Meeting Abstract

73.2  Thursday, Jan. 6  21st century learning in biology: examples and lessons learned from five digital learning projects ARONOWSKY, A*; SANZENBACHER, B; VILLANOSA, K; THOMPSON, J; ANGIELCZYK, KD; DREW, JA; The Field Museum; The Field Museum; The Field Museum; The Field Museum; The Field Museum; The Field Museum aaronowsky@fieldmuseum.org

Virtual worlds, video games, and digital media can be used to engage youth in biology research in a very real and powerful way. The Field Museum has successfully piloted digital learning collaborations in biology using an array of technologies, including 2D and 3D virtual worlds (WhyReef and I Dig Science), social media and networking (Conservation Connection), and live web streaming (Global Science Seminars). All projects represent new and innovative avenues for digital outreach and education based research in fields such as marine biology, paleontology, evolution, and ecology. Some projects are highly structured and facilitator-led and others are unstructured and youth-driven. Projects range from formal classroom activities to informal educational game play. Per student implementation costs can be several thousand dollars to a few cents, reaching dozens to well over one hundred thousand students. Each of these projects require different amounts of planning and technological expertise. Global Science Seminars are run using CoolHub technology and require minimal expertise. I Dig Science is run in a 3D virtual world and requires long range planning and development to implement. We will demonstrate each project and discuss implementation and lessons learned from three years of experience with different and changing technologies. Digital media and games are an integral part of daily life for youth and undergraduates. Effectively leveraging digital media to educate and communicate the results of primary research can greatly increase it’s impact and broaden the audience interested in and knowledgeable about biology.