Computational Participation (CP) expands upon Computational Thinking (CT) by incorporating themes... more Computational Participation (CP) expands upon Computational Thinking (CT) by incorporating themes of problem-solving, creativity, and digital collaboration and communication. In the Fall of 2021, we partnered with two school boards to facilitate Professional Learning (PL) sessions with a broad community of educators and co-facilitated learning sessions with select classroom teachers. Both PL and co-facilitation learning sessions related to curriculum expectations for mathematics and coding. Instead of teaching coding for coding’s sake, our goal was to prepare teachers to use coding to help students understand mathematics under the pedagogical framework of CP. The questions guiding our overall research were to identify ways teachers can integrate CP while teaching mathematics in a meaningful way and identify the various learning opportunities that students gain when CP is integrated. Our research indicated that CP results in learning environments supportive of collaborative learning,...
This paper focuses on new data collection methods made possible through first person-perspective ... more This paper focuses on new data collection methods made possible through first person-perspective or point-of-view (POV) recording technology and how these tools can provide important insights into students’ digital making and learning processes. Observation is a powerful tool, but researchers and educators are limited in what they can observe during a given moment and their inferences about student learning are made through the lens of an “outsider”. Audiovisual recording can supplement classroom observations to provide a more complete picture of students’ learning, but we contend that commonly-used methods are insufficient to capture the dynamic, social processes and literacies at play in a maker-oriented classroom. Through analyses of students’ learning during a digital tutorial-making task, we examine the affordances of and considerations for using POV “spyglasses” in digital literacies research. Spyglasses look and feel like regular glasses that one would wear to improve their v...
Our Participatory Action Research (PAR) study explored the development and facilitation of an inn... more Our Participatory Action Research (PAR) study explored the development and facilitation of an innovative virtual maker professional learning (PL) program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants included four researchers and educators from a university in southern Ontario. Findings indicate that social presence plays a particularly important role in virtual maker PL for participant engagement and learning. Virtual maker educators may experience moments of isolation, doubt and frustration which can be alleviated by making and learning in a community of practice in order to feel supported and sustained in the process.
EAI Endorsed Transactions on Creative Technologies, 2020
INTRODUCTION: IoT will transform our future in unimaginable ways. The necessity for young people ... more INTRODUCTION: IoT will transform our future in unimaginable ways. The necessity for young people to understand and design with IoT seems unequivocal but there is currently limited integration in K-12 education. OBJECTIVES: To investigate these gaps in research and practice, this study aimed to explore the design processes and understandings of IoT that emerge when youth design an IoT passion project within a constructionist context. METHODS: A mixed methods multiple case study design was employed, analyzing questionnaires, interviews, recordings, and participant artifacts. RESULTS: Factors contributing to a successful design included guided inquiry, detailed plans, access to support, and perseverance. Participants also experienced gains in IoT skills and knowledge. CONCLUSION: Design and making with IoT through passion-based, guided inquiry appeared to facilitate the development of valuable knowledge and skills. Further research is needed to explore implementations in formal education.
This article reports on the evolution of a STEAM-based teacher professional learning program desi... more This article reports on the evolution of a STEAM-based teacher professional learning program designed to focus on maker pedagogies. Design-Based Research methodology was used to frame three iterations of professional learning sessions, which collectively involved more than 85 teachers in Ontario, Canada. The article describes the three iterations of teacher professional learning related to a maker approach, reports on what we learned from each iteration and how we modified the pedagogical approach based on the findings, and includes discussion on the implications for future professional learning in maker education.
Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 2018
Through this ethnographic study, the researchers investigate the efficacy of using "makerspa... more Through this ethnographic study, the researchers investigate the efficacy of using "makerspace" pedagogies with students who are identified as having special needs. These pedagogies include the transferable skills and global competencies as outlined by the Ontario Ministry of education. The research questions address how teachers view changes in his/her special education students' behaviour and learning based on their participation in maker-related activities, including, but not limited to coding, programmable robots, and circuits, in the classroom. Teachers were supported through professional development by our STEAM 3D Maker Team at the Faculty of Education and then subsequent visits made to each of 20 different schools investigated how maker pedagogies were being employed. Qualitative data was collected in the form of digital video and audio recordings, photographs, observational field notes, and individual and focus group interviews. The data suggest that the use o...
