Chapter 9 of Surrounded by Science focuses on integrating all learning experiences: formal and informal. It recognizes that most scientific information is exchanged over the internet, and that in order to be effective, informal science environments need to use new technological platforms to spread their wealth of knowledge.

I think this is a good direction to take. Most of the information I accumulate comes from sources I find on the internet, more so than through printed media such as textbooks and journals. Some reasons for this are the ease of sharing and disseminating information, and the speed at which this sharing can occur. At any given moment I can access reference tables for topics in math, chemistry and physics, or look up an important concept or idea. Despite its notoriety, Wikipedia has become a prime source for learning how different ideas are connected. It really is a web (in the ‘WWW’ sense) that can find a connection between any one or anything. In recent months, YouTube has also become a place of learning, with great contributors like Veritasium and minutePhysics providing knowledge in a high quality and entertaining fashion; it has really become the epitome of the informal learning scene. Museums and other informal learning spaces may benefit from this online exposure, and many have taken to social media to expand their outreach, through sites like Twitter and Facebook.

One issue between informal learning and formal learning is that a lot of the time they do not correspond. Because informal learning is personally driven, there is nobody to set a curriculum, and there is less structure to the learning. Rather, the informal science learner takes his or her time to get to know and become intimate with the scientific knowledge, very much in contrast to a formal environment where information is being hurled at the speed of sound. This may often create problems in integrating formal and informal learning. What can be done to maximize the productivity of school visits to informal science places? One suggestion given in the book is to prepare in advance for museum visits. Ironically, reducing the novelty of the experience results in increased effectiveness of the trip. I can relate to this as well. For some strange reason, I always appreciate things more when I have a deeper understanding of them. For example, Carmina Burana really grew on me after I spent a semester learning to sing it in chorus. Likewise, many physical concepts made more sense and resonated with me only after I took an advanced calculus-based course to understand them. In the same vein, informal science learning is optimized not in lieu of formal science learning, but because of it. That is the key message brought out in Chapter 9.