I teach Biology, which is our freshmen-level science course. During past Internet searches on various topics (geneticists, diseases...etc.) I have seen my students become frustrated by their search results. They seem to get hits that are either a.) above their reading level (i.e. academic journal articles), b.) from an untrustworthy/poor source, or c.) do not relate well to their topic. I wonder if the issue lies with their choice of keywords used to conduct the search. I would like to know how my students think about and then choose their keywords. I would like to then use the data I collect to develop an effective method of teaching ways to select appropriate keywords.
At this point in the semester my fellow Biology teachers and I assign a project where students design and conduct an experiment on the conditions that affect the growth of grass seed. Students come up with their own hypothesis ("if I give my grass Mountain Dew, then it will not grow"), collect data, then share their results. Before students develop their hypotheses, I plan on having each student research optimal grass conditions. I would like to create a form on which the students can record the following information: keywords/phrases used and why (at least 3), a list of websites they found (6-ish), and their evaluation of the websites.
As a 7th grade science teacher, I, too, have found that it internet searching is difficult for students for the same reasons as you, Erica (I even wrote a little bit about that in the Week 1 Discussion). My honors students are assigned a district-mandated term paper (3-5 typed pages). When we go to the media center or computer lab for research, they are faced with a pageload of hits on Google, but they are unable to decipher the "good" versus "bad" resources.
One of the problems that I recognized is that sometimes the students are typing in the whole question in the search engine box. That usually will yield a whole slew of hits that aren't appropriate for the information they need. In the past, I've had them write down key words and search under those words or combination of words with the hope that it might narrow down their search as they see the same hits from search to search. It seems to have worked so far, in terms of getting to informational websites, but I'm still stuck at finding age-appropriate resources for them.
My 7th grade students are in the midst of a "plot study," and, as part of the project, they are required to draw and label a "cycle" in relation to their plot. Therefore, it would be appropriate to do a little research to develop a better understanding of what they need to look for, and create on their own.
In order to help them build some knowledge, I am planning on giving students an in-class assignment where they will be required to use the internet to identify two "reliable" and two "unreliable" websites (for either the water, carbon, or nitrogen cycle). I intend to keep the assignment that broad because I am curious about student researching habits and tendencies. When they have chosen their four websites, I am going to have them answer a series of questions:
What makes them reliable and unreliable? How did you find them? What search engines did you use? What key words did you use? Or, did you use an entire phrase? Did you try to avoid any particular search engines or websites? Describe your searching process (where did you start, etc.)
In addition, I will create a google spread sheet to be shared with all the students in the grade. Students will cut and paste their websites into the designated columns. When all students have submitted their websites, I will have students analyze what they see, and answer the following questions: Do you see any similarities? Are any websites the same? How many .com, .org, .edu's do you see listed? Does that have anything to do with "reliability"?
What do you think? Is this realistic? Thanks for your comments... :)
I'm trying to figure out how to respond directly to your comments, but I can't figure it out, so I will do it here.
Erica, I love the idea of focusing on key words. That is an extremely important aspect of online researching, and students often do not realize it. Just like a picture can say a thousand words, too many words (in a search engine) can bring up a thousand (or more) websites). Also, I think the research on "optimal grass conditions" is a great opportunity for students to discern the information that they are gathering. It sounds like the form that you are going to create will help guide students to better analyze and understand their searches. How do you plan on having them "evaluate" the websites? Are you going to guide them? Or, leave it more open-ended and general?
Deb, In talking with my wife about what I was maybe going to do (she is also an educator), I mentioned that I would like to do an activity where students found good and bad websites. She directed me away from that language (good and bad), and so that is why I have chosen "reliable" and "unreliable." She thought "bad" websites would make the students focus on websites that were possibly inappropriate, or something of that nature. For what its worth...I had not thought of this until she said something. The "age appropriate" issue is huge! Especially for middle school students, who are maturing intellectually, and therefore, may steer away from information that is presented in an elementary fashion. However, they are not ready for websites that are written primarily for adults. I believe this is true in all subjects, but particularly in science. Students may find reliable information, yet they can not really "read" what it is saying...
I am an instructional designer. Currently, I am re-designing the distance learning course, Marine Biology. I have 8 modules and have completed two modules. I have 14 years of teaching experience. However, now, I am simply designing online courses that are standards-driven and engaging for students; not teaching classes. So I do not have direct access to students. But I love marine biology now. And I have a cool idea that could be done in a marine biology course towards the end of the 12 week period. Once students have learned about the ocean environment and zonation, and the technology tools used by marine biologists to conduct underwater scientific research, they may be able to start an inquiry project about underwater habitats for humans. The idea is for students to use the internet to research the best features of an underwater research habitat for humans to conduct research under the depths of the ocean waters.
To solve my dilemma about not having direct access to students, I might include this activity in the online course and have students submit their Graphic Organizer (see below) as an assignment in the later parts of the Marine Biology course (Module 5)
Idea: I want students to use the internet to research how to design the best habitat for human research underwater.