Makerspaces have become established as communal and collaborative environments for making meaning... more Makerspaces have become established as communal and collaborative environments for making meaning, solving problems, and developing essential global skills and competencies. However, these spaces are commonly utilized by makers who are geographically co-located. In this qualitative study, we explored the intersection of a maker approach to learning and the affordances of online education—specifically, learning in one's own community by accessing the online course remotely as opposed to traveling to a physical classroom, and connecting the learning/making activities directly to one's home context—in a graduate-level course focused on critical making. We also discuss the theory and methods that informed the development and implementation of this course, given a recent shift from the use of traditional teacher-centered pedagogies in online learning. Our results suggest that the online course acted as a supportive community of inquiry that both scaffolded students' independe...
Studies in health technology and informatics, 2018
Through this ethnographic study, the researchers investigate the efficacy of using "makerspa... more Through this ethnographic study, the researchers investigate the efficacy of using "makerspace" pedagogies with students who are identified as having special needs. These pedagogies include the transferable skills and global competencies as outlined by the Ontario Ministry of education. The research questions address how teachers view changes in his/her special education students' behaviour and learning based on their participation in maker-related activities, including, but not limited to coding, programmable robots, and circuits, in the classroom. Teachers were supported through professional development by our STEAM 3D Maker Team at the Faculty of Education and then subsequent visits made to each of 20 different schools investigated how maker pedagogies were being employed. Qualitative data was collected in the form of digital video and audio recordings, photographs, observational field notes, and individual and focus group interviews. The data suggest that the use o...
Our Participatory Action Research (PAR) study explored the development and facilitation of an inn... more Our Participatory Action Research (PAR) study explored the development and facilitation of an innovative virtual maker professional learning (PL) program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants included four researchers and educators from a university in southern Ontario. Findings indicate that social presence plays a particularly important role in virtual maker PL for participant engagement and learning. Virtual maker educators may experience moments of isolation, doubt and frustration which can be alleviated by making and learning in a community of practice in order to feel supported and sustained in the process.
Studies in health technology and informatics, 2018
Through this ethnographic study, the researchers investigate the efficacy of using "makerspa... more Through this ethnographic study, the researchers investigate the efficacy of using "makerspace" pedagogies with students who are identified as having special needs. These pedagogies include the transferable skills and global competencies as outlined by the Ontario Ministry of education. The research questions address how teachers view changes in his/her special education students' behaviour and learning based on their participation in maker-related activities, including, but not limited to coding, programmable robots, and circuits, in the classroom. Teachers were supported through professional development by our STEAM 3D Maker Team at the Faculty of Education and then subsequent visits made to each of 20 different schools investigated how maker pedagogies were being employed. Qualitative data was collected in the form of digital video and audio recordings, photographs, observational field notes, and individual and focus group interviews. The data suggest that the use o...
Studies in health technology and informatics, 2018
Through this ethnographic study, the researchers investigate the efficacy of using "makerspa... more Through this ethnographic study, the researchers investigate the efficacy of using "makerspace" pedagogies with students who are identified as having special needs. These pedagogies include the transferable skills and global competencies as outlined by the Ontario Ministry of education. The research questions address how teachers view changes in his/her special education students' behaviour and learning based on their participation in maker-related activities, including, but not limited to coding, programmable robots, and circuits, in the classroom. Teachers were supported through professional development by our STEAM 3D Maker Team at the Faculty of Education and then subsequent visits made to each of 20 different schools investigated how maker pedagogies were being employed. Qualitative data was collected in the form of digital video and audio recordings, photographs, observational field notes, and individual and focus group interviews. The data suggest that the use o...
