Victor R. Lee
Associate Professor of Education
Graduate School of Education
Bio
Victor R. Lee is an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University and is faculty lead for the Stanford Accelerator for Learning's initiative on AI and Education. Through his research, he asks what future-facing STEM knowledge, tools, and practices are important to know to enable active participation and critical engagement with our increasingly digitally-infused lives. He then uses the tools of educational design research to create examples for how we could get there. Currently, this involves researching and designing learning experiences and resources for data literacy, K-12 data science education, and artificial intelligence literacy for both students and teachers. He also has maintained a portfolio of research related to elementary computer science education, maker education, and science cognition. His research is most often done through research-practice partnerships and involves design, implementation, analysis, and continual revision of new learning experiences in actual learning settings (such as schools, districts, or libraries). Lee has co-authored multiple national reports for the National Research Council related to computing and data in education. His work has been featured in the New York Times, CNN, Forbes, Politico, and other national media outlets.
Lee completed his undergraduate studies at UC San Diego with emphasis in cognitive science, human computer interaction, and mathematics. He earned his doctorate in Learning Sciences at Northwestern University where he was supported for several years through a fellowship with the NSF-funded Center for Curriculum Materials in Science. Since leaving the midwest and beginning his professional academic career, he has received the National Science Foundation CAREER award, the Jan Hawkins Award, a post-doctoral fellowship from the National Academy of Education and the Spencer Foundation, and various best paper awards. His book, Learning Technologies and the Body (published by Routledge), is the first compendium of current research of embodied technologies for learning. With Abigail Phillips, he published, Reconceptualizing Libraries: Perspectives from the Information and Learning Sciences (2018). Currently, he is contracted for a new book on K-12 data science education. Victor sits on the editorial board of several leading education and technology research journals and advises various national organizations. He is a past-president and elected fellow of the International Society of the Learning Sciences.
Academic Appointments
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Associate Professor, Graduate School of Education
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Faculty Affiliate, Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI)
Administrative Appointments
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Faculty Lead, AI + Education, Stanford Accelerator for Learning (2022 - Present)
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Associate Professor, Department of Instructional Technology & Learning Sciences,, Utah State University, Logan (2015 - 2019)
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Assistant Professor, Department of Instructional Technology & Learning Sciences, Utah State University, Logan (2009 - 2015)
Honors & Awards
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Distinguished Development Award, Association for Educational Communications and Technology (2023)
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Fellow, International Society of the Learning Sciences (2022)
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Fellow, International Society for Design and Development in Education (2021)
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Outstanding Research Award, Council for Technology & Engineering Teacher Education (2018)
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Postdoctoral Fellowship, National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation (2014)
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Jan Hawkins Award, American Educational Research Association (2013)
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CAREER Award, National Science Foundation (2011)
Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations
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Committee Member, National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine - Committee on Competences for Data and Computing in K-12 (2024 - Present)
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Committee Member, National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine - Committee on NASA Science Activation 2.0 (2023 - 2024)
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President, International Society of the Learning Sciences (2020 - 2021)
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Committee Member, National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine - Committee on Authentic STEM Experiences (2019 - 2021)
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Board Member, International Society of the Learning Sciences (2015 - 2022)
Program Affiliations
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Symbolic Systems Program
Professional Education
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PhD, Northwestern University, Learning Sciences (2008)
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BS, UC San Diego, Cognitive Science with Specialization in Human-Computer Interaction (2001)
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BA, UC San Diego, Mathematics (2001)
Research Interests
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Brain and Learning Sciences
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Collaborative Learning
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Curriculum and Instruction
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Data Sciences
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Elementary Education
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Lifelong Learning
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Math Education
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Professional Development
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Science Education
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Teachers and Teaching
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Technology and Education
Current Research and Scholarly Interests
Data - young people's data literacy experiences and K-12 data science education, with emphasis on quantified self data (wearables and/or self-tracked) and data learning experiences across disciplines.
