Ask a Scientist a Good Question

THE BEGINNING

THE QUESTION

How can computer networks in education be integrated into the curriculum of a general science class at Eureka High School?

COLLECTING INFORMATION

THE SET-UP

A year ago, Eureka High School (EHS) applied for and received an Illinois State Board of Education grant on "Integrating Library Resources and Personnel into the School Improvement Process" in the subject area of science. Part of the grant money was used to purchase a computer, modem, phone line, and Internet access for the school's library. Part of the grant commits the science department to train in and use computers, electronic mail, networked data bases and other telecommunications. The librarian at EHS, Joan Herron, began training in using the computer networks through various workshops, teleconferences, and by taking this very class last year. She then began to introduce to the science teachers (including me!) the networking process by training us to use the Illinois State Board of Education Electronic Bulletin Board. This networking process was my introduction to e-mail and the networks. I became intrigued with the possibilities of using the networks as an educational tool for my students when Joan asked me to "loan" her one of my classes for her project for this class. So here I am in this class learning how to use the networks myself, making friends and sharing information and ideas through the networking process!

THE EQUIPMENT

Currently EHS has one computer set-up for telecommunications. Our Internet Access is gained through an account with C.L.A.S.S. We have one account that is used by the entire school. Since we are charged by the hour, we have limited Internet access to keep the cost down. Three weeks ago, we gained free Internet access through the Illinois Valley Library System. The library-science grant team is very happy about this development because cost will no longer be a limiting factor for using the networks with our students.

THE STUDENTS

As I began thinking about how to answer my question, I realized that I needed to collect information about my target audience. My target audience for this project includes 9th and 10th grade students enrolled in a general science class. All of these students have had some computer experience through school activities but only 12 of the 51 students had a computer at home. Of the 12, none had a modem or telecommunications capability. Only one of the students had heard of the Internet. From this informal survey I realized that I needed to start at the very beginning. My students were "network illiterate" and basically so was I! The message was clear...start simple to meet the needs of your target audience.

THE CURRICULUM

One of my goals was to make sure that the networked project that I set-up for my class was aligned with the curriculum. The project needed to be an appropriate activity that would amplify student learning and not simply be an end unto itself. Yes, I needed to set-up a project for this class, but I wanted to avoid doing a project with my students just so I could report that I did a telecommunications project with my students. An examination of the curriculum requirements for this class suggested a direction for my project. Illinois State Goal for Learning in the Biological and Physical Sciences #3 states the students should have a working knowledge of "the principles of scientific research and their application to simple research projects." Students in my general science class were now scheduled in the curriculum to begin simple research projects to prepare them for the more detailed and thorough research projects that would be required of them in the more advanced science classes. Part of this training involved learning to use library resources (fits the grant requirements too!) to not only do research papers about a particular topic, but also learn how to do literature reviews and collect background information before designing and carrying out scientific research projects, both important first steps in applying the scientific method to research projects. Finally a revelation! The project should be one that teaches students how to begin to access the tremendous "people" resources of the Internet!

EXPLORING THE NETWORKS

The next step was to become more "network literate" myself. I began to explore the networks, "talk" to people about their proposed projects, and collect information. There are certainly many interesting places to "visit" on the Internet. My task was to find the people and data resources appropriate for my students. This proved to be quite a challenge. Most of the databases I visited were directed toward higher level research projects (college, professional) and industry. There doesn't seem to be alot for kids on the network yet. I was looking for a resource that was user-friendly, age appropriate, science-oriented, and provided "people" resources. In the resource section of Krol's book, The Whole Internet, there are many science and science-related resources. I visited many of them but found most of them too advanced for my students. I understand why there is not alot out there for kids yet. Most schools do not have access and there are few public access sites. It will be interesting to see what the future brings as more and more schools and libraries connect to the Internet and provide access for kids.

