CREATE Science Seminar Series

Title:
“Hybrid Spaces and Third Places for Scientizing with Mobile, Wearable, & Community Technologies”

Speaker:

Tamara (Tammy) Clegg, assistant professor from the University of Maryland

Abstract:
Emerging technologies have the potential to enable new forms of hybrid spaces for promoting scientizing experiences, where science practice can become deeply intertwined with learners’ everyday lives, cultures and values. In this talk, Clegg will present one such genre of technology—live physiological sensing and visualization (LPSV) tools—that sense and visualize learners’ internal organ functioning (i.e., heart rate, breathing rate) in real time on an e-textile shirt and a large-screen display. Clegg will present ways in which elementary school children’s scientizing practices developed as they designed new science experiments with LPSV tools and insights about ways LPSV hybrid spaces can be designed to support learners’ scientizing practices.

Next, taking a community-based approach, Clegg will present two Third Place contexts for supporting place-based and cross-setting scientizing experiences. Oldenburg characterizes Third Places as places in which informal public life develops dynamically. Building on this definition, she will discuss a process that she calls Third Place Design, where I leverage co-design with community members (i.e., youth, parents, teachers, informal educators, community volunteers) and iterative integration of new technologies into Third Place contexts in two projects. From my Third Place Design process in these projects, Clegg will identify ways social media and community-based technologies (i.e., large interactive displays) can support community scientizing practices in community settings.

Light refreshments will be provided. Learn more about this great event here.