Brenda asked her students to make seven comments about this site after they completed the exercise. Here are a few of the many comments she received:

• I wrote alot of stuff I read over it and I noticed that [I] was teaching myself.
• I liked looking at the objects magnified.
• It is confusing.
• It is supposed to help you prepare for being a scientist.
• Why do you have to check boxes when your already wrote?
• I wish there were more objects to choose from.
• You learn how to take notes.
• What if you don’t want to be a scientist?
• Why can’t I use the observations I wrote?
• You can zoom in, but you can’t zoom out?
• Sam wasn’t nice about my observation.
• It helped me learn why owls see in the dark.

Today was the day to test out our project!  I teach elementary school and Tuesdays happen to be my lab day.  So, I was able to have 90 students try out our website.  The findings were fascinating and revealing.

Findings:

• This activity helps to improve following directions, my students were very self-directed and motivated to read the directions and move through the project.
• In the “note taking” section students were very lengthy in the notes they typed.  This surprised and pleased me – often they try to quickly write something down and move on; however, as the typed their notes many were very detailed.
• They all LOVED the magnifying tool and enjoyed looking at the objects and answering the questions.
• Following their experience I asked each student to write down seven thoughts.  These could be suggestions, or things they learned or liked. . . very interesting and broadly spread ideas.  We’ve included some of them in another post.

Today we wrote most of the observations based on an observation that Madlyn did on the butterfly.  We wrote 2 poor observations, 2 okay observations and 2 great observations.  We are a bit unsure about the quality of our observations and we agree that these observations would be better coming from the SME.  Now that we have the observations though our SME will be able to critique them and correct us where we are wrong.  Our poor observations were fairly easy to write.  We based most of them off of opinion.  For example, “it is ugly.” That observation is not very scientific and students often say things like that.  The “okay” observations and “excellent” observations were a bit more difficult to come up with.  The best observations we decided would tell you something more about the object.  There would be a story about it, help categorize it or took a lot of effort and deduction.  The “okay” observations were scientific but would not take a student that long to come up with.  These were often observations of color or some other obvious thing.

Last week I wrote the dialogue for the opening video with Scientist Sam.  We wanted it to be an instructional video that gave the student directions for the site and set up a scenario. I liked to call it “Virtual Situated Cognition”.  I know, it is a great oxymoron.   Brenda has the script posted in an earlier blog.

Today I went to the museum to take photographs of the objects kids will be observing.  I used a tripod and shutter speed adjustments in order to get high resolution photos with ample lighting.  I would have preferred to have a lighting system set up in order to take the pictures but that is not something we have access to.  I took two different pictures of each object from three different angles.  This totaled about six pictures per object.  The first photo was using a flash with automatic adjustments and the second photo was manually configured with a slower shutter time.  There was also a lighting adjustment piece on the camera.  The first half of the photos came out a bit yellow because I had the wrong lighting setting.

I didn't like how the lighting turned out on this photo.

After an adjustment the pictures started to look better.  I photographed probably 15-20 different objects from skulls, to wasp nests to rocks, dead animals and pottery.  Madlyn and some of her colleagues met and selected some of the objects that they wanted to use.  After about three hours of taking photographs we decided that we wanted some pictures with more color.  I don’t think there will be time to reshoot all the objects.  We discussed that maybe as a capstone project we could reshoot these photos.  Overall I am happy with the pictures but I wish I had better lighting and that my camera adjustments would have been better for the lighting.  For now these photos will work in order to prove the concept.

We are working on putting a video into the site.  Here is the script that Justin wrote:

Scientist Sam:
Hi, my name is Scientist Sam.  Welcome to my science lab (or observation lab).  As a scientist I learn facts and make discoveries by making observations.  Let me show you around. (Walks to a specified area in the lab and points to an object) Here are some of the things I have been studying (or observing).  When I make observations I record them in this notebook.  That way I won’t forget all the new things I discover.

[Phone rings]

Scientist Sam:
Just one moment, I need to answer this call.  It is my lab assistant.

[Scientist Sam answers the phone and engages in a short conversation]

Scientist Sam:
My lab assistant is sick today and will not be able to come and help.  I don’t know what I am going to do. I have too many things to observe all by myself. (pause, looks as if thinking)  I have an idea, will you be my lab assistant today?  (pause for answer)  That would be great, thanks.  I need your help in observing three objects.  Your observations will be recorded in your notebook.  When you are finished we can talk about the things you discovered.  Good luck!

The plan is for Brenda to record this video.