Figure 3 - uploaded by Eva Schmidthaler
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The Slovak Radio Building in Real Life (left; Ledl, 2017) and Student's Solution of its Model (W3).
Source publication
In recent years, numerous applications (apps) for mobile devices have been developed for STEM education, but there is a lack of suitable educational apps that support teachers in promoting computational thinking (CT) in mathematics and computer science (CS) lessons. In this position paper, two types of CT tasks, Building Cubes and Draw-o-Bot, of th...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... to the instructor, 75% of the students were able to finish all three tasks, and six students or student pairs were able to continue their work to create their own structures (e.g., heart, tree, fish, sandwiches, buildings with elevators and a model of the Slovak Radio Building), as shown in Fig.3. The biggest problem was a technical issue: the <colette/> test environment refused to run the AR mode. ...
Citations
... The app offers mAR visualization feature which helps students to see what they have coded in real-life and real-time (Läufer et. al, 2021;Schmidthaler et al., 2023b). The web portal is the authoring tool for educators, for example, Biology teachers. ...
... Additionally, two BBP TF of the <colette/> app are presented. Currently, the implemented tasks are mainly targeting the subjects Mathematics (M) and Computer Science (CS) and were already successfully tested with European students (e.g., Building Cubes) and in several student workshops in the summer until winter 2022 during the <colette/> project (Schmidthaler et al., 2023b). As a result, other STEM subjects, such as Biology (B), have not yet been covered, and Drone AR has not been tested yet, emphasizing the importance of this design-based research. ...
... For the coding workshop used in the mixed-method study was developed based on preliminary findings from several student workshops in 2022 (Schmidthaler et al., 2023b), three Biology curricula (BMBWF, 2018;Ministry of Education, 2022, Prokop et. al, 2007; Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sports of the Slovak Republic, 2023a), and further research on benefits regarding BBP (Yamashita et. ...
Block-based coding is a way to teach Computer Science (CS) concepts and Computational Thinking (CT) skills to K-12 students. Nowadays, there are more and more educational applications (learning apps) to teach programming in STEM subjects, but detailed studies on which and how these can be used successfully in Biology classes are still lacking, because apps and tasks promoting CS and CT concepts in combination with biological teaching content are missing. This mixed-method study aims to close this gap and presents six elaborated exercises of the workshop “Easy Coding in Biology”, employing two task formats (TF), Building Cubes and Drone AR , of the new learning app . The app utilizes block-based coding and an additional augmented reality (AR) function to describe several topics in secondary education, for example in the subject Biology. After presenting the workshop and task design, preliminary results of the successful use of the app and the tasks are presented. The pilot workshop was carried out with 51 participants at a Slovakian grammar school. After the implementation in class, 34 students filled in a questionnaire, consisting of open-ended and closed-ended questions. Qualitative data shows on the one hand AR malfunctions and on the other that participants liked the workshop concept. Quantitative findings indicate that the introduced TF Building Cubes and Drone AR of have the potential to successfully convey CS and CT concepts in Biology. In addition, the tasks encouraged the female participants in particular to work together because they found the tasks/app interesting, motivating, and fun.
The rapid rise of computational technologies has heightened the
demand for proficient computer scientists. A strong foundation in
Computer Science (CS) and Digital Education (German: Digitale
Grundbildung DGB) has become crucial, even for young learners. Despite the growing importance of CS and DGB in Austria, a
gap remains in comprehensive understanding among students and
educators. This study aims to bridge this gap by making CS accessible to primary school students and teachers. The solution, COOL
Lab, is an active learning center offering diverse STEAM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) programs. These
programs facilitate cross-disciplinary education, supported by innovative CS technologies, nurturing computational thinking (CT)
as a problem-solving tool, and enhancing digital skills. Focusing
on COOL Lab Clubs, tailored for gifted primary school students,
specifically the ’Girls* Only IT-Club’ and ’Mini Club’, this research
first introduces these clubs and then presents insights from four
club activities, along with methodologies enhancing CS and CT
comprehension. Early results from a questionnaire involving 20
participants aged 9-10 were analyzed. At the outset, almost half of
the participants, particularly girls, lacked exposure to CT and CS yet
showed eagerness to learn. Initial findings of the club evaluations
indicate a strong interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) as well as CS and a positive response to the
COOL Clubs.
Purpose
This research paper aims to provide information about certified learning apps for biological education and gave an ordered list of all learning apps currently used by Austrian biology teachers in the classroom, which should serve as an overview for all biology teachers. In addition, the (currently little known) certification process of learning apps (seal of quality for educational applications) is described.
Design/methodology/approach
Online questionnaire for all biology teachers throughout Austria, on the one hand to find out the apps, and on the other hand to research how Austrian teachers find suitable apps. The data were evaluated using descriptive statistics.
Findings
A total of84 different learning apps are currently used by biology teachers in Austria. There are two certified lernapps in Austria, both are used. The most common app in biology lessons is “Anton”. The teachers find the information about apps throughout their own research or through colleagues. There are regional and school-specific differences in regards of usage and knowledge about seal of quality. It needs its own teacher training (TT) via suitable learning apps, because problems (data protection, advertising) are sometimes not taken into account during use.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations of this paper are that some of the teachers indicated the apps from other subjects (mathematics) to use this learning app, although this is not possible for biology lessons. Data protection was stated to the best of the authors’ knowledge by the authors, if the authors were not sure it says “unsure”. The participants are mainly women, but this corresponds to the gender ratio, which is typical of the Austrian teaching profession.
Practical implications
The overview of the apps, compiled by this Austria-wide research, can be taken over into the biology lessons of all teachers. In addition, on the basis of this study, a TT at the University of Education 2023 in Linz was created. In addition, the (currently little known) certification process of learning apps is described.
Social implications
The TT and the overview of the learning apps used serve as guidelines for teachers as to which apps they can use in biology lessons without hesitation. Above all, the aspect of the follow-up of digital media/apps will be emphasized. Data backup, inappropriate advertising must be processed in class or completely omitted. Biology teachers need the right training (TT) and appropriate materials and tools (apps) to reduce problems (cybercrimes).
Originality/value
Currently, there is no prepared list of suitable (certified and uncertified) learning apps for biology lessons. There are isolated recommendations and individual apps, but the selection criteria and backgrounds of the authors are not clear. This list shows which apps (how often) are used by which teachers. In addition, the (currently little known) certification process of learning apps is described.
