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The Concord Consortium entered a third phase of its development this summer. Back in 1994 we started with a single project, Hands On Physics™ (HOP). A year ago we reached a second phase with four major projects. Now we have matured into an organization where important innovations for the educational use of technology can be supported from basic research through large-scale implementation.

To do this we have created a strong technological core group and expertise in research, curriculum development, pilot testing, and dissemination. In this matrix an innovator can take on a strand of work that might require a decade to complete, obtain funding through various channels, and move that strand along from inception to implementation. Thus, we think of our projects in relation to larger strands of work that go through phases. The following describes these phases and maps where the major strands are currently focused.

Core Technology

The defining feature of all our work is that every project is possible only because of new information technologies. Because our projects draw from advances in technology, we have centralized our technology development and support efforts.

The Technology Group provides the core technologies for all parts of the Concord Consortium, from basic information services to code and hardware development. We provide a T1 line, multiple servers, non-linear video editing, electronics design and prototyping, and software application development. Particular strengths include netcourse server support, embedded micro-controller design, and probe development.

Basic Research

Some of the most important advances enabled by technology will come from the new ways we teach and learn with technology. Basic learning research in new technology-rich contexts is needed to explore these opportunities. We are currently investigating three strands of work in this area.

The Center for Innovation in Learning Technologies (CILT). This new, distributed Center (see article, page 1) will provide much-needed leadership in basic, interdisciplinary educational research and development related to the educational uses of technology.

Models and Representations. This strand of research looks at how to design computer software and real-world interfaces that will help kids think at multiple levels and use mental constructs and models to understand the results of experiments. Understanding may be closely related to the ability to move between mental representations and this ability can be enhanced by interacting with software that captures important features of reality and presents them in ways that can be manipulated and viewed from different perspectives.

Student Inquiry. Technology gives learners tools and access to collaborators and mentors that greatly increase the possible range and depth of their inquiries. Using portable computers and probeware, students in the Student Learning in Context (SLiC) project take these tools to the street, subway, home, or field to investigate questions and phenomena on the spot. Students also join with scientists in a variety of Student Scientist Partnerships that give unique insights about how science works. Kids of all ages can, for instance, build a simple photometer and contribute to the Haze-SPAN™ database which will provide scientists with valuable data unavailable any other way.

Innovative Curricula

The spread of computer and networking makes it possible for students to understand new topics that are now too complex or abstract. We have identified three content areas where technologies are particularly valuable in enabling new content that must be part of the curriculum of the next millenium.

Education for Sustainable Future will create, test, and implement technology- enhanced curricula that support sustainable development-increased awareness of the relatedness of phenomena in the natural world, resource limitations, planning for more educated and responsible care and reduced use of limited resources, and decision-making at all levels to implement and evaluate new plans. To appreciate these complex issues, we need a new generation of technology that supports collaborative simulations, modeling, and role-playing.

The International Alliance explores the use of networking to create international collaborations among educators and learners. We are working toward an international curriculum generated by the best educators worldwide, using a variety of technologies to overcome language barriers, with a special focus on international issues that will be increasingly critical for planetary well-being.

Technology Education. The current chasm between vocational and academic education creates unnecessary content and social distinctions that harm young people. We envision a rich mixture of language arts, mathmatical, scientific, and technological subject matter that will help define a new approach to technical education. HOP, by using a technology- enriched project approach, represents a prototype of a range of possible courses.