RAPT Lab: Representations, Activity, Play, and Technology Lab
Projects: BeeSign
BeeSign is a computer simulation designed to help young students observe the behavior of honeybees as they collect nectar and experiment with the result of changing either the behavior of the bees or the environment in which the hive is located. As a research project, BeeSign was designed to help early elementary students (grades k-2) explore complex systems concepts in intuitive ways.
Below is the original BeeSign interface:
In this video, the designer of BeeSign (Dr. Joshua Danish) shows a very basic comparison between two hives to highlight the benefit of the waggle dance for nectar collection:
In this video, the designer of BeeSign (Dr. Joshua Danish) describes how BeeSign was used in a classroom:
Funding for the the iterations of the BeeSign Project
| Grant Name | Funding Agency | Grant Number | Co-PIs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer Dissertation Fellowship | Spencer Foundation | NA | Joshua Danish |
| UCLA Dissertation Fellowship | UCLA | NA | Joshua Danish |
Publications on the BeeSign Project
2017
- Danish, J. A., Saleh, A., Andrade, A., & Bryan, B. (2017). Observing complex systems thinking in the zone of proximal development. Instructional Science, 1–20. paper
2016
- Danish, J. A., Enyedy, N., Saleh, A., & Lee, C. (2016). Designing for Activity. In V. Svihla & R. Reeve (Eds.), Design as Scholarship: Case Studies from the Learning Sciences (p. 26). Routledge.
2014
- Danish, J. A. (2014). Applying an Activity Theory Lens to Designing Instruction for Learning About the Structure, Behavior, and Function of a Honeybee System. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 23(2), 1–49. paper
2013
- Danish, J. A. (2013). Designing for Technology Enhanced Activity to Support Learning. The Journal of Emerging Learning Design, (1). paper
- Danish, J. A., Saleh, A., & Andrade, L. A. (2013). Designing Interactive Scaffolds to Support Teacher-Led Inquiry of Complex Systems Concepts (poster). In S. Puntambekar, N. Rummel, M. Kapur, & M. Nathan (Eds.), Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Learning. Madison, WI.
- Peppler, K., Danish, J. A., & Phelps, D. (2013). Collaborative Gaming: Teaching Children About Complex Systems and Collective Behavior. Simulation & Gaming. paper
2011
- Danish, J. A., Peppler, K., Phelps, D., & Washington, D. A. (2011). Life in the Hive: Supporting Inquiry into Complexity Within the Zone of Proximal Development. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 20(5), 454–467. paper
2010
- Danish, J. A., & Phelps, D. (2010). Representational Practices by The Numbers: How Kindergarten and First-Grade Students Create, Evaluate, and Modify Their Science RePresentation. International Journal of Science Education, 33(15), 2069–2094 paper
- Danish, J. A., Peppler, K., & Phelps, D. (2010). BeeSign: Designing to Support Mediated Group Inquiry of Complex Science by Early Elementary Students. In 9th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children (pp. 182–185). ACM.
2009
- Danish, J. A. (2009). BeeSign: a Design Experiment to Teach Kindergarten and First Grade Students About Honeybees From a Complex Systems Perspective. annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association.