Computational Participation (CP) expands upon Computational Thinking (CT) by incorporating themes... more Computational Participation (CP) expands upon Computational Thinking (CT) by incorporating themes of problem-solving, creativity, and digital collaboration and communication. In the Fall of 2021, we partnered with two school boards to facilitate Professional Learning (PL) sessions with a broad community of educators and co-facilitated learning sessions with select classroom teachers. Both PL and co-facilitation learning sessions related to curriculum expectations for mathematics and coding. Instead of teaching coding for coding’s sake, our goal was to prepare teachers to use coding to help students understand mathematics under the pedagogical framework of CP. The questions guiding our overall research were to identify ways teachers can integrate CP while teaching mathematics in a meaningful way and identify the various learning opportunities that students gain when CP is integrated. Our research indicated that CP results in learning environments supportive of collaborative learning,...
This paper focuses on new data collection methods made possible through first person-perspective ... more This paper focuses on new data collection methods made possible through first person-perspective or point-of-view (POV) recording technology and how these tools can provide important insights into students’ digital making and learning processes. Observation is a powerful tool, but researchers and educators are limited in what they can observe during a given moment and their inferences about student learning are made through the lens of an “outsider”. Audiovisual recording can supplement classroom observations to provide a more complete picture of students’ learning, but we contend that commonly-used methods are insufficient to capture the dynamic, social processes and literacies at play in a maker-oriented classroom. Through analyses of students’ learning during a digital tutorial-making task, we examine the affordances of and considerations for using POV “spyglasses” in digital literacies research. Spyglasses look and feel like regular glasses that one would wear to improve their v...
Our Participatory Action Research (PAR) study explored the development and facilitation of an inn... more Our Participatory Action Research (PAR) study explored the development and facilitation of an innovative virtual maker professional learning (PL) program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants included four researchers and educators from a university in southern Ontario. Findings indicate that social presence plays a particularly important role in virtual maker PL for participant engagement and learning. Virtual maker educators may experience moments of isolation, doubt and frustration which can be alleviated by making and learning in a community of practice in order to feel supported and sustained in the process.
EAI Endorsed Transactions on Creative Technologies, 2020
INTRODUCTION: IoT will transform our future in unimaginable ways. The necessity for young people ... more INTRODUCTION: IoT will transform our future in unimaginable ways. The necessity for young people to understand and design with IoT seems unequivocal but there is currently limited integration in K-12 education. OBJECTIVES: To investigate these gaps in research and practice, this study aimed to explore the design processes and understandings of IoT that emerge when youth design an IoT passion project within a constructionist context. METHODS: A mixed methods multiple case study design was employed, analyzing questionnaires, interviews, recordings, and participant artifacts. RESULTS: Factors contributing to a successful design included guided inquiry, detailed plans, access to support, and perseverance. Participants also experienced gains in IoT skills and knowledge. CONCLUSION: Design and making with IoT through passion-based, guided inquiry appeared to facilitate the development of valuable knowledge and skills. Further research is needed to explore implementations in formal education.
This article reports on the evolution of a STEAM-based teacher professional learning program desi... more This article reports on the evolution of a STEAM-based teacher professional learning program designed to focus on maker pedagogies. Design-Based Research methodology was used to frame three iterations of professional learning sessions, which collectively involved more than 85 teachers in Ontario, Canada. The article describes the three iterations of teacher professional learning related to a maker approach, reports on what we learned from each iteration and how we modified the pedagogical approach based on the findings, and includes discussion on the implications for future professional learning in maker education.
Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 2018
Through this ethnographic study, the researchers investigate the efficacy of using "makerspa... more Through this ethnographic study, the researchers investigate the efficacy of using "makerspace" pedagogies with students who are identified as having special needs. These pedagogies include the transferable skills and global competencies as outlined by the Ontario Ministry of education. The research questions address how teachers view changes in his/her special education students' behaviour and learning based on their participation in maker-related activities, including, but not limited to coding, programmable robots, and circuits, in the classroom. Teachers were supported through professional development by our STEAM 3D Maker Team at the Faculty of Education and then subsequent visits made to each of 20 different schools investigated how maker pedagogies were being employed. Qualitative data was collected in the form of digital video and audio recordings, photographs, observational field notes, and individual and focus group interviews. The data suggest that the use o...
