Cybermural: Early Childhood

Interactive programs that utilize visual and physical relationships, like the XBOX Kinect create an opportunity for even very young students to engage in multi-modal creation. We hope to explore the value of this tool in the learning of science. Specifically, we will ask EC1 (4 year old students) and EC2 (5 year old student) to create an interactive mural presenting their understanding of the relationships between plants and animals in ecosystems that they can then manipulate with their bodies through the Kinect camera. We will be most interested in the pedagogy and conversations that teachers engage in around this tool, and if the learning around the tool can improve student understanding. Collection of data will involve video recording of teacher-student and student-student conversations while creating the mural, and video recordings of pre and post-tests on science content. As parents have already signed the UCLA Lab School blanket consent form, they are not required to sign any additional forms at this time. Any questions about this study should be directed to Dr. Noel Enyedy at Enyedy@gseis.ucla.edu