Guiding Question: What is the best design for an underwater research habitat?
The instructional Event
Opening: Conduct a class discussion about research and the Internet. In my case, this would be an instructional event (activating prior knowledge) in the content portion of module 5. I will use the following focus questions: 1. Where do you go to find information for a research report? 2. How does the Internet differ from other sources of information? 3. What is your favorite place to find information and why? 4. Explain to students that for the next few days, they will be learning more effective ways to do research using the Internet. Activity: Have students enrolled in the Marine Biology distance learning course use their virtual schools computer or a computer at home and research the internet about underwater habitats for humans. They will have an assignment in Module 5 regarding this activity. Since the course is virtual; students will have a discussion forum or wiki to post their findings and thoughts about the information below. I will provide instructions for this assignment and the students will have a graphic organizer with only SIX websites that the may use and two additional that they find helpful not listed on the graphic organizer. I will include six websites; three very credible and three not credible. I would ask students to try to find information using all 6 websites. The students will complete the graphic organizer as they research the internet about underwater habitats for humans to conduct scientific research. The graphic organizer will have three columns with 8 rows. Students can include two of their own websites that are credible and helpful for them for finding information about underwater habitats. The three columns will be:
Column One: Information that I found to include in the design Column Two: Information on the website that is questionable or not credible. Column Three: How do I know this is or is NOT a resourceful (credible) website?
The bottom portion of the graphic organizer will have questions requiring students to find information about features of underwater research habitats using search engines. They will have to use at least three different search engines to find information.
Discussion afterwards (next day) (Discussion Board or Wiki - We use blackboard as an LMS for distance learning courses) When students have finished, we will discuss what they learned during the activity above. I will use the following questions to guide the discussion in the discussion board or wiki: 1. Which search engine did you find most helpful and why? 2. What about the other online resources? Which ones do you think you might use in the future? 3. What was the most surprising thing you learned? 4. What was the most helpful thing you learned? 5. Which search engine did you find most helpful and why?
thanks for the insight on the "good" vs "bad" lingo and how the students might perceive the meaning behind the words. That will definitely help me set up my questioning techniques for the students!!!!
I really like the set-up. I think you may want to try to rework some of your questions, as well as the order of them, so that not only are they answering the questions, but the questions themselves may lead them through some of the searches. For example: "What key words or key phrases did you use?" leads right into "Did this first search lead you to quality resources?" leads right into "How did you alter that initial search?" into "Did this new search provide better or worse results?" You can lead them through the assignment just with the questions they answer.
I really do like the idea of recording what each of the students are finding in an excel spreadsheet, and discussing the results with the class. I am very interested to see how that turns out.
I love the set-up of your project. This is a huge real world connection to the scientific method that I am not quite sure how to fit into my curriculum. Having students research for a hypothesis that they are going to have to create for their grass growing efficiency project is just awesome, it is almost like this fits into your school year perfectly.
I also like your singling in key words and then focusing in upon the websites themselves. Students will just take information from a website, but if you have them try to justify why they pulled that information I feel that you will get some interesting explanations, as well as getting students to think about it a bit more.
Dawn, I'm lovin it. Have the kids do the work for you (at least the leg work) and then you have a great springboard to start from. You know what worked, you know what you need to refine, and you know what to expect from the students. This should be very beneficial to both you and to the students. Win, Win.
My project is falling as we start to work our way into the cell, so it will be falling within the beginning of the diffusion, cell membrane, and organelles. So what I want to do, is leading into this project, I plan to use the Gummy Bear (http://www.polymerambassadors.org/diffusionwater.pdf) lab that shows osmosis through a polymer. Culminating with that, they will have a definition of what diffusion and osmosis.
From there, I want to start the actual research. I want to take them to the media center to have them research how we could increase the rates of diffusion. I plan on providing them a handout that they must answer that will guide their research and allow them to record progress (or steps in the wrong direction). Questions will probably include:
- Define diffusion (from yesterday)
Today, you are going to research things that could increase the rate (speed) of diffusion. - What things can you do to increase the rate of diffusion (make it happen faster)? - Which search engine did you use, and why? - Did you search with key words, or with an entire phrase? - What key words/entire phrases did you use? - Did this first search lead you to quality resources? - How did you alter that initial search? - Did this new search provide better or worse results? - List 4-6 websites that you used to answer the above questions. - What made you take the information from those websites? - Why do you think those resources were reliable? - Of those websites, what was the domain (.com, .edu, .gov, .net, .org) of each one? - Did you think searching on the internet provided better information than other sources? - Why?
From there, I plan on taking their information and analyzing it. The following day, as a class, we will do an activity that will help us experience this same idea. We will use food coloring to help us work our way through diffusion through different temperature waters, different amounts of food coloring, and different colors (sizes) of food coloring molecules.
I apologize for not being so on top of stuff. I am having a difficult time thinkng of a topic that will be useful because I am not currently teaching this year. The only topic thats coming to mind is "searching for jobs on the internet." If could definently use some ideas.