Even though I did not find an overabundance of resources that fit my criteria, the ones that I did find are terrific. The most valuable resources I found in my opinion were NASA Spacelink (access via:telnet spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov), and NEWTON (access via: telnet newton.dep.anl.gov). The free electronic bulletin board offered by Argonne National Laboratory, called NEWTON, proved to be the best resource for my project idea. NEWTON was a resource that I was already familiar with through projects done with the library-science grant. Before I enrolled in this class, I had written and pretested on a small scale a telecommunications handbook based on the NEWTON BBS. Now I was ready to rewrite this telecommunications handbook so that it could be used as a first introduction to telecommunications. NEWTON would also serve as a way my students could access "people" resources as a research technique. To rewrite the handbook, I obtained a copy (via an e-mail request!) of "Connecting to Newton", the telecommunications handbook published by the Division of Educational Programs of Argonne National Laboratory. This handbook is very thorough in its content but much of what is in this handbook is not applicable to my target audience (e.g. how to configure the modem, installing the software etc.). However, this handbook has been invaluable to me in that it has given me a better understanding of NEWTON and the services it provides. It also has provided me with a better format for creating a telecommunications handbook for my students. The "new and improved" telecommunications handbook I have put together called "Accessing Newton" is a scaled down version of "Connecting to Newton" with specifics for Eureka High School access added.

THE PROJECT IDEA

Finally, the project takes on a form with specific objectives and methods for accomplishing those objectives. On to the middle!

THE MIDDLE

THE MATERIALS

-On-line computer located in the EHS library

-"Accessing Newton" telecommunications handbook(Appendix A)

-NEWTON Bulletin Board System (newton.dep.anl.gov)

THE PROJECT

Title: ASK A SCIENTIST A GOOD QUESTION

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to have students access the NEWTON BBS and post a question worthy of consideration by a scientist. Prerequisites: Before doing this project students have done the following:

1. Been instructed on the scientific method.

2. Have designed and set up a simple research project.

3. Been instructed and tested on the concept, basic vocabulary, and technology of telecommunications. (See Appendix A)

4. Been instructed and practiced using research resources in the library.

Grade Level: All grade levels can successfully use this service offered by Argonne National Laboratory. This was used with 9th grade general science class during a research/scientific method unit.

Time Line: None. Students can post a question at any time.

Questions accepted will remain posted for one

month to give participating scientists time to

answer. After the one month posting, questions,

along with their answers, are placed in the "Ask

A Scientist A Question Archive".

Summary: Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois offers a free electronic bulletin board system called "Newton" (internet address: newton.dep.anl.gov).

The objective of this BBS if to link teachers,

students, and scientists across the nation with

each other and the many resources of Argonne

National Lab. One of the services offered through the discussion groups is "Ask A Scientist a Question". The design of this service is terrific for students just learning research, communication, and telecommunication skills. Students can post questions to a scientist in a given field following the guidelines given. The question is then reviewed by a moderator who judges the merit of the question asked. In order for the question to be accepted and passed on to the participating scientists, it must be a well- stated and well thought out question. Trivial questions (homework questions, nonsense questions, poor wording etc.) or questions that have already been asked, answered, and archived are not passed on to a scientist. If the question is accepted, it will be posted within 1-4 days. If it is not accepted, it will not be posted and no notification is given as to why it was not accepted. This set-up not only requires students to communicate a question well but requires them to do research into a topic or concept and answer many questions for themselves before they arrive at a question worthy of consideration by a scientist.

THE PROCEDURE

Each student was asked to write one question they would like to ask a scientist. Students were then put into research groups and each group chose one question they would like to research using the library resources. Students then used their research skills to see if they could find the answer to the question. If the answer was found, the question was discarded or reworked to ask a better question. Finally, each group was asked to complete the following log on procedure which was supervised by the EHS librarian:

1. Check to see if their question had not already been

asked and archived.

2. Post their question to the appropriate place using the

guidelines given.

3. Navigate through the archived questions and find the answers to 2 archived questions and print out the answers to be posted in the class.

