Today's moon is Waxing Gibbous (55%)
The Star Walk App is an interactive astronomy guide created by Vito Technology, Inc. I first read about this when I was researching for the mid-term question. It also frequently appears on the “best” educational app lists in web searches. It was the winner of the Apple Design Award in 2010 and has appeared in commercials. It is available for the iPad and the iPhone and 4th gen iPod Touch and at $4.99 ($2.99 for the iPhone) I thought it was worth purchasing to try it out. It works on both the old and new iPad.
It is an augmented reality app that labels more than 9000 stars, constellations, planets and satellites. It’s very simple to use – you just hold it up to the sky and it finds your location and tells you exactly what is appearing in the sky above you. If you have the newer iPad with a camera it allows the camera to overlay the app’s data on top of the real world and align the sky to find and track your position. You don’t need an internet connection so it can be used from anywhere. There is a Twitter feature that allows you to connect with other users around the world. (Communities of Practice)  It is constantly being updated and the graphics are outstanding.
The main features as listed on the website are:
- Star Spotter - real time motion tracking tells you what stars are above you in the sky;
- Satellites Tracking - never miss ISS flying over your head again;
- Time Machine - see what the sky looks like at any moment in the past or future;
- Calendar of Celestial Events: plan stargazing without leaving your favorite app.
- Picture of the Day - stunning pictures from deep space;
- Night Mode - preserve your dark vision to see more stars;
- Search - wondering where Jupiter is right now? Arrow will guide you to it;
- Big Screen - connect a second display to view the sky on a big screen.
There is an excellent instructional video that that explains the main features. The F.A.Q. sections explains everything else.
You can find detailed information about any star, planet, or satellite by touching its name in the menu. It could be used to support the teaching of many astronomy concepts, such as the phases of the moon, the rotation of the earth, the revolution of the earth around the sun and the planets. It is for all ages, but most useful for those who have an interest in astronomy. It could be used in an elementary or a high school classroom, but since it works best in the night time sky it would mostly have to be used from home. This supports informal learning Young children would need some extra instruction. The menu buttons aren’t that intuitive, but there aren’t that may of them, so it’s fairly easy to learn. Other than the video, the only other sound is the optional “space” music so it’s mostly a visual app. There is no testing, it’s purely informational.
One study I read for my mid-term essay found that using mobile devices for natural science learning increased students’ knowledge and understanding and improved their motivation. (Liu, Peng, Wu, Lin 2009)
Another study investigated outdoor science learning using the EULER scheme and found that it improves the effectiveness of learning, and also improves student creativity and the ability to explore and absorb new knowledge and solve problems. (Liu, Tan, Chu 2009)
(More details are in my essay #midterm, #question2)
When I taught sixth grade earth science we never got to the astronomy chapter – usually the last chapter in the book. If I had this technology then, I might have made sure we used that chapter. I’m glad I purchased this app, even though I won’t be able to use it in a school setting. I plan to take it on vacation to Alaska next month and hope to see more stars than we can see here.
Liu, Peng, Wu, Lin, (2009). The Effects of Mobile Natural-science Learning Based on the 5E Learning Cycle: A Case Study, Educational Technology & Society, 12 (4), 344-358.
Liu, Tan, Chu. “Outdoor Natural Science Learning with an RFID-Supported Immersive Ubiquitous Learning Environment, Education Technology & Society, 12(43), 161-175.
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