STEM Education in a Media Age
This past semester I participated in my first honors seminar at the University of Cincinnati. The course I enrolled in was titled “STEM Education in a Media Age.” This course captured my attention since I am a STEM major, but also because I was curious as to how the types of media we digest as children could affect our learning. I was delightfully surprised by the unique format of the course, including a variety of informational media as well as live speaker sessions with professionals in the field. Throughout the semester I worked on projects with the Math group, focusing on children’s media centered upon math learning. Some media forms that we analyzed included children’s books, television shows, apps, and computer games. One of my favorite parts of this course was learning about the multitude of STEM content misconceptions that can be found in children’s media, including false information regarding moon phases and certain animal characteristics. This was interesting to me because it shed light on all the details and inner workings that are required when producing something as simple (or so I thought) as a children’s book. During this course I learned the significance of media in modern children’s education, and the importance of upholding a certain standard for this media that is consumed daily by our future generations. I have learned that the increasing access to media is a double-edged sword: on one side, there is ample opportunity for poor quality media to reach the hands of children, but on the other side, there is an endless prospect of learning and growth that can occur via media. I believe it is important for media producers, teachers, and parents to recognize these facets of media, and use the available resources to their fullest potential to maximize the possible learning outcomes in children.
The sample of work from my experience that I chose to share on this page can be found below. It is my final presentation that includes a critical review of a math-based learning app, Geoboard. Also included in this presentation are ideas for activities that children can participate in with family or teachers while using this app. I chose this sample because it displays my critique of various aspects of STEM educational media, such as accessibility, engagement level, and difficulty level. The activities I included in this presentation could be incorporated into class lesson plans, or simply completed at home with family members. The apps reviewed by the class will be shared with families in the Cincinnati Public School system, along with the ideas for companion learning activities to provide a resource of high quality STEM educational media.
The sample of work from my experience that I chose to share on this page can be found below. It is my final presentation that includes a critical review of a math-based learning app, Geoboard. Also included in this presentation are ideas for activities that children can participate in with family or teachers while using this app. I chose this sample because it displays my critique of various aspects of STEM educational media, such as accessibility, engagement level, and difficulty level. The activities I included in this presentation could be incorporated into class lesson plans, or simply completed at home with family members. The apps reviewed by the class will be shared with families in the Cincinnati Public School system, along with the ideas for companion learning activities to provide a resource of high quality STEM educational media.