Space Cowboys| Better Together
Better Together
Astro C-2
Summary
Our Project aims to help students of all levels of education to renew their view of Astronomy using the principles of gamification, that is the use of game mechanics in non-game contexts, to be able to overcome this vision and traditional teaching that distanced and removed significance from this science and its insertion in Public Education, thus generating the possibility of designing specific educational research actions.
How We Addressed This Challenge
We want to achieve it with a mobile app that will give the users theoretical, methodological and experimental knowledge, specifically designed from a didactic conception of Astronomy, using the principles of Gamification, so that children and young people can develop their knowledge and skills in a medium that allows them to be directly linked with the observation of the astronomical natural environment and with a strong commitment to the social and cultural.
This project has two simultaneous lines of work. In one hand, it takes significant aspects of the educational actions that are already under development in the field of NASA through the program called "Ambassadors of the Solar System" allowing its application in our field.
On the other hand, we propose to promote science through games. This line of work tries to focus the gaze on children and young people by promoting the learning of concepts of scientific relevance from the early years and the development of important procedures and attitudes related to the observation, research, explanation and modeling of natural phenomena.
The gradual incorporation of Astronomy content through different recreational activities and the integration between them from the elaboration and implementation of different innovative didactic sequences in our educational system, guarantees that children and young people have early access to scientific knowledge.
Astronomy is one of the most important disciplines to understand the intimate relationship between human beings, with each other and with their environment, and the evolution of worldviews that, through history and throughout the planet, have built different cultures , from the beginning of the species to the present.
Nowadays, the interest of children and young people in scientific issues is not usually promoted, in addition to often generating the inaccurate idea that maintains that "science is only for the most intelligent". This situation generates apathy and disinterest.
Likewise, the situation is aggravated by the conceptual difficulties that children and young people encounter in understanding abstract ideas that are distanced from “common sense”. Partly as a consequence of the long educational tradition that overvalues the verbal transmission of information and that generates a disconnect between what is taught and what happens around students every day.
In this sense, Astronomy provides an opportunity for articulation between the interests of students and the school contents of science since this discipline is a daily part of our lives. On the one hand, because we can observe the celestial phenomena that occur daily in the sky and, on the other hand, due to the messages that we hear every day in the media about new astronomical discoveries or relevant theories developed by astronomers. along the history. However, most of the population has very little knowledge related to the subject and, despite this, Astronomy has practically disappeared from school.
How We Developed This Project
STAGES OF THE PROJECT
Stage 1: SEARCH FOR VOLUNTEERS
Activities:
· Dissemination of the project using different media. In this case, we must consider the current situation regarding COVID-19, which prompts us to do everything remotely, so we will use social networks and the media to publicize our initiative.
· Call for those interested in Astronomy to hold a first meeting in which everything pertinent to the project will be explained.
· Formation of a working group.
Expected Results:
· Formation of the working group with interested professionals.
· Distribution of equipment, bibliography and materials that allow carrying out the planned activities.
Participants:
· Interested parties.
· Responsible for the project.
Stage 2: DEVELOPMENT OF THE GAME APP
Activities:
· Development of the app. The app consists of a series of video games of different complexities according to the age declared by the user. Video games are developed around different themes of astronomy, ensuring that each child or young person when playing can gradually incorporate new knowledge in an entertaining and dynamic way.
· Holding weekly meetings to evaluate the progress of the activities and advance the proposals.
· Design and conduct of outreach and publicity activities for the app.
Expected Results:
· Consolidation of the work team.
· Realization of the app.
· Advertising.
Necessary materials:
· Computer equipment
· Computer inputs
· Teaching materials
Participants:
· Interested parties.
· Responsible for the project.
Stage 3: LAUNCH AND DISCLOSURE
Activities:
· Make the app available on download platforms.
· Allow free download of the app.
· Advertise on social networks, the media, etc.
Expected Results:
· Publication of the app.
· Advertising.
Participants:
· Interested parties.
· Responsible for the project.
Indicators that will allow monitoring the success of the project implementation
Once the project is finished, it is expected that:
· A significant number of children and young people are interested in astronomy and incorporate sky observation into their daily lives.
· The scientific knowledge provided by NASA regarding astronomical events is transformed into content to be taught and replicated in educational institutions.
· Teachers have up-to-date material, didactic proposals and specific resources to teach Astronomy through recreational activities.
· It becomes a multiplying factor so that others can take the initiative and continue with this important purpose, allowing the integral development of children.
How We Used Space Agency Data in This Project
We will take as a starting point the following elements that we believe are essential and worth replicating from NASA's “Ambassadors for the Solar System” Program:
· A system of volunteers
· A body of knowledge contributed by NASA
Using a system of volunteers will allow us to develop the application from the pooling of skills and knowledge, reducing expenses and maximizing benefits. This requires the joint help of programmers, designers, teachers, psychopedagogues, musicians, among other professions.
In relation to the body of knowledge, we are witnessing how NASA every day provides us with new findings and relevant information on the matter through its projects and applications, so it will be of vital importance to have the information provided by the organization to develop games that have quality content and reliable information. We take in a merely exemplary way the following resource provided by NASA:
NASA for educators
It offers a digital collection of earth and space science resources for educators of all levels – from elementary to college, to out-of-school programs. Resources can be searched by subject, grade level, type and keyword. Lesson plans and teaching materials are made to support the STEM curriculum.
Project Demo
Data & Resources
McGonigal, Jane; ¿Por qué los videojuegos pueden mejorar tu vida y cambiar el mundo? – Un encuentro entre el mundo virtual y el real en el que las personas salen favorecidas; Siglo XXI; 2013
Fernando Rodriguez y Raúl Santiago; Gamificación: cómo motivar a tu alumnado y mejorar el clima en el aula; Grupo Oceano; 2015
Siwek, S.; Videogames in the 21st Century; Entertainment Software Association; 2011
Casas Méndez, Balbina; García Jurado, Ignacio; González Díaz, Julio; Fiestras Janeiro, María Gloria; Introducción a la Teoría de Juegos (ebook);Universidade de Santiago de Compostela
Teixes Argilés, Ferran; Gamificación: Fundamentos y Aplicaciones (ebook); Editorial UOC, S.L.
Driver, R., Guesne, E., Tiberghien, A.; Ideas científicas en la niñez y la adolescencia; Morata; 1989
Tignanelli, Horacio; Astronomía en la Escuela (2ª Edición). Ministerio de Educación de la República Argentina; EUDEBA; 2004
Camino, Néstor; La investigación educativa en Didáctica de la Astronomía. Características y propuestas concretas; En Gómez, M., Paolantonio, S., Parisi, C., (Editores), Actas de Workshop de Difusión y Enseñanza de la Astronomía (mayo de 2009), Asociación Argentina de Astronomía, Córdoba, diciembre de 2010
UNESCO - Nuevo Manual UNESCO para la Enseñanza de las Ciencias; Editorial Sudamericana; 1973
Board, S. S., National Research Council, & Astronomy and Astrophysics Survey Committee. (2002). Astronomy and Astrophysics in the New Millennium: Panel Reports. National Academies Press.
Percy, J. R.; Astronomy education: An international perspective. In International Astronomical Union Colloquium (Vol. 162, pp. 2-6). Cambridge University Press; 1998. Recuperado de: https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/760F90CA2CD44A5D4C864D89B7916850/S025292110011468Xa.pdf/astronomy_education_an_international_perspective.pdf