I-Corps L: Loko I'a App - Place-based cultural and scientific exploration in a mobile platform

University Of Hawaii, Honolulu

Investigators

Abstract

Through the NSF Innovation Corps for Learning Program, (I-Corps L), this project will develop ways to enable the Loko I'a mobile phone app to reach a broad audience of learners in scientific investigation, cultural exploration, place-based learning, collaborative networking, and technology-enhanced inquiry within an iconic and culturally significant setting. The Loko I'a mobile app is designed to engage users in scientific and cultural exploration of a historical Native Hawaiian fishpond through several on-site and virtual modules that combine scientific inquiry, sense of place, cultural relevance, and technology. As a virtual experience it allows people to interact with the fishpond in a meaningful way without impacting the natural resources. The on-site experience allows visitors to engage with the fishpond more deeply than would a group tour or unguided walk, but without taxing limited human resources. To develop a working knowledge of science, students need to learn how to implement the scientific method, engage in analytical and critical thinking, pose questions, and investigate real-life phenomena. As teachers struggle to bring relevance to science education via real world applications, the Loko I'a app integrates place-based learning with technology, and helps learners interact and connect with a space via modern multi-sensory experiences that include audio, visual, kinesthetic, and inquiry elements. Collaborations with other scientists will enable students or citizen scientists to access real-time sensor data as well as high-impact visual representations of previous investigations to conduct their own scientific inquiry. This current project will examine the scalability and sustainability of the app for use by students and citizen scientists, and develop the feasibility of an open educational version for schools to teach programming skills. It is expected that Loko I'a mobile app could lead to a customizable template of the app for other natural and iconic locations. The Loko I'a app will help advance knowledge in several dimensions of STEM learning. It will contribute to the overall understanding of the potential for mobile platforms to affect or enhance learning, a relatively new area of research in science education. The app also provides a model for developing and testing instructional technologies that integrate science and culture. The educational app that allows learners to explore connections between science, traditional knowledge and cultural history, there is a unique opportunity to examine whether this integrative learning approach enhances students' interest in science and engagement with natural places. The app can be used to help develop student skills in programming, particularly as increasing computer science literacy emerges as a national priority and inform us about the effectiveness of pre-built systems in which students learn by manipulating existing modules. Lastly, Loko I'a may serve as a promising case study for exploring the utility of interactive apps and other technologies to help students with learning disabilities become more active participants in collaborative learning.