I can't figure out how to reply to individual comments either, so I guess I'll group all of my responses into one post.
Deb, How cool that your district mandates a research paper for your middle school students. Have you noticed an improvement in their writing as a result of this project? Thanks for sharing your experiences about keyword searches.
Chuck, I like your project and I'm interested in your results, as I also teach the nutrient cycles. When watching my own students research sometimes they click on a website, look at it for 30 seconds, then move onto the next site. Your handout will make them think about each individual website. I wonder if some of your lower-level students might need prompts for the question, "What makes them reliable and unreliable" (i.e. who is the author of the website? does the website use pictures or graphics...etc.). I also love the idea of the Google spreadsheet...I may be stealing that at some point this year!
Ian, You're right, my inquiry project fits in perfectly with where I'm at in my curriculum. Some of the hypotheses my students have tested in the past haven't been the greatest, so I'm hoping this research activity will help them.
Your guiding questions for your students are great. You've managed to really take the research process step-by-step and you're basically forcing your students to reflect on their work. I just started teaching my student about website domains with quite a bit of success.
Dear French84 (Ian?) I am with you! I had the hardest time coming up with a topic, much less an outline for deploying the inquiry project. I do not have access to kids. I can only build this project and deploy it through designing and weaving it into the Marine Biology online course that I am designing. By the way, I am not the teacher of that course. My task tomorrow is to contact the teacher and ask him to allow me to integrate this project into his course. I do not foresee any problems since it naturally fits into the 1st module about marine biologists’ tools, jobs, research, and underwater habitats. I will require the students to actually design a simulation of an underwater habitat for researchers to use underwater.
I like the idea about your topic - search for jobs on the internet. My question is how can you make it more specific? What kind of jobs, what are the educational requirements and skills required of various jobs? Oh, and what are the most marketable jobs now? What are the most marketable jobs predicted for the future? Maybe, you could have the students create an analytical comparison of the job market today and the projected job market in the future (5 or 10 years from now).
Your guiding questions for your inquiry project are great. I appreciate your comments on my questioning...I will definitely include more questions that prompt their thinking and guide them through the process. I'll post my questions when I get them set.
Alright, I ran my inquiry project this Friday with my class. I have completed the presentation (cuz I was sick this weekend, so I might as well have done something useful). Give it a look, let me know what you think.
Dear Ian, Your power point presentation is very thorough. Is there any way you can make a graphic representation of the data such as 13 of 14 students used Google and 1 of 14 students used Yahoo, etc… You might want to make a graph of the data using excel and then save the chart as a jpeg and insert it into your presentation.
Oh, the hand out is comprehensive. It is perfect. May I use part of it for my Inquiry Project on Marine Biology?
Dear Team, After looking over Ian's project, I modified mine to include more specific questions for data gathering. I think it is important to represent the data graphically. Plus, Ian’s PowerPoint gave me more direction and included some excellent ways that I could carry out my project.
Also, I think it is important to summarize key points on each slide with a pertinent image and type the lengthy sentences in the NOTES view. That way, the viewer can see the key points summarized on each slide and look down at the notes for explanations and longer paragraphs. One thing we learned last year in Year Two of the MAET program was to utilize the notes view and not type the entire text on each slide. However, for this project, it is a stand alone project. I am unsure if I should use the notes view. What do you think? Should we type everything on each slide? Or just key points?
Here is my modified project: Please tell me if it is on the right track? I am testing it this week with some students.
Opening Activity 1. Where do you go to find information for a research report? 2. How does the Internet differ from other sources of information? 3. What is your favorite place to find information and why? 4. How do you know the information you find on the internet is accurate and credible? 5. What is your favorite search engine? Why?
Data Collection Questions 1. What search engine did you use to conduct your research? a. Google.com b. Yahoo.com c. Altavista.com d. MySearch.com e. bing.com f. AOL.com g. Ask.com h. Dogpile.com 2. What words did you type into the search engine? a. One word b. A phrase (three or more words) c. The entire sentence 3. How many searches did you perform in all? 4. How many searches did you perform before you found quality (credible) information? 5. What domain(s) included the most useful information (.org, .gov, .edu, .com) 6. Did you verify that the information was accurate and credible? a. Yes b. No 7. Did you look at the publication date on any of the websites you found useful information? a. Yes b. No 8. For the websites that you found useful, was the information fact-based or opinion-based? a. YES b. No c. Combination
Post Activity Questions 1. How long did it take you to find quality information on the internet about the research topic (hours and minutes)? 2. How did you know the information in the website was useful and accurate? 3. How did you verify that the information was accurate and reliable? 4. What was the most surprising thing you learned? 5. What was the most helpful thing you learned? 6. Which search engine did you find most helpful and why? 7. What website did you find the most helpful? Would you recommend it to a classmate? Why or why not?
Dear Team, I changed the guiding questions from the Underwater Habitat idea to this: What do you think of the topic?
I will follow the description posted in the previous post above.