4. Explore the archive and find 2 new questions to leave for the next group of students to find the answers to.

THE RESULTS

Ten of eleven student research groups have participated in

so far. They have formulated and posted the following questions:

1. Gasoline is 85% carbon by weight and when gas burns(by combining with oxygen) the carbon dioxide released weighs nearly four times as much as the carbon alone. We also know that in one year's time, a car can emit

its own weight in carbon in the atmosphere. Is it

possible to produce new formulas of gasoline that have

less carbon and more hydrogen that could be used in cars currently being driven?

2. Where does the rubber of tires go that wear out from

driving on the road? What effect does this "rubbed off" rubber have on the environment?

3. The world's first climate treaty recently took effect.

This treaty requires that all developed countries submit their national plans for reducing emissions of carbon dioxide to 1990 levels by the year 2000. What do you think countries should be required to do next and beyond the year 2000?

4. Weather forecasters on T.V. and in the newspapers

report air quality results. Often air quality is

reported as in the "good" or "fair" range. Do you

think this is misleading the public by implying that

pollution is "lower" amounts is "good" or "fair"?

5. Why does a spring weigh more when it is compressed?

6. It has been said that biologists cannot really define

life, only describe the characteristics of life (growth

and development, reproduction, energy utilization,

homeostasis, organization etc.). Do you think that

"life" is only describable and not definable?

7. A human's body temperature is about 37 degrees C. On a summer day, when the air temperature is 33 degrees C, why does it feel warm to us when we are hotter on the

inside than the outside?

8. Does ice cool a drink or does a drink warm the ice?

9. What is the origin of the "K, L, M, N, O, P, Q" designation for the principle energy levels of atoms?

10. If warm air rises, then why isn't it hotter at higher

elevations such as mountain tops?.

The following table summarizes the results to date.

Questions # 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10 were accepted by the

moderator of NEWTON and posted to the scientists. Question # 9

was not posted to the BBS by the students because they found a

form of this question had recently been asked, answered and

archived. Question # 4 was not accepted by the moderator. As of

4-28-94, we have received a total of seven responses from the

scientists with four of the seven responses coming from the

environmental scientists, two responses from the biologists,

and one response from the chemists (See Appendix B). We expect

to receive more responses in the next few weeks because the

questions remain posted for one month. All responses should be

posted by 5-22-94. All student groups were able to locate the

archived questions and answers left for them by the previous

group (See Appendix C).

DISCUSSION

A key participant in this project was Joan Herron, the EHS

librarian. This project could not have occurred without her

participation. In effect, she was a co-instructor for this project. Basically, my role included preparing the activity and preparing students for the activity but she actually monitored and observed the students as they participated in the project. Many of the observations in this discussion are from Joan.

The prerequisites for this project took approximately three weeks to complete. The log on procedure took each research group one class period (50 minutes) to complete. It took a total of five days to accommodate 10 research groups. We are still waiting for all possible postings by the scientists. Overall, this ongoing project will take about six weeks to complete.

We set up this project so that students could work in small research groups (4-5 students per group). The only way to work this activity into available class time was to run it simultaneously with another research project. Students were given six days to complete both projects. Five of those days were spent with me in the computer science lab working through a research simulation activity. One of those days was spent in the library with Joan exploring NEWTON and completing the log on procedure.

This set-up worked out better than we thought! From Joan's point of view, the small research groups were perfect for the log on activity. Everyone in the group was able to be a participant (no mere observers) and the students had to engage in group decisions as they explored NEWTON. As each menu came up in NEWTON, the group needed to decide where to go next. Frequently, the group did make mistakes, but they did use group decision making skills to correct mistakes. The point should be made here that NEWTON is menu-driven and user friendly. Because of this, Joan could allow students to "find their own way", making the activity a true "hands-on" experience. She observed that every group seemed to enjoy making decisions together, rather than being told what to do next. The activity was the right length for one class period and the archived questions posted to NEWTON were interesting and at the appropriate level for the students.