Computing - the design and development of computational thinking and computational literacy, with emphasis on unplugged-to-plugged computing and elementary school programming experiences
AI - tools and resources for general understandings of artificial intelligence, especially as it relates to education
Maker education - how youth engage with maker learning activities, making in libraries (school and public) and in out-of-school makerspaces, and how to support teachers in implementing maker learning experiences
STEM - curriculum design and research, especially as it relates to science content and practices in K-12 as well as conceptual change, use of technology in service of K-12 STEM education
2024-25 Courses
- Introduction to Learning Sciences: Understanding Learning and Learning Environments
EDUC 333A (Aut) - Learning, Making, Crafting, & Creating
EDUC 237 (Win) - Science, Engineering and Technology Education Seminar
EDUC 359C (Spr) -
Independent Studies (4)
- Directed Reading
EDUC 480 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum) - Directed Reading in Education
EDUC 180 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum) - Directed Research
EDUC 490 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum) - Directed Research in Education
EDUC 190 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum)
- Directed Reading
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Prior Year Courses
2023-24 Courses
- Introduction to Learning Sciences: Understanding Learning and Learning Environments
EDUC 333A (Aut) - Learning, Making, Crafting, & Creating
EDUC 237 (Win) - Research in Science, Engineering, and Technology Education: Mental Models and Conceptual Change
EDUC 359B (Spr) - Science, Engineering and Technology Education Seminar
EDUC 359C (Win)
2022-23 Courses
- Introduction to Learning Sciences: Understanding Learning and Learning Environments
EDUC 333A (Aut) - Learning Sciences and Technology Design Research Seminar and Colloquium
EDUC 291 (Aut) - Learning, Making, Crafting, & Creating
EDUC 237 (Win) - Thinking and Learning with Data
EDUC 431 (Spr)
2021-22 Courses
- Curriculum and Instruction Elective in Data Science
EDUC 261E (Spr) - Introduction to Learning Sciences: Understanding Learning and Learning Environments
EDUC 333A (Aut) - Learning Sciences and Technology Design Research Seminar and Colloquium
EDUC 291 (Aut) - Learning, Making, Crafting, & Creating
EDUC 237 (Win)
- Introduction to Learning Sciences: Understanding Learning and Learning Environments
Stanford Advisees
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Doctoral Dissertation Reader (AC)
Lindsey Hasak -
Postdoctoral Faculty Sponsor
'Joba Adisa, Benjamin Xie -
Master's Program Advisor
Chinat Yu, Yiling Zhao -
Doctoral (Program)
Lisa Archuleta, Liz Harris, Maria Romero, Jessica Yauney, Xi Jia Zhou
All Publications
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Cheating in the age of generative AI: A high school survey study of cheating behaviors before and after the release of ChatGPT
Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence
2024
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.caeai.2024.100253
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Data science education across the disciplines: Underexamined opportunities for K-12 innovation
BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
2022
View details for DOI 10.1111/bjet.13258
View details for Web of Science ID 000822579700001
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A Call for a Humanistic Stance Toward K-12 Data Science Education
EDUCATIONAL RESEARCHER
2021
View details for DOI 10.3102/0013189X211048810
View details for Web of Science ID 000702459400001
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Remembering What Produced the Data: Individual and Social Reconstruction in the Context of a Quantified Self Elementary Data and Statistics Unit
COGNITION AND INSTRUCTION
2021
View details for DOI 10.1080/07370008.2021.1936529
View details for Web of Science ID 000671698100001
- Data Use by Middle and Secondary Students in the Digital Age: A Status Report and Future Prospects National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018
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An interaction analysis of a computer science co-design conversation on cultural relevance and its implications for design
JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION
2024
View details for DOI 10.1080/15391523.2024.2402354
View details for Web of Science ID 001327497900001
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Children's mathematical engagement based on their awareness of coding toy design features
MATHEMATICAL THINKING AND LEARNING
2024
View details for DOI 10.1080/10986065.2024.2371513
View details for Web of Science ID 001258167100001
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High school teachers' data set aesthetics
INFORMATION AND LEARNING SCIENCES
2024
View details for DOI 10.1108/ILS-06-2023-0063
View details for Web of Science ID 001169147100001
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Tangible Stats: An Embodied and Multimodal Platform for Teaching Data and Statistics to Blind and Low Vision Students
ASSOC COMPUTING MACHINERY. 2024
View details for DOI 10.1145/3613905.3650793
View details for Web of Science ID 001227587702022
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Co-designing AI Education Curriculum with Cross-Disciplinary High School Teachers
ASSOC ADVANCEMENT ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. 2024: 23146-23154
View details for Web of Science ID 001239989100056
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From Consumers to Critical Users: Prompty, an AI Literacy Tool for High School Students
ASSOC ADVANCEMENT ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. 2024: 23300-23308
View details for Web of Science ID 001239989100074
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Common "place" observations about embodiment and CSCL
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTER-SUPPORTED COLLABORATIVE LEARNING
2023
View details for DOI 10.1007/s11412-023-09402-3
View details for Web of Science ID 001011989400001
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Designing formative assessments of early childhood computational thinking
EARLY CHILDHOOD RESEARCH QUARTERLY
2023; 65: 68-80
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.ecresq.2023.05.013
View details for Web of Science ID 001032420400001
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Learning sciences and learning engineering: A natural or artificial distinction?