In Module One, Topic Three, students were introduced to how the Hawaiian Islands and the Atlantic Ocean were formed. In addition, students were introduced to the features of the sea floor, the submarine canyon, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and the Central Rift Valley. After the introduction to Ocean Floor Topography, I want students to use the internet to find the answers to the questions below.
1) How were the Hawaiian Islands formed? Are they all the same age?
2) What important geological process occurs in a rift zone?
3) What does the term “topography” mean?
4) What is the “ring of fire.”
5) What is chemosynthesis?
6) What are thermophilic bacteria?
7) Characterize hypothermal plumes/vents. Why study them? Where are they found?
8) Write a description of the three major areas of the ocean bottom.
9) Briefly summarize the theory of plate tectonics.
10) What are the deepest parts of the ocean called? What is a guyot?
11) How are organisms able to move from one hypothermal vent site to another?
Nice presentation. You make me feel like I'm slacking!
A few comments... 1. The headings you used (project motivation, expectations...etc.) help keep the presentation organized. 2. I find it interesting that Google is linked to your school's homepage. How do you feel about that? 3. I couldn't access the handout on slide 9. 4. It's interesting that students type in whole phrases to perform their Internet searches. Perhaps we need to focus on teaching them to isolate just a few key words to use for their searches. 5. The data about the importance of website graphics seems pretty significant.
My students will be turning in their responses to the guided questions I provided during their Internet search tomorrow (I would have had them on Friday, but school-wide homecoming activities became a priority that day...thank goodness we're back to "normal" school this week). I'm interested to see the results.
Thanks for your comment about the notes section of PowerPoint. I can see where that would be useful in this presentation.
I like your selection of data collection questions. Did you decide to make them multiple choice for ease of data collection? I wonder if some students may need an "other" selection. For question #8 some students may get confused as it gives choices of "yes", "no", or "combination" when the question asks if the information was fact-based or opinion-based.
I like your presentation. Nice mixture of information, the embedded youtube video, and the graphs/figures. It felt very professional, had a great flow to it, and the vocabulary was exactly what you would expect from a masters level course. To be fair, I am kinda jealous of the whole final product.
Thanks for taking a look at my presentation. I appreciate your comments.
Erica,
Your presentation looks good. I found it interested that you made the note about "Ask.com". Informally, I also found that students (more than I thought) preferred Ask over other search engines. This could be because of previous teachers, parents, etc....because I have never mentioned Ask, or modeled using it in class. I also liked how you mentioned teaching students how to find a "great resource" as opposed to a "reliable site." I like the distinction that you made. In addition, I can echo your "perplexed" feeling on how to train student how to find and utilize great resources...a task that seems much greater than a single teacher could possibly undertake and be completely successful.
Erica, I love the data displayed using a graph. Graphic representation is important. It helps the viewer interpret the results quickly. I am making a graphic representation of my data as well. Oh, I love the Power Point template. It is slick and uploads quickly. Plus, it looks professional.
I admire you for trying this project with a 100 students. Honestly, I am afraid to try mine with 100 students. In fact, I am trying mine on just 22 kids. I want to see how it will affect just a small number of students. If it is successful with 22, then I will re-modify it to use with multiple classes in the Virtual School. I wish I had easier access to students. In my job, I do not have easy access to kids. In fact, teachers are not an option either. The Union is a huge obstacle.
I am uploading my project in a few minutes. Please let me know areas of improvement and I will make the changes. I have looked at both your project and Ian's project.
Chuck, I will look at yours in a few. You all have been very helpful. Thank you!
Hello! I just uploaded both assignments: The Inquiry Project and the Appreciating the Readings. Did any of you upload your inquiry project or appreciating the reading? I hope this was okay. Oh, Angel will let you attach a zipped folder. If your Power Point includes attachments in it, you will need to package it and then zip it. That way, Dr. Wong will get all the attachments and the links will work.
I teach Biology, which is our freshmen-level science course. During past Internet searches on various topics (geneticists, diseases...etc.) I have seen my students become frustrated by their search results. They seem to get hits that are either a.) above their reading level (i.e. academic journal articles), b.) from an untrustworthy/poor source, or c.) do not relate well to their topic. I wonder if the issue lies with their choice of keywords used to conduct the search. I would like to know how my students think about and then choose their keywords. I would like to then use the data I collect to develop an effective method of teaching ways to select appropriate keywords.
ReplyDeleteAt this point in the semester my fellow Biology teachers and I assign a project where students design and conduct an experiment on the conditions that affect the growth of grass seed. Students come up with their own hypothesis ("if I give my grass Mountain Dew, then it will not grow"), collect data, then share their results. Before students develop their hypotheses, I plan on having each student research optimal grass conditions. I would like to create a form on which the students can record the following information: keywords/phrases used and why (at least 3), a list of websites they found (6-ish), and their evaluation of the websites.
Any feedback is appreciated!
Thanks,
Erica B.
As a 7th grade science teacher, I, too, have found that it internet searching is difficult for students for the same reasons as you, Erica (I even wrote a little bit about that in the Week 1 Discussion). My honors students are assigned a district-mandated term paper (3-5 typed pages). When we go to the media center or computer lab for research, they are faced with a pageload of hits on Google, but they are unable to decipher the "good" versus "bad" resources.
