Blog

Two Tinker Fellows will design new data science tools

We are delighted to announce two Tinker Fellows in 2025. The theme for this year’s Robert F. Tinker Fellows Program, which aims to promote innovation, creativity, and cross-disciplinary conversations, focuses on innovations in artificial intelligence, data science education, and STEM models and simulations. Devan Walton plans to develop a prototype interface that reimagines how students […]

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Exploring data in social studies using two new CODAP plugins

From climate reports to historical datasets about income or education level, data influences how we understand and interact with the world around us. While math and science classrooms often shoulder the responsibility of teaching data skills, social studies classrooms are uniquely positioned to offer a context-rich and interdisciplinary approach to data literacy. At its core, […]

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Exploring rocks and tectonics: Introducing feedback on the TecRocks Explorer data table

TecRocks Explorer showing four rock types in the data table.

We’re thrilled to announce an updated release of the Rocks & Tectonics module! This module revolutionizes the teaching of the traditional rock cycle by connecting rock formation to plate motion and the tectonic conditions under which rocks form. The new version of the Rocks & Tectonics module incorporates new interactive feedback mechanisms designed to support […]

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Aloha from the Pelehonuamea Project

Mauna Loa eruption, 2022, NPS

Hawaiʻi’s iconic volcanoes have shaped its islands, culture, and communities for centuries. From the breathtaking eruptions of Mauna Loa to the challenges of living with air pollution caused by the eruptions (known as “vog”), volcanic activity is an intrinsic part of life in Hawaiʻi. What if students could harness computational tools to better understand volcanic […]

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New AI projects at the Concord Consortium

Six students collaborating on computers

A number of innovative projects at the Concord Consortium are helping students develop AI literacy, converse and collaborate with AI, and use AI as a learning and communications tool. We’re helping students develop AI literacy and interest in AI-related careers. We’re partnering with the University of Florida, Texas Tech University, WestEd, and Florida Virtual School […]

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Publications in 2024 that advance research in STEM educational technology

In 2024, we published nine journal articles and four book chapters. Through these publications and our @Concord newsletter, our goal is to share relevant knowledge between the education researcher and practitioner communities. Read all Concord Consortium articles and book chapters. Using Multiple, Dynamically Linked Representations to Develop Representational Competency and Conceptual Understanding of the Earthquake […]

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Using multiple visual representations to understand the earthquake cycle

The GeoCoder model displays block code (procedural representation, left), the Deformation Simulation (geometric representation, upper right), and the deformation over time graph (graphical representation, bottom right).

Symbols, objects, maps, graphs, and simulations are all powerful tools for conveying information. However, some complex ideas just can’t be captured in a single representation. In these cases, multiple visualizations can be used together to convey and connect several pieces of related information. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, news organizations used a combination of […]

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Changing climates, changing forests: What is the future of boreal forests?

Boreal Forest Fire Explorer

Massive amounts of Earth’s stored carbon is located in boreal forests, including those in northern Canada and Alaska. As temperatures rise and wildfires become more frequent, scientists are studying the boreal forest’s transformation from carbon sink to carbon source. We partnered with Dr. Brian Buma at the University of Colorado Denver and the Environmental Defense […]

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