Students were very enthusiastic about the experience as judged by the fact that the word "awesome" was heard several times! For us, it was interesting to see which of the archived questions the students picked (See Appendix C).

This activity was not without problems. One major problem was the fact that one research group could not get into NEWTON because it was down for maintenance. This group has yet to post their question. The technical problem of not being able to get connect needs to be a major consideration when designing on-line activities (See Appendix D for more on technical difficulties). It certainly would be wise to have an alternate lesson plan in case technical difficulties arise. We were able to send the group back to work on their other research project, however, we haven't found the class time to have them post their question. This has been frustrating to these students especially as answers are coming in for other questions.

Another problem has been with the quality of the on-line communications. We have been getting a lot of garbage on the screen. The students have dubbed this garbage "computer hieroglyphics". This proved very frustrating to one of the research groups because the hieroglyphics not only made it difficult to read the screen but also interfered with their ability to accurately post their carefully worded question.

Even though this project is not complete, there are modifications we will make the next time we run this project.

One area we need to improve on is to make time for students to see the results. Because of time constraints, I have been logging back into NEWTON and checking for responses and reporting back to students. I think the students need to go back and check for responses and see the result for themselves. We plan to build into the project a day for all research groups to go back into the library and log on and check results for themselves.

Another area that needs work is in the students' understanding of the concept of telecommunications. Even though students were given basic information about this technology and even quizzed over it (See Appendix A), it was our impression that some students still did not grasp the idea that they were on-line. Some comments made by students indicated that they thought they were just logging into another fixed computer program. We need to emphasize more the concept of what it means to be on-line and give them more on-line experiences.

THE END

CONCLUSION

Even though this project has not reached its end, the value of this project is evident. For me, the planning and implementation of this project has allowed me to become more network literate. I have gained a confidence in using and exploring the networks and am beginning to really grasp the educational possibilities of this technology. For my students, this project has introduced them to the new technology of telecommunications and given them a first hands-on experience in using the networks as a tool for their learning. This activity has strengthened their research, communication and group decision-making skills. Some students are even beginning to understand that their ability to find information is no longer limited to what is physically located in the library. These perceptive students are realizing that from their small high school located in a small town, they can access information from all over the world. These students are practically begging to learn more. For Joan, she has had the opportunity to help students become more knowledgeable about the resources available in the library. And finally, in spite of the problems and frustrations, all participants report that this has been a fun project to do!

THE FUTURE

It seems that networking projects are taking off at EHS. We have received a second installment to the aforementioned grant that is to be used for planning more networking activities. In addition, we just recently learned that we will receive grant money from AT&T for networking purposes. Last week, another participation grant was awarded to us called "Internet in the Classroom" which will also give us the opportunity to participate in collaborative networking activities. These grant opportunities will allow EHS to make networking a reality which is so necessary for today's schools.

In addition, access to the networks has opened up other opportunities for us. The science and social studies departments have applied for training this summer for an integrated program called the "Rivers Project". This is an ongoing project that requires our students to collaborate with other participants using a network called "SoilNet". At the request of students, we are looking into the possibility of starting a "telecommunications club" similar to one started at University High School in Normal, Illinois (See Appendix E).

As I end the project for this class, I realize that this is not the end. I have much work ahead of me this summer as I tackle future networking opportunities made available to EHS through the networking grants. In a way, I have come back to the beginning in that, for all the above projects, I must ask my original question again, "How can computer networks in education be integrated into the curriculum at Eureka High School?" This class has given me some valuable resources and experiences for tackling that question.

"This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end.

But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." Winston Churchill

NOTE: Only Appendix D has been saved to a disk. All other appendices were "cut and paste" operations.

Edie Knapp

Science Teacher

Eureka High School

200 W. Cruger Ave.

FAX: (309) 467-2648

eknapp@icebox.ncook.k12.il.us

eurekahs@class.org