Digital badges are graphical representations of an accomplishment. Open badges are a subset of digital badges that allow the badge owner to demonstrate achievement and the viewer to see the criteria for the badge. Open badges offer the opportunity to evidence and reward skill development, and to learn that existing formal qualifications do not. In…

Open badges are portable, digital credentials that offer the opportunity to reward learning in both formal and informal settings, providing an inventory of competencies and interests. Previously, a comprehensive framework of open badges in the 'Working Scientifically' strand of the National Curriculum in England (ages 5-16), extending into post-16…

Digital badges are graphical representations of an accomplishment. Open badges are a subset of digital badges, an image file in which additional data, metadata, are embedded. Not only will an open badge contain a description of the badge, the criteria, the issuer and issue date, but also, when appropriate, standards, tags, expiry date and…

An interdisciplinary approach to STEM has huge benefits in terms of engaging young people and increasing their awareness of the opportunities that STEM skills can provide. However, planning a whole-school approach to STEM education can be challenging. This article gives case studies of two recent projects in STEM education and introduces two…

Our view of learning takes into account how learners, when learning, are engaged in both doing science and mathematics and becoming mathematicians and scientists. Drawing on our work on a number of European projects that developed inquiry approaches across mathematics and science, we propose a new research and development agenda seeking new ways…

In a relatively short space of time, classrooms have become full of computers, gadgets and electronic devices. Technology will only continue to become more sophisticated, more efficient and more abundant in schools. But how desirable is this technological revolution and to what extent should it develop? To measure the effectiveness and popularity…

The history and meaning of the term "microelectronics" is reviewed, followed by a discussion of the key inventions of the Intel microprocessor in 1971 and the Texas Instruments electronic pocket calculator in 1975. The six characteristic features of microelectronic components are then defined. The UK prime minister Jim Callaghan's…

Early in 2010, a group of year 11 students (age 15-16) studying GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) Astronomy at The Radclyffe School, Oldham, in the UK, teamed up with a similar age group from Tianyi High School, Wuxi City, in China, to undertake a joint astronomy investigation. This article outlines the outcome of the first stage…

Most students now have access to devices such as digital cameras and mobile phones that are capable of taking short video clips outdoors. Such clips can be used with powerful ICT tools, such as Tracker, Excel and TI-Nspire, to extract time and coordinate data about a moving object, to produce scattergrams and to fit models. In this article we…

The website "Earthlearningidea" was developed for the International Year of Planet Earth in 2007 and continues with one new activity per fortnight. Activities are devised to catch the attention of students and to enable them to enjoy the science of the Earth. Many activities require minimal equipment, for schools in developing countries, but there…

In order to understand the realistic use and impact of ICT on physics teaching in Ireland, a survey was used to gather information on teacher attitudes, confidence and concerns. Practical problems in the regular use of ICT affect some more than others. Factors such as availability of equipment and time to learn new skills (and interest in those…

Discusses ways in which datalogging equipment can enable titration curves to be measured accurately and how computing power can be used to predict the shape of curves. Highlights include sources of error, use of spreadsheets to generate titration curves, titration of a weak acid with a strong alkali, dibasic acids, weak acid and weak base, and…

Describes a project in which a group of primary school students tried out a range of IT activities using Xemplar Pocket Book computers. Demonstrates that they improved the quality and range of pupils' learning and supported literacy in science. Explains that pocket computers do not replace but complement the classroom PC. (Author/ASK)

Reports on the experience of teachers from 10 different secondary schools using information and communication technology (ICT) in science instruction. Discusses the teachers' thoughts on the materials they used, problems and advantages of using different applications, and necessary conditions for successful teaching outcomes. (Author/NB)

Describes the barriers that science teachers face in using computers in schools. Shares some methods that have been used to overcome those barriers and suggests some principles that might ensure more effective implementation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in science. (Contains 16 references.) (Author/ASK)