IN THIS ISSUE
March/April 2013

Digital media is increasingly present in our daily lives, as well as on the floor of the science center. In this issue, we look at how informal educators and designers are using digital media and gaming to create compelling, interactive learning experiences. Whether by tackling science-based challenges on a mobile device, designing their own digital dome productions, or gaming in the real world or a virtual one, audiences are using the flexibility of new technologies and the power of play to engage deeply with science.

Contents

• Learning Labs: Transforming Youth from Digital Consumers to Creators, by Margaret Glass
• Designing Digital Interactive Experiences that Promote Learning, by Leilah Lyons
• Virtual Worlds: Avatars as Avenues to Advance Science Learning, by Lindsay Bartholomew and Judy Brown
• Reinventing Dome Production for Community Storytelling, by Dave Pentecost
• Legs, Not Fingers: Why Physical Games Are a Better Bet for Museums than Digital Projects, by Margaret Robertson
• Games and STEM Education: Building Knowledge Through Play, by Jodi Asbell-Clarke

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By Margaret Glass
From Dimensions
March/April 2013

Today’s youth grow up in a digitally networked world. With cell phones, laptops, and tablets, via social media platforms, videos, and podcasts, they connect to each other and to their world like never before. Yet with only a few exceptions, the digital signal gets dropped at the door when teens go to school; youth get most of their exposure to new digital media outside of school.

This reality raises some important questions: How do youth learn to move across the digital landscape, choosing tools and platforms? Who are the adults that help to mediate this experience? What about teens in communities with a persistent digital divide? How do young people transition from being passive consumers of new media to becoming innovative thinkers and doers?
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The ASTC office in Washington, D.C., is only a few Metro stops away from the National Library of Congress, which houses among its treasures a compilation of oral and written testimonials from those who have witnessed history. Testimonials personalize events; they bind the presenters and listeners through common thoughts and feelings. Stories are much richer through first-hand telling.

In thinking about these historical testimonials, it occurs to me that so many fascinating individuals have passed through the doors of our science centers and museums and experienced so much. If we are judged by the company we keep, then we are no doubt judged favorably for the company of so many curious and inspired folks who have chosen to spend their precious time with us.
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Interviewed by Joelle Seligson

This interview appeared in the March/April 2013 issue of Dimensions magazine.

Whether it’s the world’s biggest wardrobe malfunction or MacGyver meets Survivor, Ainissa Ramirez knows that generating interest in science requires a hook. A professor at Yale University, Ramirez prefers the title “science evangelist”—in her words, a person who “takes the call” to ignite curiosity in kids of all ages. She spoke with Dimensions about the importance of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education—the topic of her TED Talk last year—and how to put science in unexpected places.

Read the full transcript, or listen to the podcast.

IN THIS ISSUE
January/February 2013

Recognizing the need for greater awareness of water-related issues, the UN declared 2013 the International Year of Water Cooperation (IYWC). In this issue of Dimensions, we discuss how science centers can support the goals of the IYWC and efforts to provide water, sanitation, and hygiene to people worldwide. We also take a look at plans in several countries to establish water-themed museums; projects to engage youth in water issues and solutions; and ways to create water exhibits that encourage visitors to think, play, and explore.

Contents

• Building Peace and Sustainable Development Through Water Cooperation, by Lucilla Minelli
• Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene: A Global Crisis with Real Solutions, by Elynn Walter
• A Science Center that Floods, by Ed Grusheski
• Build a Water Exhibit and They Will Come, by Stephen Pizzey
• Making Connections Through an Asia Pacific Water Museum, by Ganigar Chen and Alexander Otte
• Bringing Youth’s Ideas About Water to Rio+20, by Ling Ling Chew
• Exploring Water’s Path on Reunion Island, by Marine Soichot

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