• What was the motivation to create WISE?

“WISE is different because it was developed with the explicit goal of providing a technology-enhanced learning environment for a wide community of science teachers and educational researchers” (Slotta & Linn, p. 5). WISE is free and accessible to all teachers. The website is setup so it’s user-friendly, easy for students and teachers to register. Teachers can use existing projects, create their own projects or adapt an existing project to fit their students’ interests or needs. If technology is limited, the teacher could have students work in partners or groups or it could be shown to an entire class (the students could discuss the questions as a class or in small groups). If the students were really passionate about a topic they were studying, they could create their own WISE project that could be shared with other classes. This allows students to show their knowledge in creative ways. WISE creates opportunities for students to critically think about a topic, and it allows the teacher to be a guide (when needed) rather than a facilitator.

• How could you use a WISE project in your school or another learning environment?

In my classroom, we have limited access to technology so I would need to plan ahead as to when I would want to start a project and estimate how long it would take (there is a good time guideline for each project that will be helpful). I would have my students work in partners to help create opportunities for them to collaborate and share their ideas. Once my students, had completed a couple of the WISE projects, I would give them the opportunity to either create their own project or edit an existing one. This would give them another way to show their learning on a specific topic of choice. Many of my students like to take on a leadership role and thrive when given this responsibility.

The Web-based Inquiry Science Environment (WISE) works with teachers, researchers and scientists to create technology enhanced, interactive, inquiry based projects. All of these projects are then editable by teachers to help fit the needs and interests of their students. The project that I chose to edit and revise was called Photosynthesis (ID 23333). I chose this topic as this is one of the topics my class will be learning about in our upcoming science units. I was really impressed with how interactive these projects were. “WISE has also proven its worth for students and teachers in classrooms around the world. This project can be judged a success based solely on the number of teachers who have adopted WISE in their science courses for all topics from grades 6-12 (ages 11-17). More than 100,000 students have now participated in a WISE inquiry project, and more than a thousand teachers” (Slotta & Linn, p.4).

These projects appeal to all types of learners. For example, our visual learners are able to learn through diagrams and videos. They also have some interactive activities that create opportunities for the students to actively engage in their learning. The students are also provided with a variety of ways to show their learning. The Photosynthesis project has multiple choice and short answer questions, as well as drag and drop activities. I would have my students work in pairs to create opportunities for them to collaborate, communicate and problem solve together. I think these projects would work great in a constructivist setting as the students get to learn at their own pace while they work through the different activities. The teacher can guide the students when they are having difficulty. The activities provided in this project, give the students immediate feedback so that they can go back and review the material if needed. If students show an interest in a particular topic, they would be able to branch out and explore the areas of interest in more depth.

I made a couple of changes to the Photosynthesis project. First, I added a BrainPop video about photosynthesis after the page titled “what is photosynthesis.” I did this just in case the students did not understand the diagram or needed a more thorough explanation.

For the open ended questions (listed below) I will have the students write their ideas down on a large post-it note paper that will be displayed in the room. This will give us discussion points after the whole class had completed the project in partners. I find that this helps students expand their thinking.

• Plants Out in Thin Air: Have a look at the healthy plants below. Notice anything they don’t have?
• But how do plants turn these elements into glucose? What do plants do with light energy during photosynthesis?

After my students have completed this project, I would probably make more edits and changes to it. I would use the feedback that they provide to help guide these changes. I found that I did not need to make very many changes as the author of this particular project did a great job. I also think that as I become more comfortable with using this program, I would feel more comfortable making more changes. The next project that I am interested in editing is Climate Change as my students will be working on this topic during Earth Month (April).

References:

Slotta, J. D. & Linn, M. C. (in press). WISE Science: Inquiry and the Internet in the Science Classroom. Teachers College Press.