Category Archives: Research

IRB Approval

Posted on June 12, 2015 by JohnHeffernan

“You have approval from the College of Education Human Subjects Review Board and may begin your research.” I successfully defended my dissertation proposal last week and received Institutional Review Board approval yesterday. I will be starting videotaping of students doing … Continue reading →

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The Power of Wireless Projector Connection

Posted on March 27, 2015 by JohnHeffernan

This is a real incident from a  study I just completed that compared teacher use of technology with and without wireless projection systems.  I found that these systems changed the spatial arrangements in the classroom as well as the reach … Continue reading →

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Robotics Quick Update

Posted on October 4, 2014 by JohnHeffernan

Sorry I have not been posting much.  I spent a lot of time this summer working on my “comps” papers for my PhD.  This involved a robotics literature review and a write up of my pilot study, where I examined … Continue reading →

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Timeline

Posted on July 2, 2014 by JohnHeffernan

I want to plot kid’s engineering design process cycles but don’t know how to get EXCEL to combine events of the same type on the same line.  For the example below, I want the 2 PLAN events to be on … Continue reading →

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Elementary Robotics Book Talk – June 19, 2014 – Meekins Library, Williamsburg

Posted on May 22, 2014 by JohnHeffernan

Author’s Talk John Heffernan Elementary Robotics: Sustaining the Natural Engineering Instincts of Children Thursday, June 19, 2014 7 PM to 8 PM 2 Williams Street, Williamsburg, MA 01341 413-268-7472 Toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners are natural engineers. They love sand castles, … Continue reading →

Posted in Child Development, Research, Robotics, Teaching, Technology | 2 Comments

Comprehensive Exam Proposal

Posted on April 15, 2014 by JohnHeffernan

Comprehensive Examination Proposal Elementary Robotics Case Study John Heffernan University of Massachusetts, Amherst March 19, 2014   Problem Statement Designerly play has been identified as a fundamental component of childhood learning (Baynes, 1994). Designerly play is supported in typical preschool … Continue reading →

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Drumming Monkey – The Science of Rhythm

Posted on March 21, 2014 by JohnHeffernan

I have struggled for years with the science experiment part of the LEGO WeDo Drumming Monkey robot. The experiment workshop tells the students to write down “What I see or hear.” Without further instruction, second grade students tend to write … Continue reading →

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Taxonomy of Robotics Skills

Posted on January 10, 2014 by JohnHeffernan

I have been thinking about a how robotics skills intersect. This Venn diagram show my first stab at a taxonomy of robotics skills and how engineering, programming, and building intersect in educational robotics. This still needs work but I would … Continue reading →

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Design Based Science Bibliography

Posted on January 6, 2014 by JohnHeffernan

Barak, M., & Zadok, Y. (2009). Robotics projects and learning concepts in science, technology and problem solving. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 19(3), 289–307. Baynes, K. (1994). Designerly play. Loughborough: Loughborough University of Technology, Department of Design and … Continue reading →

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Grade 3 Vehicle Challenge

Posted on December 12, 2013 by JohnHeffernan

Here are some photos from our grade 3 open ended challenge to design a WeDo vehicle.  I reviewed 3 ways to connect motor to wheels before they started: gears, pulleys, or direct drives. Students used the base WeDo kit. However, … Continue reading →

Posted in Child Development, Research, Robotics, Teaching | 5 Comments