ACOT- ACOT was a research and development collaboration among public schools, universities, research agencies, and Apple Computer, Inc. Initiated in 1985, ACOT began its work in seven classrooms that represented a cross section of America’s elementary and secondary schools. Its goal was to study how the routine use of technology by teachers and students might change teaching and learning.
Activities- Interactive games designed to educate kids about whales.
Animation- The art or process of preparing animated cartoons.
Apple- Name of a Computer Company.
Art- A nonscientific branch of learning; one of the liberal arts.
Audio- Of or relating to the broadcasting or reception of sound.
Baleen- The elastic, horny material forming the fringed plates that hang from the upper
jaw of baleen whales and strain plankton from the water.
Breach- To leap from the water: waiting for the whale to breach.
CD-ROM- A compact disk that functions as read-only memory.
Classroom- A room or place especially in a school in which classes are conducted.
Interaction- The state of undergoing interaction.
Collaboration- To work together, especially in a joint intellectual effort.
Computer- A device that computes, especially a programmable electronic machine that performs high-speed mathematical or logical operations or that assembles, stores, correlates, or otherwise processes information.
Curriculum- All the courses of study offered by an educational institution.
Design- To conceive or fashion in the mind; invent.
Digital- Expressed in numerical form, especially for use by a computer.
Dorsal fin- The main fin located on the back of fishes and certain marine mammals.
Echolocation- A sensory system in certain animals, such as bats and dolphins, in which usually high-pitched sounds are emitted and their echoes interpreted to determine the direction and distance of objects.
Education- The knowledge or skill obtained or developed by a learning process.
Experience- The apprehension of an object, thought, or emotion through the senses or mind.
Graphic- A graphic display generated by a computer or an imaging device.
Hands-on- Hands-on learning has become a common phrase in science education. Like many other highly used terms and phrases, there are various interpretations of what is meant by "hands-on learning." Rather than attempt to offer a definitive operational definition, we present in this section a variety of viewpoints on what is meant by hands-on learning in science. Then we address the issues of whether hands-on learning is a new phenomenon and whether hands-on approaches will continue to have a continual impact on science teaching and learning in school.
High School- A secondary school that usually includes grades 9 or 10 through 12.
Holistic- Concerned with wholes rather than analysis or separation into parts
Humpback Whale- A baleen whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) having a rounded back and long knobby flippers. Humpback whales communicate using complex, distinctive songs that identify individuals and play an important role in mating.
Illustration- Visual matter used to clarify or decorate a text.
Interaction- The act or process of interacting.
Interface- The layout of an application's graphic or textual controls in conjunction with the way the application responds to user activity.
Interviews- A formal meeting in person, especially one arranged for the assessment of the qualifications of an applicant.
Knowledge- Familiarity, awareness, or understanding gained through experience or study.
Memory- The mental faculty of retaining and recalling past experience.
Multimedia- The combined use of media, such as movies, music, lighting, CD-ROMs, and the Internet, as for education or entertainment.
Museum of Natural History- The American Museum of Natural History is one of the world's preeminent institutions for scientific research and education, with collections of more than 32 million specimens and artifacts.
Navigation- the act or practice of navigating; to steer a course through a medium.
Novice- A person new to a field or activity; a beginner.
Prayer- A reverent petition made to God, a god, or another object of worship.
Psychology- The science that deals with mental processes and behavior.
Public School- An elementary or secondary school in the United States supported by public funds and providing free education for children of a community or district.
Research- Scholarly or scientific investigation or inquiry.
Science- The observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of phenomena.
Student- One who studies something.
Target Audience- User group I am focusing on. 4th graders in the age range of 9 to 10 years old.
Macromedia Director- Macromedia Director MX is the solution for creating rich content and applications for CD/DVD-ROM, kiosks and the web. With Director MX, you can build rich content that delivers real results, integrating interactive audio, video, bitmaps, vectors, text, fonts, and more. Work more effectively with the shared Macromedia MX user interface and take advantage of unprecedented Macromedia Flash MX integration. Customize your applications with an extensible plug-in architecture and ensure smooth playback-even when using long files or videos-with advanced memory management. Create accessible content for people with disabilities. And deploy on CD/DVD, corporate intranets, or to over 300 million web users with Shockwave Player.
Macromedia Flash- Already a powerful tool for creating rich Internet content, Flash has evolved into a robust environment for developing online advertising, electronic learning courses, user interfaces for enterprise applications, and multimedia content. In addition to animation and vector graphics tools, Flash now includes video support for MPEG, digital video, MOV, and AVI formats. You can edit, manipulate, and animate video objects or use scripting to make your videos interactive. You'll also find new graphic design capabilities such as Bezier curves, transformation tools, and pixel-level snap control.
Metaphor- A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison.
Questions- An expression of inquiry that invites or calls for a reply.
Research- Close, careful study.
Stress- To subject to or undergo extreme stress, as from working too much.
Technology- The application of science, especially to industrial or commercial objectives.
Testing- A procedure for critical evaluation; a means of determining the presence, quality, or truth of something.
Video- Of or relating to videotaped productions or videotape equipment and technology.
Visuals- A picture, chart, or other presentation that appeals to the sense of sight, used in promotion or for illustration or narration.
Whale- Any of various marine mammals of the order Cetacea, having the general shape of a fish with forelimbs modified to form flippers, a tail with horizontal flukes, and one or two blowholes for breathing, especially one of the very large species as distinguished from the smaller dolphins and porpoises.
Websites- A set of interconnected webpages, usually including a homepage, generally located on the same server, and prepared and maintained as a collection of information by a person, group, or organization.