Technology for Supporting Learners in Out-of-School Learning Environments

Abstract

In this paper, we present an evaluation of the role that software played in promoting collaborative scientific participation in a learning community driven by learners' interests and goals. In our analysis of an out-of-school learning environment we designed and implemented to promote scientific engagement, we found that the software was not always at the forefront in the learning environment. However, it played an essential role in providing an organized repository of the community's experiences and placed this information at learners' and facilitators' fingertips.