Tilburg University

New publication: The “Kids’ Knowledge Base”: Connecting Junior Science to Society

Just published: A. de Moor  (2014), The “Kids’ Knowledge Base”: Connecting Junior Science to Society. In Proc. of Chi Sparks 2014, The Hague, the Netherlands. The Hague University of Applied Sciences, pp.108-111.

Abstract

Universities try to reinforce their connections with society in many different ways. Introducing children to science at an early age is an important part of this mission. The online “Kids’ Knowledge Base” is a key instrument for presenting showcases of various scientific fields to primary school children, thereby aiming to pique their curiosity. We outline the architecture and development process of the Kids’ Knowledge Base, and describe how it is increasingly being embedded in an ecosystem of online and physical tools, stakeholder networks, and activities.

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Posted by Aldo de Moor in CommunitySense, Projects, Publications, 0 comments

Weaving the Web: Launch of the Tilburg University Science Junction

Today, Tilburg University’s Science Junction was launched:

The Children’s University aims to work together with regional schools to develop curriculums and teaching materials for more gifted primary school students from groups 7 and 8 (age 10 to 12). The goal: making knowledge available to primary school students, and to show how much fun science is.

The opening ceremony consisted of weaving a giant web between the participants, by having them throw around loads of balls of wool. Besides it being superbly funny and engaging, it also resulted (both in terms of process and product) in one of the best visual metaphors of The Web I have come across! See the weaving of the web in action at this photo stream.

Posted by Aldo de Moor in CommunitySense, Projects, 0 comments