Development and Evaluation of "Where Are We?" Map-Skills Software and Curriculum

The "Where are We?" software and lessons are designed to help children in grades two through four learn to "translate" between the visually-perceived world that they sense around them, and the schematic representation of that landscape on a map. Field-based tests were developed to examine students' ability to absorb information in the real world and to transfer it onto a map and, conversely, the ability to absorb information from a map and transfer it into an action in the real world. Formative evaluation of a prototype version of "Where are We?" resulted in the following improvements in the instructional materials: more and prompter feedback for students, additional assessment tools for teachers, development of lessons to model successful map-using strategies, development of lessons to overcome common misconceptions, and replacement of text-based instructions with a voiceover demo. Educational levels: Graduate or professional

The Eyes Have It: Measuring Spatial Orientation in Virtual Worlds to Explain Gender Differences in Real Ones

Here, we explore how 3D, networked virtual worlds - in particular Second Life, which enables users to create and modify their own environments - can act as a kind of \u27virtual\u27 laboratory for studying gender difference. By tracking users\u27 eye movements as they navigate a virtual rendition of the Morris Water Maze (the \u27gold standard\u27 for measuring gender difference in spatial orientation, navigation and mobility), this work constitutes an empirical basis for claims that we have attempted to make in the context of ethnographic work with female and male video game players, both novice and expert: that mastery of, and the ability to competently navigate through space, both real and virtual, is as much (if not more) learned and acquired, as it inheres in the bodies and brains of differently-sexed subjects

‘Geoliteracia’, ‘cartologia’, desenvolvimento cognitivo e um jogo móvel

Some researches in education science develop educative games on mobile devices for letting elementary school students play outdoor to learn geographic facts, concepts, and patterns. The challenge is about improving their geographic literacy and fluency, or ‘geoliteracy’, and their map-reading competencies, called cartology, before adolescence. There a critical stumbling ‘threshold’ can impede their geospatial cognitive development, which result in a majority of adults being not geographically literate neither efficient, in real-life context, for reading and using maps. Designing a mobile educative serious game implies applying conceptual and pragmatic methods for both learning and teaching geospatial competencies accordingly to school curriculum. The theoretical framework presented links maps to cartographical semiology, the children’s cognitive development stages for geospatial representation, and an experiential learning cycle model. The latter sequentially supports three main cartographic processes of map-making: reflexive visualization, and map-reading, which sustain any geographical reasoning. The mobile game proposed combines components of increasing complexity where the map plays the main role in the course of different activities: scenarios of typical “rounds” and rules of the game within local terrain; types of geometrical and geospatial trajectories to trace and follow while playing; and specific themes relevant to school subjects. Thus, geographical discussions stop worrying about where, to worry about the reason of situations and the occurrence of phenomena.Algunas investigaciones en ciencias de la educación desarrollan juegos educativos en dispositivos móviles para incentivar el aprendizaje de hechos, conceptos y modelos geográficos en estudiantes de escuelas primarias. El desafío consiste en mejorar su alfabetización y fluidez geográfica, o geoalfabetización, y sus competencias en lectura de mapas antes de la adolescencia, sintetizadas aquí bajo la denominación de cartología, la cual parece ser un umbral crítico que obstruye el desarrollo cognitivo geoespacial de los adultos. Diseñar un juego educativo móvil implica integrar métodos conceptuales y prácticos para la enseñanza y aprendizaje de las competencias geoespaciales, conforme al currículo escolar. El marco teórico que se presenta vincula los mapas con la semiología cartográfica, las etapas de desarrollo cognitivo del niño referentes a la representación del espacio geográfico y el ciclo de aprendizaje experiencial. Este último supone una serie de procesos cartográficos esenciales que sirven de base a cualquier análisis o razonamiento geográfico: creación de mapas, visualización reflexiva y lectura cartográfica. El juego que se propone conjuga componentes de creciente complejidad en los cuales el mapa es protagonista en el transcurso de diferentes actividades: rondas típicas con reglas particulares sobre terrenos determinados; trayectorias geométricas y geoespaciales por trazar y seguir durante el juego; temas específicos relacionados con las asignaturas escolares y con los objetivos propuestos por los maestros, etc. Así, las discusiones geográficas dejan de preocuparse por el dónde para inquietarse por el porqué de las situaciones y el acontecer de los fenómenos.Algumas pesquisas nas ciências da educação desenvolvem jogos educativos para dispositivos móveis através dos quais alunos da escola primária aprendem fatos, conceitos e modelos geográficos brincando ao ar livre. O desafio é melhorar a literacia e a fluência geográfica desses alunos, ou sua ‘geoliteracia’, e suas competências para ler mapas, a chamada ‘cartologia’, antes da adolescência, quando surge um limiar crítico que pode impedir o desenvolvimento cognitivo geoespacial das crianças. A maioria de adultos não são geograficamente letrados nem eficientes para ler e usar mapas. Conceber um jogo educativo móvel integra métodos conceituais e práticos para o ensino e a aprendizagem das competências geoespaciais, conforme o currículo escolar. O quadro teórico apresentado conecta os mapas à semiologia cartográfica, os estágios de desenvolvimento cognitivo das crianças no que se refere às representações do espaço geográfico e o ciclo de aprendizagem experiencial. Este último supõem uma sequência de três processos cartográficos principais que servem de base a qualquer raciocínio geográfico: criação de mapas, visualização reflexiva e leitura de mapas. O jogo que é proposto combina componentes de complexidade crescente onde o mapa é o protagonista no decorrer de diferentes atividades: cenários com ‘rondadas’ e regras típicas do jogo num determinado terreno; tipos de trajetórias geométricas e geoespaciais a serem traçadas e seguidas durante o jogo; temas específicos pertinentes aos assuntos escolares. Assim, as discussões geográficas deixam de se preocupar sobre onde para questionar a razão das situações e a ocorrência dos fenômenos

