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In response to Halverson and Collins' paper, the author reports her reflection and concerns of the diffusion of information technology for education in Taiwan, including national IT projects, barriers for using of IT technologies in core teaching practices, and alternative ways in informal learning based on her past experiences in conducting related studies.

Many learners think of scientific reasoning as something that is done only in the classroom. We aim to develop long-term scientific programs outside of school, helping learners to see and do science in their everyday lives, where the science is not simple and fixed (or pre-packaged). Our challenge is to facilitate the development of a learning community for learners with a variety of interests and learning styles, allowing each to find their own "hook" into science. Our approach is to help learners form a learning community where they participate in science together, taking ownership of their learning and learning science as they pursue their own goals of preparing tasty dishes. In this paper, we present data from our informal learning environment, Kitchen Science Investigators, where middle-school-aged children learn science and scientific reasoning skills through cooking. We are specifically focused on how participants reason scientifically. We look at two groups, who are at opposite ends of two dimensions (interest and planning style) to see how they responded to the scaffolding provided in the environment, how their scientific reasoning skills developed, and the community issues that arose (i.e. group dynamics) among and within the groups. We do this in efforts to draw out issues that arise when designing for a heterogeneous set of learners (along the dimensions of interest and planning style), and to begin thinking about ways to address these issues.

The combination of informal learning and mobile outdoor games can be seen as a relevant arena for conducting novel learning activities that involve children in different tasks including physical motion, problem solving, inquiry and collaboration. These are activities that support different cognitive and social aspects of learning. Co-design and human centric design practices have been the focus of current research efforts in the field of educational technologies but not as prevalent in mobile games to support learning. In our current research we are exploring which design methods are appropriate for developing innovative ways of learning supported by mobile games. This paper presents all those aspects related to the design and implementation of a mobile game called Skattjakt (Treasure Hunt in Swedish). The outcome of our activities has provided us with valuable results that can help additionally to integrate outside informal learning with more formal classroom activities. Moreover, we believe that involving children in the design process of mobile games may give us new insights regarding the nature of their learning practices while learning with games.

Informal learning has the potential to play an important role in helping children develop a life-long interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). The goal of this review is to synthesize the evidence regarding the features of effective informal learning, provide effective ways to support learning within these contexts, and illustrate that cooking is an optimal opportunity for informal STEM learning. We review evidence demonstrating that the most effective informal learning activities are authentic, social and collaborative experiences that tap into culturally-relevant practices and knowledge, although there are limitations to each. We propose that cooking provides a context for authentic, culturally-relevant learning opportunities and includes natural supports for learning and engagement. Specifically, cooking provides many opportunities to apply STEM content (e.g., measuring and chemical reactions) to an existing foundation of knowledge about food. Cooking is also a family-based learning opportunity that exists across cultures, allows for in-home mentoring, and requires no specialized materials (beyond those available in most homes). It may help overcome some limitations in informal STEM learning, namely scalability. Finally, cooking provides immediate, tangible (and edible) results, promoting interest and supporting long-term engagement.

The core capabilities of an organization include critical skills of employees, management systems, and norms and values. Core capabilities may be transferred formally and explicitly. However, much knowledge, particularly knowledge with rich tacit dimensions, is transferred informally through processes of socialization and internalization. We focus on two transfer mechanisms—mentoring and storytelling—that can leverage the knowledge of an organization, particularly its tacit knowledge, to build core capabilities. We draw on relevant research in learning and cognitive psychology to clarify the conditions under which mentoring and storytelling can be most effective as carriers of knowledge. Finally, we present recommendations for specific managerial practices that follow from our analysis.