The Internet Chapter 12 The Internet: Moving Toward Web- Based Learning Environments

The Internet How to Read This Chapter I have organized the chapter around several themes: student experiences using the Internet—a collection of activity structures describing different ways the Internet can be used in the classroom; telecommunications projects and student inquiry—case studies and examples of Internet-based projects that involve students in authentic inquiry and social action; Internet-based science activities – the nuts and bolts of designing web-based science activities. You can start your exploration at any one of these three points. If you are interested in finding out how you can use the Web creatively, you might want to start with the student’s experiences section. On the other hand if you are interested in involving students in collaborative inquiry projects, look at the section on telecommunications. If you are interested in designing online learning experiences you might want to start with the last section of the chapter. 441

The Internet Invitations to Inquiry What is the nature of an online classroom? What kinds of student’s experiences using the Internet will lead to the active construction of science knowledge? How can the Internet be used to foster student inquiry, creative activity and problem solving? How can collaboration and research investigations lead to socially responsible actions at the local and the global levels? What principles from research should affect the use of the Internet and related technology resources in the science classroom? What design elements foster the integration of the Internet resources in classroom instruction? How would you design or select Internet-based science activities for the science classroom? 441

The Internet Chapter 12 Map

The Internet Inquiry Activity 12.1: Designing Web-Based Science Activities In this inquiry you will become familiar with 8 web-based tools, anyone of which you can use to design a web-based science activity. Read through the tools that are listed in Table 12.1 (you’ll find details on each one on pages Identify an STS or science inquiry goal and design a web- based activity using one or more of the Web-based tools

The Internet Web-Based Tools The following slides present information about these web-based tools

The Internet Interpersonal Exchange Web Tools Interpersonal Exchange tools bring people together for sharing, asking questions, discussions and problem solving. Three structures or tools do this: Keypals & Global Classrooms Online Discussions and Chats Telementoring (Experts and Question-and-Answer Services The web enables students and teachers from around the world to establish global classrooms for interpersonal exchanges. Shown here are schools that participated in global project. Students used (keypals) to communicate.

The Internet Keypals and Global Classrooms Students can send to each other, to a bulletin board, or a list. What kinds of activities could this structure support?

The Internet Telmentoring--Experts and Question-and-Answer Services Bringing experts into the classroom can be facilitated by using an “ask-an-expert” site, such as the Pitsco site shown here. Design an activity for a middle school life science or high biology class that makes use of this site. Augment your research by contacting the Scientific American Ask the Experts site.Scientific American Ask the Experts site

The Internet Information Collections and Resource Web Tools Two types of structures are presented here: –Pooled Data Analysis (Network science)--students collaborating and generating information and knowledge –Virtual Field Trips-- students collaborating with experts, museums to make use of information on the web to construct knowledge Citizens in the Cleveland, Ohio area pooled data to learn about the quality of the air by monitoring ground-level ozone at the sites shown on the map.

The Internet Pooled Data Analysis Network Science This structure involves students not only in science inquiry, but it also helps students get involved in social action projects. Students pool data with cooperating classrooms, and use the data to draw conclusions, and take action on a relevant issue, such as the quality of the air, watershed quality, soil properties, and so forth. Identify four to six topics that you would want to involve your students in with other schools

The Internet Pooled Data Analysis Identify phenomena Schedule observations Share Data Analyze results Publish conclusions Pooling data at the global level Pooling data at the local level

The Internet Virtual Field Trips Instead of actually taking students on a field trip, say, to a stream, virtual field trips take you on a trip via the Internet…to a museum, or along with a scientist and her team of researchers. Design an virtual field trip to one of your favorite online museums. What activities will you develop to engage the students? You might check the activity in the Art of Teaching Science, p. 446, which is designed for groups of students to evaluate their favorite online museum. How could this activity help you design your own? 446

The Internet Problem Solving Web Tools The web can be used to help students become problem solvers. Three structures are presented here. How are they different? –Net Publishing---have the students be the publishers –Social Action Projects--have students identify the social issues they want to work on –The Virtual or Online Classroom---especially for teachers to develop an full- fledged or “hybrid” online course

The Internet Social Action Projects Endangered species Air, water and soil pollution Population growth Sustainable development Food and nutrition Poverty and hunger 447 Visit the IEARN website to explore the wide range of social action projects designed by teachers around the world. A few are listed here.

