WISE – Web-based Inquiry Science Environment

Posted by: | March 3, 2009 | Comments Off on WISE – Web-based Inquiry Science Environment

I am really liking WISE.

A Berkeley project, the Web-based Inquiry Science Environment is a …

… simple yet powerful learning environment where students examine real world evidence and analyze current scientific controversies. Our curriculum projects are designed to meet standards and complement your current science curriculum, and your grade 5-12 students will find them exciting and engaging.

The beauty of WISE is that it is very open … anyone can create or edit a WISE module on an area of their expertise. So teachers can pretty simply use or build modules for their classes. The one proviso is that you better have some familiarity with HTML and the web, or you’ll be in for a bit of a shock.

WISE modules are typically intended to take about a week of class time, and are designed so that two students go through the module together. Students can go through activities and steps, and can take notes throughout the course.

Since they’re run online, WISE modules can handle anything the web can … Flash, Java, Javascript … whatever a teacher might want to add interactivity and media, to the limits of their technical skill and resources.

One thing WISE lacks is a simple portal-style front door or portal which would reveal the wealth of modules available. I’ve heard – but can’t find the reference right now – that there are thousands of WISE modules, but you’d never know if from the spartan WISE home page, and most of them are probably on server installs of WISE in different locations. It’d be nice to see them all listed in a central place


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