The Role of Digital Libraries in High School Teaching of STEM

1
The Role of Digital Libraries in High School
Teaching of STEM

• Panel Presentation
• Sarita Nair, Katherine Hanson, Marcia Mardis,
  Wesley Shumar

2
Agenda

• Panel Introductions Overview
• Research Questions
• Presentations
• The Gender Science Digital Library
• Effective Access
• Michigan Teacher Network
• Math Forum
• Questions Feedback

3
Introductions Overview

• What is the Role of Digital Libraries in the High
  School Teaching of STEM?
• Sarita Nair Project Director, GSDL
• Katherine Hanson - PD/PI Effective Access GSDL
• Marcia Mardis - Project Director, MTN
• Wesley Shumar Ethnographer, Math Forum

4
Research Questions

• How are high school teachers currently using
  digital resources? What would they like to be
  doing?
• How does collaborative planning (or the lack
  thereof) affect DL development?
• Do K-12 educators care about metadata?
• Where does Google fit into the development
  paradigm?

5
The GSDL

• For all STEM disciplines
• Equitable materials for all students with
  emphasis on female engagement
• Inter-disciplinary examination of the role of
  gender in teaching and learning
• Serving a broad audience
• Offering a wide range of content

6
The GSDL

• Design considerations for K-12
• Focus group feedback
• Results of pilot testing
• Usage data
• http//www.gsdl.org
• Basis for Effective Access research project

7
Effective Access

• Web use and textbooks are the two most relied
  upon resources
• Teachers learn about resources from colleagues
  and professional development
• Teachers say theres not enough time to make
  effective use of the web
• Resources used for background information, not
  necessarily integrated into the classroom

8
Effective Access

• Teachers
• http//www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u26853192055
• Developers
• http// www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u32220185416

9
Michigan Teacher Network

• Founded in 1998 for Michigan educators
• 17,000 page views per day
• Statewide PD events searching and classroom
  planning resources
• Original collection policy limited to Web
  sites--now changing to item level
• http//www.michiganteacher.net

10
Michigan Teacher Network

• Whats consistent in the established literature?
• Time is consistently a big factor
• Teachers say quality is important but dont take
  time to evaluate quality
• Teachers consult colleagues (Sutton, 1999)
• But, recent research leads elsewhere

11
Data collected from April 29-May 14, 2003
12
Top Searches 2/19-3/5/2003
13
Top Searches 3/26-4/9/2003
14
Top Searches 4/29-5/14/2003
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Data collected from April 29-May 14, 2003
16
Conclusions

• Many users exhibit Search Engine Habits
• Search for items beyond scope of collection
• Seem to be expecting to search site text, not
  metadata
• Perform searches on browsing categories

17
Conclusions

• Most searches occur after school
• MTN users seek classroom management help the most
• Science is the most searched curriculum area
• Users search very broad or very narrow concepts
  with few terms
• Users seem to want objects
• Users repeatedly type in the same search

18
Users misunderstand sometimes

• Ozzy Osbourne
• Motown Hoe Down
• Health priorities in Australia
• Bay City Boating and Fishing
• Recipes (food)
• Spices and herbs
• Buying a car
• SARS
• Mazda rx-8
• Bush declares war

19
Michigan Teacher Network

• Citation Analysis
• Practitioner literature between 1998 and 2002
• Collection development, working with SM
  teachers, working with SM students advice
• Hypothesis theres not much out there

20
Michigan Teacher Network

• Citation Analysis Conclusions
• Not much out there
• Collection development focuses on entire Web
  site, not object level
• More than This is How We Do it Good
• Little authoring collaboration
• Need to do same study on SM practitioner
  literature for comparison
• What does it all mean?

21
The Math Forum - Introduction

• Building of the Math Forum site was very ground
  up-the site evolved based on user interests
• The site evolved with the Web
• Focus was always in supporting a community that
  cared about math education
• Resources were built out of interactions and
  collections of gifts
• A utopian system of generalized reciprocity

22
The Math Forum - Evaluation

• Evaluation at the Math Forum established a
  process for understanding the possibilities for
  social interaction and resource development
• Community was central to the success of The Math
  Forum
• The Math Forum strategy for building resources
  gave people buy-in as well as creating a rich
  site
• Different teacher types were supported in
  different ways

23
The Math Forum - Community

• From the beginning the Math Forum saw themselves
  as a Community
• Community gives people a sense of attachment and
  belonging
• The community was supported by f2f and online
  activities
• Active teachers developed a sense of emotional
  attachment to the site

24
The Math Forum - Teachers

• There are three main teacher types using the Math
  Forum
• Novice, Intermediate, Expert
• There seem to be some gendered differences in
  interaction
• Leaders who become major contributors to the site
  are rare but essential

25
Conclusion

• Questions for Panelists
• Comments on Research Questions
• Thank you!