The Internet Moscow/Tennessee River Project

The Internet The Hybrid Virtual Classroom The hybrid approach to a virtual classroom combines online and face-to-face activities. What elements of your course would you put online in a hybrid variety. You might want to refer to Table Several online managements systems can support your work. I’ve included three in the text. How are they different? –BlackboardBlackboard –NicenetNicenet –WebCtWebCt 447 Nicenet is a free online management service which allows you to organize elements of your course online. The next few slides show some of its potential.

The Internet To open an account got to Nicenet and click on “create a class.”

The Internet Home page

The Internet Home for an Honors Chemistry course. Note the Online elements, conferencing, link sharing, etc.

The Internet This screen shows the conferencing page, where You can conduct online discussions among your class.

The Internet Link sharing or Internet resources page in which You can build a “hotlist” (see ahead) of the sites You want your students to use in your course.

The Internet Inquiry Activity 12.2: Network Science-- -Exploring online projects In this inquiry you will investigate four network science projects: –Global Thinking Project –GLOBE –Hands-On-Universe –Journey North Use the jigsaw cooperative learning method and divide the work up in your class to research these projects. How do these projects contribute to the students public understanding of science? Two Russian students sitting on The bank of a stream in the state of Georgia monitoring the quality of the water and sharing it with others in their network project.

The Internet Key Principles: Network Science The Internet should be used to broaden the context of locally grounded inquiry. The classroom, not the online community, should be the primary learning environment. Teachers and students should have multiple entry points for using the technology and the curriculum. Students should be helped to find productive Internet resources. The data the project produces should be used to deepen student inquiries. 450 American and Russian teachers at A conference to discuss how to Improve the implementation of Network science projects.

The Internet Web-Based Science Activities Using Web Resources Use the resources of the web to create four types of online resources for your students: –The Hotlist –Scrapbook –Hunt –Sampler Develop a hotlist for an area of science and put it on the web as a webpage and have peers review it. Under what situations would you use a scrapbook, hunt or sampler?

The Internet 453 Visit this page to learn about the design formats, And use the templates to develop your own.

The Internet Sample Lesson 12.1: Mission to the Blue Planet This a lesson developed using the constructivist Web-based Lesson model (Table 12.6). You can go to an online version of the lesson as well as view the one in the Art of Teaching Science. What are some topics you are considering to develop online lessons?

The Internet Investigating Impact Craters

The Internet Mission to the Blue Planet: a hands on component Hands-on inquiry should be part of online activities. Here you see an aluminum cake pan filled with flour. Small objects (rocks, marbles) are dropped into the flour to simulate asteroids hitting the surface of a planet to study impact craters, one of the phenomena studied in the Mission to the Blue Planet

The Internet Webquests Webquests are inquiry-based activities in which most of the resources are located on the Internet. Webquests should focus on knowledge acquisition and integration thus supporting a constructivist approach to learning.. At the Webquest site, you will find training materials to help you construct Webquests. – B. Dodge developed the concept of a Webquest. See the Webquest site at: uest.html uest.html –Use the template shown here to design Webquest activities. 455

The Internet Inquiry Activity 12.3: Designing a Web-Based Activity In this activity you will design a constructivist web-based activity. Select goals from the NSES to form the focus of your activity. Use the model lesson (12.1) and the information on each phase (Table 12.6) to develop your activity. Drop your activity into your website. Ask peers to review it; then try it out with students. 458 Web 101 is a collection of web-based activities that I’ve “collected” from the web. Take look, and use as models or actual activities in your class.

The Internet Problems and Extension Prepare a Web-based lesson using one of the following Web-based tools: key pals, online discussions, chat, tele-mentoring, pooled data analysis, tale-field trip or social action project. Include the goals for the lesson, and how students would be active learners in the lesson. Discuss the implications of using the Web to make your teaching environment a “global classroom.” What do you think will be the outcomes and benefits for your students, and colleagues? Locate a science museum on the Web, and design a tele-field trip using the museum as the basis for your project. Design a pooled data analysis project for a group of middle or high school students in any content area of science. Visit some of the examples of pooled data analysis projects identified in the chapter. After studying these projects, outline a new project by working with a group of peers. Share the project by putting it on the Web, and presenting it to a group of peers. 462

The Internet Science Teachers Talk How do you use technology (including the Internet) in your science lessons? Why do you, and what do you see as the benefits for your students? Find out what the following teachers say about these questions. How does it compare with your thinking: –Rachel Zgonc (a first year teacher) –Ben Boza (Botzwana) –Carol Myronuk (Canada) –Barry Plant (Australia) –Tom Brown –Michael O’Brien (a first year teacher) A web-based activity in action