APBioWikiWebQuestA WebQuest for AP Biology
Designed by Shelly Peretz |
 Artist: Briana This artwork is from the collection of Rainforest Action Network (RAN). |
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Teacher Page
Introduction
| Learners
| Standards
| Process
| Resources |
Evaluation
| Conclusion
| Credits
| IntroductionThis lesson was developed as part of the Web Institute for Teachers (WIT) by the University of Chicago at South Cook ISC 4. The APBioWiki is a place in which we will build a common knowledge base about AP Biology. Wikis are persistent, so, it's a way to pass knowledge from one year's offering of the course to the next as well as to interested viewers in the wider world outside the class. What's a wiki? A wiki is a system for creating hyperlinked documents that are open to being revised by all participants. That might sound chaotic, but it's really a powerful idea for knowledge management. To get an idea of what a wiki is, take a look at Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia with tens of thousands of co-authors. Wikipedia has extensive coverage of biology, but essential to your conceptual understanding are the following: a grasp of science as a process rather than an accumulation of facts; personal experience in scientific inquiry; recognition of unifying themes that integrate the major topics of biology; and application of biological knowledge and critical to environmental and social concerns. Assemble and organize a body of knowledge in a form that would be useful to someone else. Examples might include cookbooks, a field guide to a particular set of wildlife, a dictionary of terms used in a specific realm; a Who's Who; a "Best of..." collection. To learn broadly about a domain and the examples, facts, and organizational structures within that domain. To make distinctions about what is worth including and what is not. To impose an organizational scheme on the information in a way that makes sense for its intended audience.
LearnersAll students who are willing to accept the challenge of a rigorous academic curriculum should be given consideration for admission to AP courses. The AP Biology is designed to be taken by students after the successful completion of a first course in high school biology and one in high school chemistry as well.
Curriculum StandardsIllinois Science Standards/Benchmarks:Science Standards Addressed
APPLICATIONS OF LEARNING Through Applications of Learning, students demonstrate and deepen their understanding of basic knowledge and skills. These applied learning skills cross academic disciplines and reinforce the important learning of the disciplines. The ability to use these skills will greatly influence students' success in school, in the workplace and in the community. SOLVING PROBLEMS Recognize and investigate problems; formulate and propose solutions supported by reason and evidence. Asking questions and seeking answers are at the heart of scientific inquiry. Following the steps of scientific inquiry, students learn how to gather evidence, review and understand their findings, and compare their solutions with those of others. They learn that there can be differing solutions to the same problem, some more useful than others. In the process, they learn and apply scientific principles. They also learn to be objective in deciding whether their solutions meet specifications and perform as desired. COMMUNICATING Express and interpret information and ideas. Scientists must carefully describe their methods and results to a variety of audiences, including other scientists. This requires precise and complete descriptions and the presentation of conclusions supported by evidence. Young science students develop the powers of observation and description. Older students gain the ability to organize and study data, to determine its meaning, to translate their findings into clear understandable language and to compare their results with those of other investigators. USING TECHNOLOGY Use appropriate instruments, electronic equipment, computers and networks to access information, process ideas and communicate results. Technology is invented and improved by the use of scientific principles. In turn, scientists depend on technology in performing experiments, analyzing data and communicating the results. Science students learn to use a range of technologies: instruments, computer hardware and software, on-line services and equipment, primary source data and images, and communication networks. They learn how technology, in turn, is the result of a scientific design process that includes continual refinements and improvements. WORKING ON TEAMS Learn and contribute productively as individuals and as members of groups. The practical application of science requires both individual and group efforts. Individuals bring unique insight and focus to the work of inquiry and problem solving. Working in groups, scientists pose questions, share hypotheses, divide their experimental efforts, and share data and results. Science students have the opportunity to work both ways - as individuals and as members of teams organized to conduct complex investigations and solve problems. MAKING CONNECTIONS Recognize and apply connections of important information and ideas within and among learning areas. Science has many disciplines, all interrelated. Understanding the functioning of living things depends on knowing chemistry; understanding chemistry depends on knowing physics. In the same way, science itself is highly dependent on mathematics - and it also relates strongly to medicine, geography, physical development and health, social trends and issues, and many other topics. Science, at its best, provides knowledge and skills that improve the understanding of virtually all subjects.
ProcessDuring the course of the semester, students will make at least 10 substantive contributions to the APBioWiki. What is a "substantive" contribution? It's one that...
Other requirements for this assignment:
Each of these five requirements counts for 20 of the 100 total points for this assignment. The wiki software will keep track of all contributions. Content What should their contribution be about? The students are the target users of this resource, so the first driver of the content should be what interests the student within this domain. With any luck, the diversity of their collective interests will result in a wiki that broadly covers the field of biology and answers the kind of questions that will result in a deeper understanding. How do you find the data for your contribution?
What kinds of entries should the students make? Just to assure that there is variety in their contributions, have students think about the categories of things one might write about. Here are some possible categories:
Their contributions should not all be of one of these types. Try for a variety of these. Due Dates October 13, 2004. By this date, students make a posting to the Wiki Forum listing the names and a short description of all 10 entries you'll be making. Look at what's already posted first so that there are no duplications. After that time, start searching the web and the library for the information they'll need to make theirentries. For now, write them in single Word document. On October 3, we'll devote class time to the mechanics of actually posting them in the wiki. December 1, 2004. On this date your contributions to the wiki will be tallied and assigned a grade. In order to pull this lesson off, a teacher would need to understand and be comfortable with guiding students in the mechanics of actually posting to the wiki: creating new pages, adding images and links. The teacher provides the template for the wiki. Free wiki server space is available at http://www.seedwiki.com. The wiki server software is available at no cost to install locally.
Resources NeededThe lesson makes extensive use of specific websites.
Evaluation
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Credits & ReferencesThis WebQuest is based on the EDTEC 670 Educational Games Wiki, an evolving micropedia about educational games and simulations. The assignment is described at http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec670/assignments/wiki.htm. Bloks and Wikis as WebQuest tasks Thanks again, to Bernie Dodge for taking my teaching and learning one step beyond. Wikis allow open editing. Anyone can edit anyone else's writing, or undo a previous edit. This leads to a shared ownership of the collected work. To experience this, you can add an entry to Wikipedia or set up your own free wikispace on SeedWiki. If you have sufficient geek experience you can install your own wiki software on a server running Linux or Mac OS X. Most are open source (free!. The wiki site uses PmWiki software. Here are some pages you might find useful.
Jungle images are available for free from Madlantern.com Student artwork is from the Kid's Art Gallery collection of Rainforest Action Network (RAN). "We all benefit by being generous with our work. Permission is hereby granted for other educators to copy this WebQuest, update or otherwise modify it, and post it elsewhere provided that the original author's name is retained along with a link back to the original URL of this WebQuest. On the line after the original author's name, you may add Modified by (your name) on (date). If you do modify it, please let me know and provide the new URL." Last updated on July 21, 2004. Based on a template from The WebQuest Page |
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