ReplyDeleteOne of the problems that I recognized is that sometimes the students are typing in the whole question in the search engine box. That usually will yield a whole slew of hits that aren't appropriate for the information they need. In the past, I've had them write down key words and search under those words or combination of words with the hope that it might narrow down their search as they see the same hits from search to search. It seems to have worked so far, in terms of getting to informational websites, but I'm still stuck at finding age-appropriate resources for them.
My 7th grade students are in the midst of a "plot study," and, as part of the project, they are required to draw and label a "cycle" in relation to their plot. Therefore, it would be appropriate to do a little research to develop a better understanding of what they need to look for, and create on their own.
ReplyDeleteIn order to help them build some knowledge, I am planning on giving students an in-class assignment where they will be required to use the internet to identify two "reliable" and two "unreliable" websites (for either the water, carbon, or nitrogen cycle). I intend to keep the assignment that broad because I am curious about student researching habits and tendencies. When they have chosen their four websites, I am going to have them answer a series of questions:
What makes them reliable and unreliable?
How did you find them?
What search engines did you use?
What key words did you use? Or, did you use an entire phrase?
Did you try to avoid any particular search engines or websites?
Describe your searching process (where did you start, etc.)
In addition, I will create a google spread sheet to be shared with all the students in the grade. Students will cut and paste their websites into the designated columns. When all students have submitted their websites, I will have students analyze what they see, and answer the following questions: Do you see any similarities? Are any websites the same? How many .com, .org, .edu's do you see listed? Does that have anything to do with "reliability"?
What do you think? Is this realistic? Thanks for your comments... :)
I'm trying to figure out how to respond directly to your comments, but I can't figure it out, so I will do it here.
ReplyDeleteErica,
I love the idea of focusing on key words. That is an extremely important aspect of online researching, and students often do not realize it. Just like a picture can say a thousand words, too many words (in a search engine) can bring up a thousand (or more) websites). Also, I think the research on "optimal grass conditions" is a great opportunity for students to discern the information that they are gathering. It sounds like the form that you are going to create will help guide students to better analyze and understand their searches. How do you plan on having them "evaluate" the websites? Are you going to guide them? Or, leave it more open-ended and general?
Deb,
In talking with my wife about what I was maybe going to do (she is also an educator), I mentioned that I would like to do an activity where students found good and bad websites. She directed me away from that language (good and bad), and so that is why I have chosen "reliable" and "unreliable." She thought "bad" websites would make the students focus on websites that were possibly inappropriate, or something of that nature. For what its worth...I had not thought of this until she said something.
The "age appropriate" issue is huge! Especially for middle school students, who are maturing intellectually, and therefore, may steer away from information that is presented in an elementary fashion. However, they are not ready for websites that are written primarily for adults. I believe this is true in all subjects, but particularly in science. Students may find reliable information, yet they can not really "read" what it is saying...
I am an instructional designer. Currently, I am re-designing the distance learning course, Marine Biology. I have 8 modules and have completed two modules. I have 14 years of teaching experience. However, now, I am simply designing online courses that are standards-driven and engaging for students; not teaching classes. So I do not have direct access to students. But I love marine biology now. And I have a cool idea that could be done in a marine biology course towards the end of the 12 week period. Once students have learned about the ocean environment and zonation, and the technology tools used by marine biologists to conduct underwater scientific research, they may be able to start an inquiry project about underwater habitats for humans. The idea is for students to use the internet to research the best features of an underwater research habitat for humans to conduct research under the depths of the ocean waters.
ReplyDeleteTo solve my dilemma about not having direct access to students, I might include this activity in the online course and have students submit their Graphic Organizer (see below) as an assignment in the later parts of the Marine Biology course (Module 5)
Idea: I want students to use the internet to research how to design the best habitat for human research underwater.
ReplyDeleteGuiding Question:
What is the best design for an underwater research habitat?
The instructional Event
Opening:
Conduct a class discussion about research and the Internet. In my case, this would be an instructional event (activating prior knowledge) in the content portion of module 5. I will use the following focus questions:
1. Where do you go to find information for a research report?
2. How does the Internet differ from other sources of information?
3. What is your favorite place to find information and why?
4. Explain to students that for the next few days, they will be learning more effective ways to do research using the Internet.
Activity:
Have students enrolled in the Marine Biology distance learning course use their virtual schools computer or a computer at home and research the internet about underwater habitats for humans. They will have an assignment in Module 5 regarding this activity. Since the course is virtual; students will have a discussion forum or wiki to post their findings and thoughts about the information below. I will provide instructions for this assignment and the students will have a graphic organizer with only SIX websites that the may use and two additional that they find helpful not listed on the graphic organizer. I will include six websites; three very credible and three not credible. I would ask students to try to find information using all 6 websites. The students will complete the graphic organizer as they research the internet about underwater habitats for humans to conduct scientific research. The graphic organizer will have three columns with 8 rows. Students can include two of their own websites that are credible and helpful for them for finding information about underwater habitats. The three columns will be:
Column One: Information that I found to include in the design
Column Two: Information on the website that is questionable or not credible.
