Teacher responses to a planning framework for junior technology classes learning outside the classroom

This paper describes teacher responses to a framework designed to support teacher planning for technology. It includes a learning experience outside the classroom [LEOTC] and is designed specifically for five-year-old students. The planning framework draws together characteristics of technology education, junior primary classrooms and LEOTC to describe the role of the teacher, parent helpers and students as they work through three identified phases - preparing for a visit outside the classroom, participating in a learning experience outside the classroom, and post-visit activities in the classroom. This framework was trialled using a case study approach in two new-entrant classrooms in which students made chocolates for Mother's Day as part of a technology unit. Students partook in a LEOTC visit to a chocolate factory in order to examine the practice of experts before designing and making their own chocolate gift. Data sources for this paper included interviews with two participating teachers. The analysis of these suggest the use of the planning framework led to the thorough preparation of parent helpers and students, clearly defined roles for both the teachers and the parents, and the use of valuable strategies which enhanced students memories of their visit enabled them to apply aspects of the knowledge gained to their own technological practice

Parents as teachers: Using parent helpers to guide young children’s technological practice

Technology Education is one of eight learning areas of the New Zealand national curriculum. It aims to develop a broad technological literacy through students participating in learning programmes in which they engage in technological practice and through this practice develop capability, knowledge and an understanding of technology as a domain in its own right. Experiencing and exploring contemporary examples of technological practice is recognised as an effective way of developing technological literacy and, in this study, students visited a chocolate factory in order to find out how to make a chocolate gift for Mothers’ Day. While the value of learning experiences outside the classroom (LEOTC) is well documented in learning areas such as science, there are few studies which explore LEOTC in Technology and specifically those of junior primary students. A key element of this process, and the focus of this paper, is the role that parent helpers play in guiding and supporting students during both visits outside the classroom, and construction tasks within the classroom. It also raises the issue of the preparation and scaffolding parents require to enable them to help students effectively carry out these tasks. The role of a parent helper is a crucial one and the data from this study suggests that the status and time given to this preparation is, at times, varied and can have significant impact on children’s learning outcomes

Modern Economic Development of Villa Hayes

Over the last century, tourism industries have grown. Tourism correlates to economic development. Many small communities however have struggled to increase their tourism. Villa Hayes, a city in rural Paraguay, has an undeveloped tourism market. This year’s project increased the city’s tourism through five deliverables. Deliverables included a guided tour with a brochure, two databases, a survey, and a tourist book. The team created these deliverables through discussions with key figures and in depth observations. During their time in Villa Hayes the team established a number of recommendations to help the city increase their tourism presence

Reinvigorating the “In Their Shirtsleeves” Industrial Exhibit at the Worcester Historical Museum

The goal of this project was to reinvigorate the “In their Shirtsleeves” exhibit to update the historical timeline, and make the experience more engaging and memorable. To meet this goal, we conducted a site assessment, investigated recent economic developments in Worcester, interviewed industrial professionals, researched “best practices” through case studies, and visited other museums to observe interactive technologies and visitor trends. Our analysis suggests that the application of interactive technology provides options for a small museum including increased visitor engagement, understanding, and interest. Based on these findings and results, we recommended strategies that the museum can use to develop an interactive and engaging exhibit that encompasses recent industrial trends

MUHBA : History Museum of Barcelona : "the city's museum, Barcelona's mirorr" : summary of the museum's new strategic plan

Podeu consultar la versió en català a: http://hdl.handle.net/11703/86314Podeu consultar la versió en alemany a: http://hdl.handle.net/11703/8631

Educational Programs for Children in the Charles Dickens Museum

Our project, completed at the Charles Dickens Museum, involved the creation of a computerized educational tool and a set of interactive activities that serve to educate children aged seven to nine on the life and works of Charles Dickens. To create effective learning tools, we conducted research and performed interviews with teachers, children, and museum staff. From these methods we developed an educational tool and activities to assist the museum in creating a child-friendly environment that fosters learning

The First Hundred Years: What Have We Learnt? A Century of Museum Education at the Ethnographic Museum

The paper addresses the issue of development of educational activities in the Ethnographic Museum in Zagreb throughout its first 100 years of activity. During the first years of operation of the Museum educational activities were evident primarily in the work of the curator Mirko Kus-Nikolajev, despite the fact that there was no conceptualised approach to educational activities in the Museum at the time. Several decades later, in the second half of the 20th century a conceptualised approach was formulated by the first museum educators: Aleksandra Sanja Lazarević and Nada Majanović. Today, the educational programme is currently being developed in accordance with the contemporary trends in museum education, which focuses on different groups of museum users and highlights the social responsibility of the Museum

Looking Ahead: Workforce Supply/Demand Analysis for New Jersey's Pharmaceutical and Medical Technology Industries

This analysis presents the results of a workforce supply and demand analysis of the pharmaceutical and medical technology industries in New Jersey