When I was planning this module, I had to stop and laugh at myself for a minute, especially with this first video, introduction to educational technology. Educational technology is so broad that I wonder if I would need an entire course just to introduce it. After all, there're entire professional conferences like ISTE, The International Society for Technology and Education, or the European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning, which is sponsored by the European Association for Technology Enhanced Learning. These conferences are just dedicated to connecting educational technology professionals together. Educational technologies were in the limelight when the COVID-19 pandemic pushed so much learning online. So Educational Technology is huge. It's online learning, it's gaming to learn, it's gamification of classrooms, computational literacy, it's hardware, it's software, it's learning analytics. Let's focus down a bit more. Why consider educational technologies as a modality for science communication? In education, the term 21st century learners often tossed around, society is changing. How do we equip today's kids for 21st century problems? Technology and in particular, video games, are a possible solution and a fantastic engagement strategy. People like playing video games. They like games in general, but they really like video games. On online gaming, video gaming has really taken off in the last few decades. One of my favorite examples of a science game is called Eterna. It's a science game and its citizen science. RNA biochemistry doesn't sound like a very interesting pass time. But people in the Eterna game find new insights into biology through their game play. Eterna is one of several examples of science discovery games. They teach science and expand science knowledge because game-playing is motivating. Going back to the first module, we discussed barriers to engaging with science communication and also how people don't want to engage with science for whatever reason. Using computer games is a way to reach those audiences. Technology is changing in formal science education as well. Although audio tours have been around for a long time, some museums are getting even more tech-savvy. We see QR codes that can be scanned with a phone like on this business card or in parks, museums or zoos. So users can scan for more information on an exhibit or a natural area in a park. The nice thing about QR codes is that you can create them for free online and incorporate them as part of an outreach or science communication activity. Some museums are beginning to incorporate augmented and virtual reality as part of their exhibits as well. Then of course, there's makerspaces and 3D printers that are allowing anyone to build something on the spot, test it, collect data about it, and iterate on it again. Just like a real scientist or engineer would do while prototyping. Social media, something we'll talk about more in the next video, is another option for leveraging technology to communicate science to others. Social media lives on the Internet. The genesis is the Internet included an explosion of new opportunities for science communication, many of which we've already talked about in this course. With technology, we get data traces. These data traces are invaluable sources of data about who is engaging with technology, how they are engaging, and can provide insights into what that engagement means to them. When it comes to creating evidence-based science outreach, a major theme of this course, the data from educational technologies can help ensure an evidence-based approach to science communication. Educational technology is a huge field and one that we can learn from when engaging in science communication. Although games and augmented reality are flashy and really exciting, I want to recognize that these may be out of reach for some. So although mentioned here for your reference, we'll spend the rest of this module on aspects of educational technology that are low-hanging fruit and easily accessible for all. With that, let's turn to a free and effective way of communicating science; social media.