Column Three: How do I know this is or is NOT a resourceful (credible) website?
The bottom portion of the graphic organizer will have questions requiring students to find information about features of underwater research habitats using search engines. They will have to use at least three different search engines to find information.
Discussion afterwards (next day)
(Discussion Board or Wiki - We use blackboard as an LMS for distance learning courses)
When students have finished, we will discuss what they learned during the activity above. I will use the following questions to guide the discussion in the discussion board or wiki:
1. Which search engine did you find most helpful and why?
2. What about the other online resources? Which ones do you think you might use in the future?
3. What was the most surprising thing you learned?
4. What was the most helpful thing you learned?
5. Which search engine did you find most helpful and why?
Hey chuck--
ReplyDeletethanks for the insight on the "good" vs "bad" lingo and how the students might perceive the meaning behind the words. That will definitely help me set up my questioning techniques for the students!!!!
Mr. Commeret,
ReplyDeleteI really like the set-up. I think you may want to try to rework some of your questions, as well as the order of them, so that not only are they answering the questions, but the questions themselves may lead them through some of the searches. For example: "What key words or key phrases did you use?" leads right into "Did this first search lead you to quality resources?" leads right into "How did you alter that initial search?" into "Did this new search provide better or worse results?" You can lead them through the assignment just with the questions they answer.
I really do like the idea of recording what each of the students are finding in an excel spreadsheet, and discussing the results with the class. I am very interested to see how that turns out.
Ian B.
Erica,
ReplyDeleteI love the set-up of your project. This is a huge real world connection to the scientific method that I am not quite sure how to fit into my curriculum. Having students research for a hypothesis that they are going to have to create for their grass growing efficiency project is just awesome, it is almost like this fits into your school year perfectly.
I also like your singling in key words and then focusing in upon the websites themselves. Students will just take information from a website, but if you have them try to justify why they pulled that information I feel that you will get some interesting explanations, as well as getting students to think about it a bit more.
Ian B.
Dawn, I'm lovin it. Have the kids do the work for you (at least the leg work) and then you have a great springboard to start from. You know what worked, you know what you need to refine, and you know what to expect from the students. This should be very beneficial to both you and to the students. Win, Win.
ReplyDeleteIan B.
Wow, lets try to come up with something...
ReplyDeleteMy project is falling as we start to work our way into the cell, so it will be falling within the beginning of the diffusion, cell membrane, and organelles. So what I want to do, is leading into this project, I plan to use the Gummy Bear (http://www.polymerambassadors.org/diffusionwater.pdf) lab that shows osmosis through a polymer. Culminating with that, they will have a definition of what diffusion and osmosis.
From there, I want to start the actual research. I want to take them to the media center to have them research how we could increase the rates of diffusion. I plan on providing them a handout that they must answer that will guide their research and allow them to record progress (or steps in the wrong direction). Questions will probably include:
- Define diffusion (from yesterday)
Today, you are going to research things that could increase the rate (speed) of diffusion.
- What things can you do to increase the rate of diffusion (make it happen faster)?
- Which search engine did you use, and why?
- Did you search with key words, or with an entire phrase?
- What key words/entire phrases did you use?
- Did this first search lead you to quality resources?
- How did you alter that initial search?
- Did this new search provide better or worse results?
- List 4-6 websites that you used to answer the above questions.
- What made you take the information from those websites?
- Why do you think those resources were reliable?
- Of those websites, what was the domain (.com, .edu, .gov, .net, .org) of each one?
- Did you think searching on the internet provided better information than other sources?
- Why?
From there, I plan on taking their information and analyzing it. The following day, as a class, we will do an activity that will help us experience this same idea. We will use food coloring to help us work our way through diffusion through different temperature waters, different amounts of food coloring, and different colors (sizes) of food coloring molecules.
So, what do you guys think?
Ian B.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI apologize for not being so on top of stuff. I am having a difficult time thinkng of a topic that will be useful because I am not currently teaching this year. The only topic thats coming to mind is "searching for jobs on the internet." If could definently use some ideas.
ReplyDeleteI can't figure out how to reply to individual comments either, so I guess I'll group all of my responses into one post.
ReplyDeleteDeb,
How cool that your district mandates a research paper for your middle school students. Have you noticed an improvement in their writing as a result of this project? Thanks for sharing your experiences about keyword searches.
Chuck,
I like your project and I'm interested in your results, as I also teach the nutrient cycles. When watching my own students research sometimes they click on a website, look at it for 30 seconds, then move onto the next site. Your handout will make them think about each individual website. I wonder if some of your lower-level students might need prompts for the question, "What makes them reliable and unreliable" (i.e. who is the author of the website? does the website use pictures or graphics...etc.). I also love the idea of the Google spreadsheet...I may be stealing that at some point this year!
