This article in Computers and Geosciences addresses the value of scientific investigation tools for education. Tools developed for experts can become educational assets for learners, but must be bridged for use by the learners. The article discusses bridging strategies including motivation context, activities, data selection, interface and support for learning. These strategies are designed to provide learners with enough of the hidden context and knowledge that experts bring to their tasks to enable them to use scientific tools as learning resources. In the article, this framework is applied to the design of ClimateWatcher, a scientific visualization environment for the investigation of issues related to global climate and climate change. ClimateWatcher is now in use in middle school, high school and university settings.
