WISE stands for Web-based Inquiry Science Education and was created to provide a venue for inquiry-based science learning that was flexible and adaptable to changing technology, teacher needs and curriculum. It also acts as a repository for lessons which teachers can access, add to and modify. Ideally, lessons saved within the WISE library will provide the opportunity for students to investigate, question and create their own knowledge and integrate this knowledge into their existing understanding, or modify their understanding based on the new knowledge. The goal is to foster inquisitive, investigative learners and to promote life-long learning.
WISE uses the affordances of technology to create engaging, self-directed learning environments for students. For example, simulations that the students can modify let the students learn through trial and error. The draw function affords the opportunity for creativity and visual expression of knowledge and learning, rather than just text. There are also opportunities for self-assessment and peer-assessment. As with any learning tool, how the teacher uses it and incorporates it into the rest of the learning environment is critical to its success.
WISE projects are developed by teachers and modified to fit specific curriculum and classroom goals. Jasper adventures were developed by a research team and come in a complete package to the school. There are certain quality controls that a pre-made instructional tool can guarantee whereas projects developed by individuals do not always have that same consistency. However, the WISE projects are more flexible and adaptable and can be accessed either at school or at home.
Although WISE is very flexible, creating a WISE project requires more work on the part of the teacher than Jasper adventures do. To create a WISE project requires a degree of proficiency with html code and an idea of how to use an LMS. WISE is very easy to use, but there is a learning curve at the beginning and the editing requires practice and perseverance. Being able to house WISE lessons or projects on your own server and the fact that is open source are important aspects of WISE for many teachers.