Schools EScience Network for the Study of Environmental Science

This page introduces the SENSE exploratory project - a collaboration between the Universities of Bath, Nottingham and Sussex, UK. The collaboration is running from September 2003 to September 2004. We are exploring air quality in our local environment, and carbon monoxide in particular, with Year 6 pupils at Glenbrook Primary School, Nottingham and Year 9 science pupils at Varndean School, Brighton.

Introduction

The project seeks to explore the links between e-Science and e-Learning in the classroom. The aim is to provide teachers and school children with increased accessibility to scientific resources, enabling them to appreciate the scientific process, and promote an understanding of the role of science in their everyday lives. The project is developing and evaluating technologies that are appropriate for teachers and children, integrating with the curriculum and classroom environment.

Recent years have seen an increasing interest in the development of effective digital technologies for education, particularly those that are tangible and those which create informal learning experiences, in that children can to some degree structure their own activities and learning. This project draws on our experience of developing new learning technologies in partnership with schools, in projects such as KidStory and the Ambient Wood.

We are exploring the potential for environmental sensing devices and GRID technologies to improve school students' scientific enquiry skills. We employ mobile technology and wireless devices to free up students from the constraints of the indoor science lab, and explore the potential benefits and challenges these might bring to educators and students.

In a connectivity session, the Brighton and Nottingham children were able to connect, communicate and compare their findings. We have obtained feedback on the design and use of the kind of equipment they have been using thoughout the project. Some students at Brighton also participated in a real-time remote link session with an air pollution and carbon monoxide scientist in London.

In sharing data across school sites, the project has simulated the types of activities that could be supported by the GRID. For example, a website for school children to explore and be reminded about the project in Brighton was setup. We have found that pivacy is an issue with the sharing of video, audio and photographic data. However, real value is being seen in the use of a visualisation tool, enabling students to revisit their data and analyse their hypotheses as they view real-time synchronised video data and environmental readings.

Our pilot study is designed to explore the potential for collecting and sharing scientific data acorss schools and with experts with a view to running a national project where many more schools are involved. We have begun to reveal the educational value such activities provide. Furthermore a larger scale project has the potential to begin to feed into a more significant data set which scientists could use to build up a picture of pollution levels across the country. This enables both schools to be closely tied in to real scientific research work, and scientists to engage in significant involvement with school projects. This in turn could lead to children gaining a deeper understanding of the value of science and so motivating them in their study of science in schools.