Ian,
You're right, my inquiry project fits in perfectly with where I'm at in my curriculum. Some of the hypotheses my students have tested in the past haven't been the greatest, so I'm hoping this research activity will help them.
Your guiding questions for your students are great. You've managed to really take the research process step-by-step and you're basically forcing your students to reflect on their work. I just started teaching my student about website domains with quite a bit of success.
Dear French84 (Ian?)
ReplyDeleteI am with you! I had the hardest time coming up with a topic, much less an outline for deploying the inquiry project. I do not have access to kids. I can only build this project and deploy it through designing and weaving it into the Marine Biology online course that I am designing. By the way, I am not the teacher of that course. My task tomorrow is to contact the teacher and ask him to allow me to integrate this project into his course. I do not foresee any problems since it naturally fits into the 1st module about marine biologists’ tools, jobs, research, and underwater habitats. I will require the students to actually design a simulation of an underwater habitat for researchers to use underwater.
I like the idea about your topic - search for jobs on the internet. My question is how can you make it more specific? What kind of jobs, what are the educational requirements and skills required of various jobs? Oh, and what are the most marketable jobs now? What are the most marketable jobs predicted for the future? Maybe, you could have the students create an analytical comparison of the job market today and the projected job market in the future (5 or 10 years from now).
Ian,
ReplyDeleteYour guiding questions for your inquiry project are great. I appreciate your comments on my questioning...I will definitely include more questions that prompt their thinking and guide them through the process. I'll post my questions when I get them set.
Thanks!
Hello!
ReplyDeleteAny last minute advice before this goes to the press?
Thanks for all the input.
Please read the following questions, and answer them as you explore the internet...
Before you begin, what key words or phrases do you think you should use?
After your first search, did these key words or phrases lead to quality resources?
Explain how can you change your first search. Then, search again!
After changing your search, did you get better or worse results?
What search engine (for example, Google) are you using?
Did you try more than one search engine? If so, which ones? If not, why not?
Are there any search engines that you avoid? Why?
For the two websites that you found to be "reliable"...what makes them reliable?
For the two websites that you found to be "unreliable"...what makes them unreliable?
List your websites in the table below...
Chuck C.
Update Time:
ReplyDeleteAlright, I ran my inquiry project this Friday with my class. I have completed the presentation (cuz I was sick this weekend, so I might as well have done something useful). Give it a look, let me know what you think.
https://www.msu.edu/~bankeria/InquiryProject1.ppt
Ian B.
Dear Ian,
ReplyDeleteYour power point presentation is very thorough. Is there any way you can make a graphic representation of the data such as 13 of 14 students used Google and 1 of 14 students used Yahoo, etc… You might want to make a graph of the data using excel and then save the chart as a jpeg and insert it into your presentation.
Oh, the hand out is comprehensive. It is perfect. May I use part of it for my Inquiry Project on Marine Biology?
Sincerely,
Dawn
Dear Team,
ReplyDeleteAfter looking over Ian's project, I modified mine to include more specific questions for data gathering. I think it is important to represent the data graphically. Plus, Ian’s PowerPoint gave me more direction and included some excellent ways that I could carry out my project.
Also, I think it is important to summarize key points on each slide with a pertinent image and type the lengthy sentences in the NOTES view. That way, the viewer can see the key points summarized on each slide and look down at the notes for explanations and longer paragraphs. One thing we learned last year in Year Two of the MAET program was to utilize the notes view and not type the entire text on each slide. However, for this project, it is a stand alone project. I am unsure if I should use the notes view. What do you think? Should we type everything on each slide? Or just key points?
Here is my modified project: Please tell me if it is on the right track? I am testing it this week with some students.
Opening Activity
1. Where do you go to find information for a research report?
2. How does the Internet differ from other sources of information?
3. What is your favorite place to find information and why?
4. How do you know the information you find on the internet is accurate and credible?
5. What is your favorite search engine? Why?
Data Collection Questions
1. What search engine did you use to conduct your research?
a. Google.com
b. Yahoo.com
c. Altavista.com
d. MySearch.com
e. bing.com
f. AOL.com
g. Ask.com
h. Dogpile.com
2. What words did you type into the search engine?
a. One word
b. A phrase (three or more words)
c. The entire sentence
3. How many searches did you perform in all?
4. How many searches did you perform before you found quality (credible) information?
5. What domain(s) included the most useful information (.org, .gov, .edu, .com)
6. Did you verify that the information was accurate and credible?
a. Yes
b. No
7. Did you look at the publication date on any of the websites you found useful information?
a. Yes
b. No
8. For the websites that you found useful, was the information fact-based or opinion-based?
a. YES
b. No
c. Combination
Post Activity Questions
1. How long did it take you to find quality information on the internet about the research topic (hours and minutes)?
2. How did you know the information in the website was useful and accurate?
3. How did you verify that the information was accurate and reliable?
4. What was the most surprising thing you learned?
5. What was the most helpful thing you learned?
6. Which search engine did you find most helpful and why?
7. What website did you find the most helpful? Would you recommend it to a classmate? Why or why not?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDear Team,
ReplyDeleteI changed the guiding questions from the Underwater Habitat idea to this: What do you think of the topic?