Land Alive!, or metamorphosis in the sportsman\u27s paradise

Land Alive! is best described a multimedia work. The produce of travels to the area of the Mississippi River delta, along with text-based research, formed the materials from which two evenings of participative performance were crafted. Personal narratives were used alongside evaluations of administrative programs, and the space in the Backyard Gallery was transformed using shovels, buckets, and teamwork. Found chairs, rope, and other objects, through ritualized interaction, became an aesthetic formation; everyone present worked together in the assembly of a boat, which contained the results of these interactions between myself, six volunteers, and an audience turned participants. The evenings were an opportunity for individuals to come together, connect to each other, and share a different kind of encounter with the Mississippi River delta. This was an interdisciplinary undertaking; my training as a studio artist was complimented with the study of performance, physical science, and sociology, The goal of this project was to propel new kinds of ideas into old and difficult problems

Developmental Bootstrapping of AIs

Although some current AIs surpass human abilities in closed artificial worlds such as board games, their abilities in the real world are limited. They make strange mistakes and do not notice them. They cannot be instructed easily, fail to use common sense, and lack curiosity. They do not make good collaborators. Mainstream approaches for creating AIs are the traditional manually-constructed symbolic AI approach and generative and deep learning AI approaches including large language models (LLMs). These systems are not well suited for creating robust and trustworthy AIs. Although it is outside of the mainstream, the developmental bootstrapping approach has more potential. In developmental bootstrapping, AIs develop competences like human children do. They start with innate competences. They interact with the environment and learn from their interactions. They incrementally extend their innate competences with self-developed competences. They interact and learn from people and establish perceptual, cognitive, and common grounding. They acquire the competences they need through bootstrapping. However, developmental robotics has not yet produced AIs with robust adult-level competences. Projects have typically stopped at the Toddler Barrier corresponding to human infant development at about two years of age, before their speech is fluent. They also do not bridge the Reading Barrier, to skillfully and skeptically draw on the socially developed information resources that power current LLMs. The next competences in human cognitive development involve intrinsic motivation, imitation learning, imagination, coordination, and communication. This position paper lays out the logic, prospects, gaps, and challenges for extending the practice of developmental bootstrapping to acquire further competences and create robust, resilient, and human-compatible AIs.Comment: 102 pages, 29 figure