Contents

Science Education
Virtual Solar System
Virtual Gorilla
Elementary Ed.
Elem. & Secondary

Science Education: Virtual Gorilla Modeling Project

The Virtual Gorilla Modeling Project (VGMP) was a research and development project that explored the integration of a prototype pedagogy and immersive virtual reality (VR) environment into Zoo Atlanta's Summer Safari program.

Context	The Virtual Gorilla Project used a combination of desktop computer modeling and immersive Virtual Reality technologies to teach children about the interactions and habitat of gorillas at the Atlanta Zoo. This project was a collaboration between the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, and the Atlanta Zoo in which middle school students observed gorillas in their Zoo habitat, modeled their behavior using a 3-D software-modeling tool, and then entered an immersive environment to explore their model. I participated in the project for that week and since have been analyzing data and writing up the results. I participated in this project for my professional development and to investigate how emerging technologies can be use to support students in learning science concepts within informal learning environments.
Conditions	My research in this project was conducted in the informal setting of the Atlanta Zoo. I was one of three researchers who attended each day of the camp and followed a particular group as they completed the camp's activities. Dr. Ken Hay designed and led the project, and I was a junior colleague focused mainly on data collection and analysis although I contributed significantly in analyzing the findings and writing up the results.
Scope	The Virtual Gorilla Camp spanned one week with twenty-four middle school students attending and resulted in the continued support of the Atlanta Zoo. This project was a prototype as we were learning how to best implement the technology into the informal learning environment, how students used the computer modeling software, and how we could improve the usability of the software. However, the Atlanta Zoo has offered continued support which means that thousands of students could use the Virtual Gorilla Project each year.
Role	I observed the weeklong camp for middle school students, conducted interviews, and collected in situ data to determine how students' conceptual understanding of gorilla behavior changed as a result of participating in the camp. I added qualitative methodology skills such as participant observation, interviewing protocol, and interpretation of data. I contributed significantly to the conceptualization of each paper, wrote and revised portions of each paper, and contributed to the interpretation of our findings and the conclusions.

Virtual Gorilla Published Papers:

Hay K., Crozier, J., Barnett, M., Allison, D., Bashaw, M., Hoos, B., & Perkins, L., (2000). Virtual gorilla modeling project: Middle school students constructing virtual models for learning. In. B. J. Fishman & O'Connor S. F. (Eds.), Proceedings of the International Conference of the Learning Sciences (pp. 212-214). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Virtual Gorilla: Conference Presentations

Hay K., Crozier, J., & Barnett, M. (2000, April). Virtual gorilla modeling project: Middle school students constructing virtual models for learning. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA.