IdeaMagnets

Project Summary

The IdeaMagnets project aims to make knowledge building in science classrooms more connected with public discourse and open science. To this end, we build a “bridge” between Hypothes.is, an open-source web annotation tool, and Knowledge Forum, the go-to knowledge-building environment designed for continual idea improvement. With the IdeaMagnets tool, learners create “idea magnets” in Knowledge Forum. These magnets are then used to pull ideas from the web. Briefly:

(1) Learners can annotate any web document using Hypothes.is

(2) And then import annotations into Knowledge Forum for further inquiry

This project has been concluded in March 2020.

Project Updates

• 2024-04-14, we presented a poster based on the project in an AERA 2024 Structured Poster Session Advancing Understanding of Infrastructuring in the Learning Sciences.
• 2024-03-27, a paper informed by the project, titled A framework for infrastructuring sustainable innovations in education, is published in the Journal of the Learning Sciences.
• 2020-11-20, The project team presented a paper titled Crisscrossing Information Spaces with the IdeaMagnets Tool at KBSI 2020. Check out a brief presentation here.
• 2019-12-05, Bodong Chen delivered a theme-based invited speech titled “Creating Conditions for Knowledge Building for the Public Good” at the ICCE conference in Taiwan, Kenting. See slides, and the video recording.
• 2019-04-10, we presented the IdeaMagnets project 2019 AERA Annual Meeting (#AERA19) and the Knowledge Building Summer Institute (#KBSI2019) collocated in Toronto, Canada
• 2019-03-26, The project was featured at the CEHD Research Day
• 2018-06-15, We presented tech design at the I Annotate conference in San Francisco.
• 2017-12-08, Participatory Design Workshop #2 notes
• 2017-12-01, a blog post titled Participatory Design: A primer (by PhD candidate Fan Ouyang)
• 2017-11-15, Participatory Design Workshop #1 notes
• 2017-7-19, Initial design ideas

Relevant Links

• Project documentation
• Knowledge Forum 6
• Hypothes.is

Publications

• Chen, B. (2024). A framework for infrastructuring sustainable innovations in education. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 0(0), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508406.2024.2320159
• Chen, B., Chang, Y.-H., & Groos, D. (2020, November). Crisscrossing Information Spaces with the IdeaMagnets Tool. 2020 Knowledge Building Summer Institute, Online. https://ikit.org/summerinstitute2020/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/149-Chen-Crisscrossing.pdf
• Hussein, B., & Chen, B. (2020, November). Intelligent Support for Knowledge Building Across Web Spaces. KBSI 2020, Online. https://ikit.org/summerinstitute2020/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/163-Poster.pdf
• Chen, B., Chang, Y.-H., & Groos, D. (2020). Bridging Public Discourse and Knowledge Building Discourse in Science Classrooms with the IdeaMagnets Tool. In M. Gresalfi & I. S. Horn (Eds.), The Interdisciplinarity of the Learning Sciences, 14th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS) 2020, Volume 2 (pp. 863–864). International Society of the Learning Sciences. https://doi.org/10.22318/icls2020.863
• Chang, Y.-H., Chen, B., Ouyang, F., Groos, D. & Alton, J. (2019, April). Teachers as Co-designers of a Knowledge Building Environment. Paper to be presented at the 2019 Knowledge Building Summer Institute (KBSI), Toronto, ON, Canada.
• Chen, B., Chang, Y.-H., Chen, W., Batu, W., Ouyang, F., & Groos, D. (2019, April). IdeaMagnets: Towards Knowledge Building on the Open Web. Poster to be presented at the 2019 Knowledge Building Summer Institute (KBSI), Toronto, ON, Canada.
• Chen, B., Chang, Y.-H., Groos, D., Chen, W., Batu, W., Costa, S., Peebles, B., & Ma, L. (2019, March). IdeaMagnets: Bridging Knowledge Building in Schools with Public Discourse. Poster presented at the CEHD Research Day, Minneapolis, MN.
• Chen, B., Ouyang, F., Shoberg, J., & Reen, D. (2018, June). Web annotation in classrooms as boundary play. Panel presentation at the I Annotate 2018: At the Tipping Point: Annotation on the Web, San Francisco.
• Chen, B. (2018). Designing for Networked Collaborative Discourse: An UnLMS Approach. TechTrends, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-018-0284-7