Serena Pastore INAF (National Institute of Astrophysics) – Padova – ITALY pastore@pd.astro.it

1. “The Learning from Starlight” project: experencing mobile technologies to improve education and outreach of Astrophysics Serena Pastore INAF (National Institute of Astrophysics) – Padova – ITALY pastore@pd.astro.it

2. The Project and its goals Could wireless tecnologies and mobile devices improve learning and teaching of Astrophysics as a science based on observations? • HP granted to INAF a package of mobile equipment suitable for building an e-class • INAF (the Astronomical Observatory of Padova) has experienced mobile tecnology involving three classrooms of three different stages in Italian education A more strict integration between research and educational environments 9th June 05, Caceres, Spain

3. Hardware equipment Students and teachers package - HP Tablet Docking Station with DVD/CDRW (14+2); • iPAQ Pocket PC (Wi-Fi/Bluetooth) with 256 MB memory (26); • HP Tablet PC (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Ethernet) – 26+2; WLAN and e-class package • HP Access Point (4); • HP Digital projectors (2); • HP Officejet 6100 (2); 9th June 05, Caceres, Spain

4. Involved School and primary goal “Scuola Elementare Tempesta Bologna” Primary school; 8-years-old pupils Didactic design by: Angela Turricchia of “Planetario – Settore Istruzione Comune di Bologna” and Maria Antonietta Carrozza of “ Liceo Scientifico Fracastoro Verona” “Scuola Media Pepoli” Bologna secondary school; 13-years-old pupils “Liceo Scientifico Fracastoro – Verona – high school; 18-years-old students Students of each class should attend an astronomy course about the observation and analysis of astrophysical phenomena divided into two phases (in classroom and research institute context) 9th June 05, Caceres, Spain

5. The Mobile learning paradigm Mobile learning (m-learning) as tecnology supported learning: any educational provision where the dominant tecnologies are heldheld devices (including mobile phones, PDAs, tablets and and wireless devices)” Mobile devices and wireless connectivity enables teachers and students in learning-related activities in several physical locations enhancing the sharing of multimedia content e-learning m-learning laptop PDA PC smartphone tablets Deployment of a wireless network infrastructure for the delivery of programmed activities 9th June 05, Caceres, Spain

6. General requirements and constraints • Digitized contents in several formats (text, animation, slides, web pages, presentation, on-line quizzes and so on) to be provided both in classroom context and outside (for example at home); • each student had to partecipate in individual and group based activities sharing her/his work with others; • teacher could assist and should monitor them; • all actors should be able to read and write contents of all the types • On the other hand: • Locations without avaibility of internet connection; • Preferably use of open source software (for example OpenOffice.org instead of the well-known Microsoft Office); 9th June 05, Caceres, Spain

7. Project phases 7th January – 18th April 2005 29th April – 10th June 05 31th March 2005 28th April 2005 29th April 2005 Classroom context: use of palms and tablets in an intranet network to follow the astronomical course Final module until the end of the school INAF-Padova context: a full day with astronomers. Use of palms and tablets wireless connected to the institute network and to Internet to follow a specific module of the course 9th June 05, Caceres, Spain

8. Classroom context (intranet) Use of an ad-hoc wireless network of tablets and iPAQs to realize an information system implementing an hybrid Peer-to-Peer architecture Course module:how to discover the difference between a luminous and not-luminous celestial body with the observation of its physical parameters 9th June 05, Caceres, Spain

9. The intranet wireless LAN for each classroom • wireless ad-hoc network using Wi-Fi connection (using Windows XP operating system network functionalities); • Client-server architecture between teacher’s tablet (equipped with web server) and students’ devices • Peer-to-peer system between students palms and tablets in order to exchange multimedia content 9th June 05, Caceres, Spain

10. INAF-Padova context (internet) W-LAN integrated with INAF wired infrastructure to allow internet connection and a more wide wireless range Course module:Mars – how to know and classify this celestial body of our solar system 9th June 05, Caceres, Spain

11. Extended W-LAN with internet connection • - W-LAN integrated into the institute wireless LAN (same SSID) • Use of all access point to extende wireless range in all the rooms; • use of institute web services (web and ftp server, etc) • - Wireless LAN connected to wired infrastructure and by the network of italian research and university institution (GARR) to internet 9th June 05, Caceres, Spain

12. A typical day experience at INAF-Padova Several activities concerning the knowledge of Mars Morning activities intensive use of iPAQs to take notes, make calculation and explore content on the web Afternoon activities use of iPAQs and tablets to work in group: pupils had to make a presentation to the whole audience about a list of subjects 9th June 05, Caceres, Spain

13. Morning activities Calculate Mars distance Interviews with astronomers Knowledge of Mars in the past 9th June 05, Caceres, Spain

14. Afternoon activities Write about an argument Presentations of the work to others 9th June 05, Caceres, Spain

15. Issues Initial problem with the little knowledge of computers especially in the first phase of the project, then students were happy to use these tools for learning Efficacy of wireless network environment - Some problems only in the classroom context - Specific content developed for palm devices Content delivered - Limited software and technical problems in exchancing files between iPAQs and tablets Handheld devices 9th June 05, Caceres, Spain

16. Initial results • - Students was excited to use these computers for doing their lessons and they also continued the learning process outside (at home for example) • - Course material used with palms and tablets indifferently; • Wireless network in INAF-Padova successfully used for all activities (limitation only due to network band); 9th June 05, Caceres, Spain

17. Further development This experience encourages the use of wireless tecnology and mobile devices to improve education and outreach. - Specific user interface should be developed in order to exploit iPAQs in learning/teaching activities 9th June 05, Caceres, Spain

18. Thanks! Website of the entire project (on development) http://www.pd.astro.it/hp {pastore, boccato, nobili, lazzaretto,benacchio}@pd.astro.it 9th June 05, Caceres, Spain