Week 6

Blog 6

WebQuests in General

I researched a WebQuest where High School students learned about nanoscience and related it to the creation of new superhero tools.  The WebQuest can be found at http://ice.chem.wisc.edu/Nature/Nanoscience_in_Nature/Introduction.html

I think this would be a great WebQuest for 9-10^th grade science students because it allows them to introduce themselves to nanoscience. Quoted from nonoscience.com “Nanoscience is the study of atoms, molecules, and objects whose size is on the nanometer scale ( 1 - 100 nanometers ).”  One nanometer is the size of an atom’s diameter.  Nanoscience itself may not be terribly attractive to students, but using it to create an invisibility cloak for Batman or creating waterproof webbing for Spiderman to go underwater would engage students and allow them to use their creativity to come up with amazing superhero tools.

I think the difficulty with this WebQuest is that the students (like myself) would quickly jump to a product they want to create and then search through nanoscience materials until they found something relevant.  They may skim or even pass over other nanoscience processes that do not affect their superhero’s product.

Many middle and high school students, particularly boys, are currently hooked on watching “The Big Bang Theory”, a sit-com on television.  In BBT, four 20-something scientists have graduate and doctorate degrees and good professional jobs and still love debating superheros and role playing games.  I think a lot of teenagers can relate to this, particularly if they want to be scientists.  So, I could envision the students wanting to impress their television icons by creating amazing nanoscience based superhero tools.

My WebQuest:

This week we were also tasked with creating our own WebQuest. 

My WebQuest can be found at: http://questgarden.com/160/08/4/130609103454/

Since I am not yet teaching and inspiring to receive dual certifications in middle school science and high school Earth Science I decided to create a Quest for 6^th graders.

I found the Kentucky Core Academic Standards at education.ky.gov

Big Idea: Interdependence (Unifying Concepts)

Grade 6 Enduring Knowledge – Understandings

Students will understand that science can sometimes be used to inform ethical decisions by identifying the likely consequences of an action, but cannot be used to establish if taking that action would be right or wrong.

From: http://education.ky.gov/curriculum/docs/Pages/Kentucky-Core-Academic-Standards---NEW.aspx

A summary of my webquest follows:

Middlesboro, KY has an outdated power plant and needs to find a new electrical power source.

City Council Members have proposed the following options: building a new power plant along an isolated river few miles upstream from your neighborhood, installing wind turbines along the top ridge of Cumberland Gap National Park, or installing solar panels throughout a large parking lot near City Hall.

In groups, research these options, choose the one that is more meaningful to you create a mind-map and write a letter to the mayor urging him to agree with your decision.

I want students to be empowered with information that they feel they can make a difference and be able to communicate their points clearly.

I had some difficultly with the WebQuest, because the first couple of ideas I had would not fit into curriculum standards of the appropriate age range.  So, I searched the middle school standards and found the one where they need to know that decisions cannot be solely based on science.