JOURNAL OF THE LEARNING SCIENCES
2022
View details for DOI 10.1080/10508406.2022.2100705
View details for Web of Science ID 000840071500001
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The technical matters: young children debugging (with) tangible coding toys
INFORMATION AND LEARNING SCIENCES
2022
View details for DOI 10.1108/ILS-12-2021-0109
View details for Web of Science ID 000829510500001
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Instructional support for learning with agent-based simulations: A tale of vicarious and guided exploration learning approaches (vol 142, 103644, 2019)
COMPUTERS & EDUCATION
2022; 183
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104465
View details for Web of Science ID 000805439000007
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Taking data feminism to school: A synthesis and review of pre-collegiate data science education projects
BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
2022
View details for DOI 10.1111/bjet.13251
View details for Web of Science ID 000817736800001
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Exploring Measurement through Coding: Children's Conceptions of a Dynamic Linear Unit with Robot Coding Toys
EDUCATION SCIENCES
2022; 12 (2)
View details for DOI 10.3390/educsci12020143
View details for Web of Science ID 000762682700001
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Identifying the Content, Lesson Structure, and Data Use Within Pre-collegiate Data Science Curricula
JOURNAL OF SCIENCE EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY
2021
View details for DOI 10.1007/s10956-021-09932-1
View details for Web of Science ID 000719179100001
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Kindergarten students' mathematics knowledge at work: the mathematics for programming robot toys
MATHEMATICAL THINKING AND LEARNING
2021
View details for DOI 10.1080/10986065.2021.1982666
View details for Web of Science ID 000701506700001
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Tabletop games designed to promote computational thinking
COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION
2021
View details for DOI 10.1080/08993408.2021.1947642
View details for Web of Science ID 000668828500001
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Youth engagement during making: using electrodermal activity data and first-person video to generate evidence-based conjectures
INFORMATION AND LEARNING SCIENCES
2021
View details for DOI 10.1108/ILS-08-2020-0178
View details for Web of Science ID 000662750100001
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Developing a kindergarten computational thinking assessment using evidence-centered design: the case of algorithmic thinking
COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION
2021
View details for DOI 10.1080/08993408.2021.1877988
View details for Web of Science ID 000614514000001
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It's More Than Just Technology Adoption: Understanding Variations in Teachers' Use of an Online Planning Tool
TECHTRENDS
2021
View details for DOI 10.1007/s11528-020-00576-3
View details for Web of Science ID 000607764800001
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What do Teens Make of Personal Informatics? Young People's Responses to Self-Tracking Practices for Self-Determined Motives
ASSOC COMPUTING MACHINERY. 2021
View details for DOI 10.1145/3411764.3445239
View details for Web of Science ID 000758168002066
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Let's cut to commercial: where research, evaluation, and design of learning games should go next
ETR&D-EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
2020
View details for DOI 10.1007/s11423-020-09865-3
View details for Web of Science ID 000589468800002
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An Emerging Technology Report on Computational Toys in Early Childhood
TECHNOLOGY KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING
2020; 25 (1): 213–24
View details for DOI 10.1007/s10758-019-09423-8
View details for Web of Science ID 000512738000011
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Instructional support for learning with agent-based simulations: A tale of vicarious and guided exploration learning approaches
COMPUTERS & EDUCATION
2019; 142
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103644
View details for Web of Science ID 000487568200008
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At Home With Data: Family Engagements With Data Involved in Type 1 Diabetes Management
JOURNAL OF THE LEARNING SCIENCES
2019
View details for DOI 10.1080/10508406.2019.1666011
View details for Web of Science ID 000488114700001
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The picture of smartphones at school is not a dire one and the picture of student competence is a bright one
LEARNING CULTURE AND SOCIAL INTERACTION
2019; 21: 293–95
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.lcsi.2019.04.001
View details for Web of Science ID 000471363600023
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A wearables-based approach to detect and identify momentary engagement in afterschool Makerspace programs
Contemporary Educational Psychology
2019
