www.dupagechildrensmuseum.org/kdn/
Production Company: Educational Web Adventure (Eduweb)
From
the producers:
Kids Design Network (KDN) is designed to provide elementary aged
children and their teachers with learning experiences where they
use their minds and hands interactively to better understand science
and problem solving. KDN encourages and facilitates the incorporation
of design technology into the classroom by providing an on-line
starting point (the engineering challenge), a framework for implementation
(the engineering method) and an experienced on-line expert for
consultation (the on-line engineer). Many programs exist to promote
science and engineering with high school and college students,
but very few are geared toward elementary students. Culturally
and geographically isolated students are especially underserved.
The engineer chat board provides a safe way for all these children
to interact with experts in a variety of engineering disciplines.
Real time communication eliminates the frustration of waiting
for e-mail responses and provides children with usable information
as they design and build their project. KDN's user friendly atmosphere
fosters not only skills, but self-esteem, the confidence to experiment,
and an interest in science and technology. By targeting 3rd through
5th graders, KDN engages children in positive experiences before
they develop often documented negative views of science and engineering
through traditional curricula.
A tip from the producers:
The importance of field testing all aspects of the program, including
the website programming, graphics, teacher's guide information
and the actual children's activities, cannot be overemphasized.
Designing an interactive children's website was extra challenging
due to the wide variety of computer systems and the prevalence
of older computers in elementary schools. Many programming bugs
surfaced only at schools (not on the Museum's or web designer's
computers). Over 800 children and 16 classroom teachers participated
in the field trials of KDN. They taught us as much as we taught
them. Being open to criticism and suggestions from users allowed
us to revise all aspects of KDN and ultimately produce a user-friendly
website to deliver a unique educational experience.
The judges said:
"Marvelously creative. Great content and two-way interactivity.
I would have loved this project as a kid! This website is easy
to use, fun, and very interactive for kids and adults. Kids get
to develop solutions to challenges and hear from experts on how
to improve their designs. Really really nice!"
www.wildlifeart.org/Rungius
Production Company: Educational Web Adventure (Eduweb)
From
the producers:
The topic for this Web activity is art elements and principles
— a fundamental of art education — explored through
the work of Carl Rungius, one of America's finest wildlife artists
and a mainstay of the museum's collection. We wanted to marry
two often conflicting approaches—didactic content about the
art elements and principles, and open-ended creative play. We
sought to balance these two in an activity that encouraged experimentation
with guided informational support. The result was the Composition
Studio, which has a Java applet where users can mess around with
their own composition, while paging through a series of sidebars
about the elements and principles. Taking this constructivist
approach further, we then let them submit their compositionto
the Critique Gallery, where a museum educator and artist selects
several works a week for personal feedback.
The judges said:
"This site made excellent use of their collection. The
images were beautifully illustrated, the text was clear, and the
activity was creative. I thought that it was a site that would
appeal to viewers of all ages."
www.seattleartmuseum.org/sichuan
The judges said:
"Well done. Excellent content, and I applaud the museum
for offering a "post-visit" activity. The interactivity
among site visitors and comments by the museum professionals added
up to an excellent experience for users."
Hostages
of Two Worlds, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
http://www.history.org/history/teaching/eft.cfm
Production Company (Web site only): Educational Web Adventure
(Eduweb)
The judges said: "This is a highly interactive
and multi-disciplinary program. It integrates sophisticated and
professional electronic field trips with a very interactive website
that allows for interaction with museum staff and professionals.
I really like this!"
