Virtual Destinations and Student Learning in Middle School: A Cas ...

Krajcik, Soloway, Blumenfeld, Marx, and Fishman (2000) identify several age-old challenges in learning and teaching that can be addressed by combining approaches from new learning paradigms with computer applications crafted to meet the unique needs of learners. Software constructed using learner-centered design guidelines can incorporate “scaffolding” to present information in a fashion that supports deeper student understanding. Scaffolding provides temporary supporting structure that will help the students develop new understandings and abilities. As the students develop control of these, the program withdraws support and only provides further support for extended or new tasks.

In science, one innovative approach is the use of virtual biology museums in instructional settings. Virtual museums are database-driven websites where students can explore organized collections of electronic representations of artifacts while learning in an interactive manner.

A good virtual museum allows the student to search information ranging from simple questions to those of greater depth. A virtual biology museum has information on the species housed within a physical museum. The visitor is able to view images of skulls, skins, and skeletons instead of merely tables or spreadsheets as in a typical database. In addition, virtual museums can provide various means of presentations of information unavailable in a physical museum, thus enhancing educational value. Students can see pictures of habitats, videos of living animals, and hear the sounds of the animals. Distribution and density maps are available. Computer-generated rendering allows the visitor to rotate and view specimens from any angle or visually walk around a skeletal articulation of the animal.

A virtual biology museum can provide the structural framework for an active partnership between a university biology museum and middle schools. Museum educators have an unprecedented opportunity to work with teachers to realize the potential of the incorporation of virtual museums as classroom instructional resources. Also, to further their understanding of the learning potential of museums in classrooms, teachers can benefit from investing time to communicate with museum personnel.

The Effect of an Online Museum

Middle school life science teachers need suitable computer technology resources to support their science instruction. A science teacher’s job is to interest and instruct students in science so that the students meet state science standards.