chapter 9: Impact of Technology on Informal Science Learning: Students’ Experiences with Race and Resource Allocation at a Well Resourced High School

The intent of this chapter is to provide an overview of educational technologies used for informal learning in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in out-of-school settings. Because readers of this volume may be less familiar with this context, the chapter begins with a brief overview of informal STEM learning, followed by discussions of the various roles played by technology. The chapter concludes with a review of issues raised by the use of technology for informal learning, and directions for further study.

Rather than being guided by a teacher and a standards-based curriculum, informal learning is voluntary and self-directed, driven by intrinsic motivation based on widely varying personal interests. Informal learning is episodic, typically involving activities of relatively short duration, often mediated within a family or other social group. It can be considered the primary way in which most people learn most of the time, since the hours spent in school represent less than 10% of the average person’s life (Jackson, 1968; (Sosniak, 2001; (U.S. Department of Education, 1991).