1. Final GK-12 Presentation Participant: Anuradha Datta Murphy, Dept. of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, UIUC Mentor: Deanna Raineri, Assoc.. Dean, Dept. of Instructional Technologies and Information Sciences, UIUC Teacher: Marijon Stites, Life Sciences Teacher, Oakland High School, Oakland, IL

2. Working in the GK-12 program: n Collaborated with a life sciences teacher from a rural high school n Worked with two tenth-grade classes n Overcame some initial difficulties (I.e., getting matched up with a teacher, obtaining computer lab facilities during class hours at high school, outdated textbook in use, varying computer abilities of teacher and students, etc.) n Learned about science education from participating in the program

3. Working in the classroom: n Constructed a Community Inquiry Lab (CIL) titled Life Sciences at Oakland High School (http://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/cil/out.php?cilid=111)Life Sciences at Oakland High School –Used the Inquiry Page as framework for lesson plans –For each lesson, created a new Inquiry Unit which included relevant, updated information, useful web sites on the topic, and a Power Point presentation to be discussed in class –Students had access to each new Inquiry Unit before class time

4. Using the Inquiry Page: n During the first class, introduced the Inquiry Page and obtained accounts for studentsInquiry Page n Created a members-only group for students to construct their own units n Students created their own Inquiry Units, uploaded Power Point presentations, viewed and critiqued each other’s presentations as part of a class assignment n Students used their Inquiry Units to pose questions and discuss topics of interest

5. Using the Biology Student Workbench: n Introduced BSW as part of lesson on Photosynthesis.BSWPhotosynthesis n Students had to use BSW to investigate rubisco (ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase), a protein involved in photosynthesis. n Students learned to use various tools on BSW to search for rubisco sequences from plants of interest, examine search results for validity, import and align sequences, and draw phylogenetic trees. n Teacher assigned extra-credit homework involving use of BSW to draw phylogenetic trees, which was successfully completed.

6. Using tools on NCBI: n As part of a chapter on Respiration, introduced computational biology tools contained within the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) web site at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov to investigate Cystic Fibrosis (CF).RespirationNCBI Cystic Fibrosis n Students searched the various NCBI databases to discover that CF is an inherited disease caused by a single mutation in the CFTR protein. n Students were able to obtain sequences of the CFTR protein, locate the site of mutation, and view the protein structure with and without the mutation.

7. Using tools on NCBI, contd... n Using the OMIM database, students located the CFTR gene on human chromosome 7.OMIM n Class assignment on investigating inherited diseases using OMIM and other NCBI tools is being prepared.

8. Benefits of the GK-12 program: n Opportunity to observe teaching methods in schools n Obtained experience teaching science in a high school classroom n Opportunity to share graduate research work with high school class n Learned about computational and visualization tools to enhance the learning experience n Made contacts with teachers, students, and faculty working to improve science education n Interested in developing education technology programs to improve how science is taught in schools

9. Acknowledgements: n I thank the GK-12 program for giving me the opportunity to work in a high school classroom. I have learned a lot about education technology and gained valuable insights into how science is taught at different levels