The What Works Clearinghouse

nospam@example.com (Andy Zucker) — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 15:07:44 -0500

Education Week of January 24, 2007 has two articles about the What Works Clearinghouse (www.whatworks.ed.gov). One of them notes that the WWC is costing the Department of Education $435 million over five years!!! This is a lot of money. The WWC does not conduct any original studies. Instead, it reviews existing studies of education “interventions” (such as elementary school math textbooks). Surprise, surprise … most of the “interventions” that it investigates don’t have much good evidence to support them.

Wouldn’t it be interesting to figure out how much money it would take to actually conduct good research about math and science education interventions: textbooks, computer software, supplementary materials, etc? Certainly hundreds of millions of dollars. Perhaps billions. Where is that money going to come from? Nowhere fast--at least not anytime soon.

And where is the money to develop and test new instructional materials? Especially significantly different, technology-based interventions.

This whole topic of “evidence-based practice” would require a book, or two or three. (And of course there are some that are at least related.) The No Child Left Behind Act actually defines “scientifically-based research,” which is a very strange idea. (Can you imagine the Congress defining medical research?). And the same Act also requires (strong language) that billions of dollars of federal monies be used only for proven ("scientifically-based") practices. Of course, that "requirement" is impossible to adhere to, partly because the evidence base is so weak. (Not to mention the Reading First scandal, in which it was discovered that the manager of the $1 billion federal Reading First program was biased for some programs and against others, independent of the research.)

Then there’s the whole question of appropriate outcome measures. Take the goal of teaching students to write well. There is now evidence (a) that if you teach students using a word processor (and other technology tools) they write better and (b) if you test students with paper and pencil those who have learned to write with a computer may be disadvantaged. Virtually all writing in the real world, especially of any length, is now done with computers. But very few students are tested that way--yet.

Contemplating the government’s decision to invest more than $400 million in the What Works Clearinghouse should give one pause. Is this a wise investment? What do you think?

Create your own simple probeware activities

nospam@example.com (Stephen Bannasch) — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 12:40:00 -0400

Update: The TEEMSS2 Unit 0 Activities have been superceded by the CC DIY

http://ccdiy.concord.org/

Please use that system instead of the one mentioned further in the article

The TEEMSS2 project has released the first prototype release of a web application which allows anyone to create and deploy simple probeware activities that work with six different probeware vendor-interface combinations. Try it the activity microportal here:

TEEMSS2 Unit 0 Activities

Here's a link to a very simple temperature probe activity:

Simplest possible temperature activity

If you want to change the probeware vendor-interface go to this page and select your probeware vendor-interface in the pull-down menu on the right and then click Save. Then Run any of the activities on the microportal again.

Select probeware vendor-interface

If you want to change the activity instead open this page on the microportal, make your changes, click Save and then click Run.

Edit: Simplest possible temperature activity

The web application supports authoring of simple probeware applications. After authoring the activity is made available as a Java webstart application built on the SensorPortfolio technology developed in the TEEMSS2 project.

Here is a list of the vendors-interface combinations that you can select.

Fourier Ecolog

The Fourier EcoLog has several built-in sensors, can read external Fourier sensors, and communicates via usb.

Data Harvest Easysense Q

The Data Harvest EasySense Q works with all the Data Harvest sensors and communicates via usb.

Pasco Science Workshop 500

The Pasco Science Workshop 500 has four input ports for connecting older Pasco sensors and communicates to your computer via a serial port.

Pasco Airlink SI

The Pasco AirLink Si uses PASPORT sensors and communicates to your computer via Bluetooth wireless networking.

Texas Instruments CBL2

The Texas Instruments CBL2 works with TI sensors and communicates via usb.

Vernier Go!IO

Vernier's usb Go!Link interface works with many Vernier sensors. The Go! Temp and Go!Motion sensors have a Go!Link interfaces integrated into the sensor. Simulated Data Use the Simulated Data interface when you have no probeware to attach to your computer but you still want to test your activity.

Concord Consortium Blog - Curriculum

The What Works Clearinghouse

Create your own simple probeware activities