Guiding lights: a classroom light system for knowing when to chase aurora

摘要

This article showcases how a Wi-Fi based LED light system that flickers to indicate probability of auroral manifestation became a beacon of inquiry, interest, and critical thinking amongst preservice teachers, staff, and passersby in a teacher education program. Beyond articulating the design phase of the system, highlighted here are the three thematic conversational areas that emanated from the installment of the lights in our lab: inquiries about the lights, inquiries about the aurora, and inquiries about how these lights could be used in classrooms and community spaces. This also provided an opportunity for me to model, and preservice teachers to experience, purposeful technology integration substantially aligned to science content.