This document summarizes a workshop where students used Google Cultural Institute to dig deeper into questions sparked by images from their mobile phones. In teams of three, students chose an image, generated a key question about it, used Google Cultural Institute to research the question, and then taught their findings to the class. The process helped develop students' inquiry, expression, and digital literacy skills. The researcher observed that students were actively engaged in digging for knowledge to connect to their own interests and answer their questions.

1. DIGGING UP THE THINGS WE ARE LEARNING:
GOOGLE CULTURAL INSTITUTE AS A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Mon 26th May 2014 @ 12.15-14.00
University of Helsinki
SARA SINTONEN
Sara Sintonen 2014

2. Google Cultural Institute
https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/home?view=grid
Exhibits and collections from museums and archives all around the world.
A great teaching resource and
learning environment.
Sara Sintonen 2014

3. Research Project “Knowledge Diggers”
“The Knowledge Diggers’ workshop” with 3rd graders (9- 10 years old),
April 2013 in Espoo, Finland.
Target:
To develop students’ habits of inquiry and skills of expression.
Media literacy at the digital era:
Access, analyze, evaluate, communicate…
-> …choose, connect and share
The idea of ‘digging’:
Your own content as a starting point.
Questions are leading the way.
Connections are not made on purpose, they will arise.
Student as teachers.
Sara Sintonen 2014

4. The process during the workshop (in teams of 3 students),
instructions:
1) Choose one image to share from your phone. Discuss about the images.
2) Start digging in GoogleArt for a matching image. Explore the effect of different key words.
3) Choose one item to work with: make one key question.
4) Share your findings with your team and challenge them by asking your question.
5) Dig for more information online and try to find an explanation for your question.
6) Decide what you want to teach others, and share your team’s findings with the classmates.
Sara Sintonen 2014

5. Student 1, own photo form mobile phone
Sara Sintonen 2014

6. Question to the team: Why Vincent liked to paint grass?
[Arles, typical South-France nature landscape]
Sara Sintonen 2014
Student 1, finding from GoogleArt

7. Student 2, own photo from mobile phone
Sara Sintonen 2014

8. Question to the team: Where you can see this tile? Which plant is it?
[Typical wall decoration in warm places (no frosting!)]
Sara Sintonen 2014
Student 2, finding from GoogleArt

9. Some researcher’s remarks:
Students were active and enthusiastic diggers. Using their own media and
phone gallery content was motivating.
No problems of understanding the meaning of key words
and choosing them in English (although Finnish speaking students).
Students were showing the wide set of literacy skills.
Connecting knowledge to the real life situations; own interests, history, cultures etc.
New modalities, symbols (visual images), mythology, natural and cultural heritage,
making items understandable.
Students were first hesitating to act freely with the subjects, to make their own
decisions concerning the content. Not familiar with this kind of learning.
Some of them had difficulties setting the key questions (‘Is this a good question?’).
Listened carefully what others showed, said and taught.
Thank you! Kiitos!
Sara Sintonen 2014