I will follow the description posted in the previous post above.
In Module One, Topic Three, students were introduced to how the Hawaiian Islands and the Atlantic Ocean were formed. In addition, students were introduced to the features of the sea floor, the submarine canyon, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and the Central Rift Valley. After the introduction to Ocean Floor Topography, I want students to use the internet to find the answers to the questions below.
1) How were the Hawaiian Islands formed? Are they all the same age?
2) What important geological process occurs in a rift zone?
3) What does the term “topography” mean?
4) What is the “ring of fire.”
5) What is chemosynthesis?
6) What are thermophilic bacteria?
7) Characterize hypothermal plumes/vents. Why study them? Where are they found?
8) Write a description of the three major areas of the ocean bottom.
9) Briefly summarize the theory of plate tectonics.
10) What are the deepest parts of the ocean called? What is a guyot?
11) How are organisms able to move from one hypothermal vent site to another?
Ian,
ReplyDeleteNice presentation. You make me feel like I'm slacking!
A few comments...
1. The headings you used (project motivation, expectations...etc.) help keep the presentation organized.
2. I find it interesting that Google is linked to your school's homepage. How do you feel about that?
3. I couldn't access the handout on slide 9.
4. It's interesting that students type in whole phrases to perform their Internet searches. Perhaps we need to focus on teaching them to isolate just a few key words to use for their searches.
5. The data about the importance of website graphics seems pretty significant.
Hope you feel better.
Erica B.
Project Update:
ReplyDeleteMy students will be turning in their responses to the guided questions I provided during their Internet search tomorrow (I would have had them on Friday, but school-wide homecoming activities became a priority that day...thank goodness we're back to "normal" school this week). I'm interested to see the results.
Erica B.
Dawn,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment about the notes section of PowerPoint. I can see where that would be useful in this presentation.
I like your selection of data collection questions. Did you decide to make them multiple choice for ease of data collection? I wonder if some students may need an "other" selection. For question #8 some students may get confused as it gives choices of "yes", "no", or "combination" when the question asks if the information was fact-based or opinion-based.
I hope your implementation goes well this week.
Erica B.
Hello All!
ReplyDeleteHere is my presentation "draft":
http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dcg7mrp_49fpwwjpg5
Give me feedback if you feel the need.
Thanks!
Chuck C.
Chuck,
ReplyDeleteI like your presentation. Nice mixture of information, the embedded youtube video, and the graphs/figures. It felt very professional, had a great flow to it, and the vocabulary was exactly what you would expect from a masters level course. To be fair, I am kinda jealous of the whole final product.
Ian B.
Hi! Here's the latest version of my presentation:
ReplyDeletehttp://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AXU2xnuOdhioZGZtenJ3cmJfMWNjdnRmZmhm&hl=en
Any comments are appreciated. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Erica
Ian,
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking a look at my presentation. I appreciate your comments.
Erica,
Your presentation looks good. I found it interested that you made the note about "Ask.com". Informally, I also found that students (more than I thought) preferred Ask over other search engines. This could be because of previous teachers, parents, etc....because I have never mentioned Ask, or modeled using it in class. I also liked how you mentioned teaching students how to find a "great resource" as opposed to a "reliable site." I like the distinction that you made. In addition, I can echo your "perplexed" feeling on how to train student how to find and utilize great resources...a task that seems much greater than a single teacher could possibly undertake and be completely successful.
Chuck C.
Erica,
ReplyDeleteI love the data displayed using a graph. Graphic representation is important. It helps the viewer interpret the results quickly. I am making a graphic representation of my data as well. Oh, I love the Power Point template. It is slick and uploads quickly. Plus, it looks professional.
I admire you for trying this project with a 100 students. Honestly, I am afraid to try mine with 100 students. In fact, I am trying mine on just 22 kids. I want to see how it will affect just a small number of students. If it is successful with 22, then I will re-modify it to use with multiple classes in the Virtual School. I wish I had easier access to students. In my job, I do not have easy access to kids. In fact, teachers are not an option either. The Union is a huge obstacle.
I am uploading my project in a few minutes. Please let me know areas of improvement and I will make the changes. I have looked at both your project and Ian's project.
Chuck, I will look at yours in a few. You all have been very helpful. Thank you!
Team,
ReplyDeletePlease click the link and add ways for improvement in this blog. I hope I did it correctly in Google docs.
http://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AYJllJNZcue7ZGhicHZrazJfMzM4Y25iM3RxZG4&hl=en
Hello! I just uploaded both assignments: The Inquiry Project and the Appreciating the Readings. Did any of you upload your inquiry project or appreciating the reading? I hope this was okay. Oh, Angel will let you attach a zipped folder. If your Power Point includes attachments in it, you will need to package it and then zip it. That way, Dr. Wong will get all the attachments and the links will work.
ReplyDelete