gearhart

, and Berger

, The Impact of Computer Activity on the Social Experience of Classrooms, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 3, pp. 361–373, 1982.