In classrooms around the nation, students and teachers are using technology to help accomplish authentic learning tasks. They use graphing calculators and computers to create and experiment with model pendulums. They conjecture, analyze data, study quadratic equations, explore curve fitting, and finally build a pendulum to test their theories. The focus of the series is mathematics, but the adventures of Jasper lead to many other areas such as ecology or history. Each video tells a story 14 to 18 minutes long that ends with one of the characters posing a problem.
Students then have to consider subtasks and pose possible solutions.
In reality, and in the Jasper series, there are many possible solutions to these problems. A nearby river was the focus of an interdisciplinary, technology-based writing project for high school students. They gathered information on the history of the river and its effects on the community by interviewing residents, taking samples of river water and vegetation, measuring the width and depth of the river at various points, and tracking air and water temperature. Using computers, students charted and graphed results, developed a database that pointed to periodic changes in the river, and produced a final report for the community. Research Evidence Microcomputer-based laboratory experiments improve students' knowledge of science concepts and processes, and also encourage the application of multiple modalities in authentic science experiences, according to the research of Linn and her associates.