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.cedpsych.2019.101789
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The building blocks of coding: a comparison of early childhood coding toys
INFORMATION AND LEARNING SCIENCES
2019; 120 (7-8): 505–18
View details for DOI 10.1108/ILS-06-2019-0059
View details for Web of Science ID 000485201200006
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A Broad View of Wearables as Learning Technologies: Current and Emerging Applications
LEARNING IN A DIGITAL WORLD: PERSPECTIVE ON INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGIES FOR FORMAL AND INFORMAL EDUCATION
2019: 113–33
View details for DOI 10.1007/978-981-13-8265-9_6
View details for Web of Science ID 000537067200006
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On researching activity tracking to support learning: a retrospective
INFORMATION AND LEARNING SCIENCES
2019; 120 (1-2): 133–54
View details for DOI 10.1108/ILS-06-2018-0048
View details for Web of Science ID 000485199800009
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Youth Concerns and Responses to Self-Tracking Tools and Personal Informatics Systems
ASSOC COMPUTING MACHINERY. 2019
View details for DOI 10.1145/3290607.3312886
View details for Web of Science ID 000482042101147
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Paper Circuits: A Tangible, Low Threshold, Low Cost Entry to Computational Thinking
TECHTRENDS
2018; 62 (2): 197–203
View details for DOI 10.1007/s11528-017-0248-3
View details for Web of Science ID 000431573500013
- Reconceptualizing Libraries: Perspectives from the Information and Learning Sciences. edited by Lee, V. R., Phillips, A. L. Routledge. 2018
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A rubric for describing competences in the areas of circuitry, computation, and crafting after a course using e-textiles
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INFORMATION AND LEARNING TECHNOLOGY
2017; 34 (5): 372–84
View details for DOI 10.1108/IJILT-06-2017-0048
View details for Web of Science ID 000412189100002
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A Comparison of Discovered Regularities in Blood Glucose Readings across Two Data Collection Approaches Used with a Type 1 Diabetic Youth
METHODS OF INFORMATION IN MEDICINE
2017; 56: E84–E91
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes requires frequent testing and monitoring of blood glucose levels in order to determine appropriate type and dosage of insulin administration. This can lead to thousands of individual measurements over the course of a lifetime of a single individual, of which very few are retained as part of a permanent record. The third author, aged 9, and his family have maintained several years of written records since his diagnosis with Type 1 diabetes at age 20 months, and have also recently begun to obtain automated records from a continuous glucose monitor.This paper compares regularities identified within aggregated manually-collected and automatically-collected blood glucose data visualizations by the family involved in monitoring the third author's diabetes.7,437 handwritten entries of the third author's blood sugar readings were obtained from a personal archive, digitized, and visualized in Tableau data visualization software. 6,420 automatically collected entries from a Dexcom G4 Platinum continuous glucose monitor were obtained and visualized in Dexcom's Clarity data visualization report tool. The family was interviewed three times about diabetes data management and their impressions of data as presented in data visualizations. Interviews were audiorecorded or recorded with handwritten notes.The aggregated visualization of manually-collected data revealed consistent habitual times of day when blood sugar measurements were obtained. The family was not fully aware that their existing life routines and the third author's entry into formal schooling had created critical blind spots in their data that were often unmeasured. This was realized upon aggregate visualization of CGM data, but the discovery and use of these visualizations were not realized until a new healthcare provider required the family to find and use them. The lack of use of CGM aggregate visualization was reportedly because the default data displays seemed to provide already abundant information for in-the-moment decision making for diabetes management.Existing family routines and school schedules can shape if and when blood glucose data are obtained for T1D youth. These routines may inadvertently introduce blind spots in data, even when it is collected and recorded systematically. Although CGM data may be superior in its overall density of data collection, families do not necessarily discover nor use the full range of useful data visualization features. To support greater awareness of youth blood sugar levels, families that manually obtain youth glucose data should be advised to avoid inadvertently creating data blind spots due to existing schedules and routines. For families using CGM technology, designers and healthcare providers should consider implementing better cues and prompts that will encourage families to discover and utilize aggregate data visualization capabilities.