Makerspaces have become established as communal and collaborative environments for making meaning... more Makerspaces have become established as communal and collaborative environments for making meaning, solving problems, and developing essential global skills and competencies. However, these spaces are commonly utilized by makers who are geographically co-located. In this qualitative study, we explored the intersection of a maker approach to learning and the affordances of online education—specifically, learning in one's own community by accessing the online course remotely as opposed to traveling to a physical classroom, and connecting the learning/making activities directly to one's home context—in a graduate-level course focused on critical making. We also discuss the theory and methods that informed the development and implementation of this course, given a recent shift from the use of traditional teacher-centered pedagogies in online learning. Our results suggest that the online course acted as a supportive community of inquiry that both scaffolded students' independe...
Studies in health technology and informatics, 2018
Through this ethnographic study, the researchers investigate the efficacy of using "makerspa... more Through this ethnographic study, the researchers investigate the efficacy of using "makerspace" pedagogies with students who are identified as having special needs. These pedagogies include the transferable skills and global competencies as outlined by the Ontario Ministry of education. The research questions address how teachers view changes in his/her special education students' behaviour and learning based on their participation in maker-related activities, including, but not limited to coding, programmable robots, and circuits, in the classroom. Teachers were supported through professional development by our STEAM 3D Maker Team at the Faculty of Education and then subsequent visits made to each of 20 different schools investigated how maker pedagogies were being employed. Qualitative data was collected in the form of digital video and audio recordings, photographs, observational field notes, and individual and focus group interviews. The data suggest that the use o...
Our Participatory Action Research (PAR) study explored the development and facilitation of an inn... more Our Participatory Action Research (PAR) study explored the development and facilitation of an innovative virtual maker professional learning (PL) program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants included four researchers and educators from a university in southern Ontario. Findings indicate that social presence plays a particularly important role in virtual maker PL for participant engagement and learning. Virtual maker educators may experience moments of isolation, doubt and frustration which can be alleviated by making and learning in a community of practice in order to feel supported and sustained in the process.
Studies in health technology and informatics, 2018
Through this ethnographic study, the researchers investigate the efficacy of using "makerspa... more Through this ethnographic study, the researchers investigate the efficacy of using "makerspace" pedagogies with students who are identified as having special needs. These pedagogies include the transferable skills and global competencies as outlined by the Ontario Ministry of education. The research questions address how teachers view changes in his/her special education students' behaviour and learning based on their participation in maker-related activities, including, but not limited to coding, programmable robots, and circuits, in the classroom. Teachers were supported through professional development by our STEAM 3D Maker Team at the Faculty of Education and then subsequent visits made to each of 20 different schools investigated how maker pedagogies were being employed. Qualitative data was collected in the form of digital video and audio recordings, photographs, observational field notes, and individual and focus group interviews. The data suggest that the use o...
Studies in health technology and informatics, 2018
Through this ethnographic study, the researchers investigate the efficacy of using "makerspa... more Through this ethnographic study, the researchers investigate the efficacy of using "makerspace" pedagogies with students who are identified as having special needs. These pedagogies include the transferable skills and global competencies as outlined by the Ontario Ministry of education. The research questions address how teachers view changes in his/her special education students' behaviour and learning based on their participation in maker-related activities, including, but not limited to coding, programmable robots, and circuits, in the classroom. Teachers were supported through professional development by our STEAM 3D Maker Team at the Faculty of Education and then subsequent visits made to each of 20 different schools investigated how maker pedagogies were being employed. Qualitative data was collected in the form of digital video and audio recordings, photographs, observational field notes, and individual and focus group interviews. The data suggest that the use o...
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Papers by Jennifer Robb