View details for DOI 10.3414/ME16-02-0047
View details for Web of Science ID 000413013300004
View details for PubMedID 28678303
View details for PubMedCentralID PMC6291844
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Appropriating Quantified Self Technologies to Support Elementary Statistical Teaching and Learning
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES
2016; 9 (4): 354–65
View details for DOI 10.1109/TLT.2016.2597142
View details for Web of Science ID 000391469700007
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Let's Get Physical: K-12 Students Using Wearable Devices to Obtain and Learn About Data from Physical Activities
TECHTRENDS
2015; 59 (4): 46–53
View details for DOI 10.1007/s11528-015-0870-x
View details for Web of Science ID 000443644800010
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Combining High-Speed Cameras and Stop-Motion Animation Software to Support Students' Modeling of Human Body Movement
JOURNAL OF SCIENCE EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY
2015; 24 (2-3): 178–91
View details for DOI 10.1007/s10956-014-9521-9
View details for Web of Science ID 000351316500005
- Learning Technologies and the Body: Integration and Implementation in Formal and Informal Learning Environments edited by Lee, V. R. Routledge. 2015
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Understanding the Opportunities and Challenges of Introducing Computational Crafts to Alternative High School Students
EDUCATIONAL MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY YEARBOOK, VOL 39
2015; 39: 83–99
View details for DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-14188-6_7
View details for Web of Science ID 000373332500008
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The Role of School District Science Coordinators in the District-Wide Appropriation of an Online Resource Discovery and Sharing Tool for Teachers
JOURNAL OF SCIENCE EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY
2014; 23 (3): 309–23
View details for DOI 10.1007/s10956-013-9465-5
View details for Web of Science ID 000334933800002
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Students' Digital Photography Behaviors during a Multiday Environmental Science Field Trip and Their Recollections of Photographed Science Content
EDUCATION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL
2014
View details for DOI 10.1155/2014/736791
View details for Web of Science ID 000214796800034
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Knowing and Learning with Technology (and on Wheels!): An Introduction to the Special Issue
TECHNOLOGY KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING
2013; 18 (1-2): 1–8
View details for DOI 10.1007/s10758-013-9204-2
View details for Web of Science ID 000218047600001
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Digital Physical Activity Data Collection and Use by Endurance Runners and Distance Cyclists
TECHNOLOGY KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING
2013; 18 (1-2): 39–63
View details for DOI 10.1007/s10758-013-9203-3
View details for Web of Science ID 000218047600003
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Collaborative Strategic Board Games as a Site for Distributed Computational Thinking
DEVELOPMENTS IN CURRENT GAME-BASED LEARNING DESIGN AND DEPLOYMENT
2013: 285–301
View details for DOI 10.4018/978-1-4666-1864-0.ch021
View details for Web of Science ID 000422857200022
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Framing in cognitive clinical interviews about intuitive science knowledge: Dynamic student understandings of the discourse interaction
SCIENCE EDUCATION
2012; 96 (4): 573–99
View details for DOI 10.1002/sce.21014
View details for Web of Science ID 000305122800001
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Some assembly required: How scientific explanations are constructed during clinical interviews
JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING
2012; 49 (2): 166–98
View details for DOI 10.1002/tea.20455
View details for Web of Science ID 000299071500002
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RETWEETING HISTORY Exploring the Intersection of Microblogging and Problem-based Learning for Historical Reenactments
DESIGNING PROBLEM-DRIVEN INSTRUCTION WITH ONLINE SOCIAL MEDIA
2012: 23–40
View details for Web of Science ID 000301089400002
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In Pursuit of Consensus: Disagreement and legitimization during small-group argumentation
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENCE EDUCATION
2012; 34 (12): 1857–82
View details for DOI 10.1080/09500693.2011.645086
View details for Web of Science ID 000307006000003
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Material Pets, Virtual Spaces, Isolated Designers: How Collaboration May Be Unintentionally Constrained in the Design of Tangible Computational Crafts
ASSOC COMPUTING MACHINERY. 2012: 244–47
View details for Web of Science ID 000323222100038
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Integrating physical activity data technologies into elementary school classrooms
ETR&D-EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
2011; 59 (6): 865–84
View details for DOI 10.1007/s11423-011-9210-9
View details for Web of Science ID 000297348400007
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Collaborative Strategic Board Games as a Site for Distributed Computational Thinking
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GAME-BASED LEARNING
2011; 1 (2): 65–81
View details for DOI 10.4018/ijgbl.2011040105
View details for Web of Science ID 000218920000005
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How Different Variants of Orbit Diagrams Influence Student Explanations of the Seasons
SCIENCE EDUCATION
2010; 94 (6): 985–1007
View details for DOI 10.1002/sce.20403
View details for Web of Science ID 000283273100003
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What Students Include in Hand-Drawn Diagrams to Explain Seasonal Temperature Variation
SPRINGER-VERLAG BERLIN. 2010: 313–15
View details for Web of Science ID 000289110300039
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Adaptations and Continuities in the Use and Design of Visual Representations in US Middle School Science Textbooks
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENCE EDUCATION
2010; 32 (8): 1099–1126
View details for DOI 10.1080/09500690903253916
View details for Web of Science ID 000277399700005