 How can you harness the power of the Web to sharpen your Science Research skills?

The following sets of slides will guide you in using a group of technology tools or applications that are commonly referred to as Web 2.0. Although this lesson was designed for pre-service math and science teachers taking an Introductory Technology in Education course, the content can also be used by secondary students and other college level students wishing to enhance their research with some of the latest technological tools. The lesson is comprised of a series of activities that will require the student to learn how to navigate the site and use the applications. The time to complete each activity varies. An example of a short research study on water consumption has been included to help illustrate the use and manipulation of data. Even though it is beneficial to get acquainted with the resources provided, it is not necessary to use all of them to complete your research.

 Not all the information available through the Web is completely reliable. In this activity you will evaluate some typical websites as you learn about a substance called “dihydrogen monoxide”  Analyze the information provided at this site: Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division Think- how would you rate the accuracy, validity and reliability of the information you have just reviewed? Write -a one page reaction paper supporting your ratings for this site.

 Use a Web 2.0 tool called Spezify to learn more about your topic: Dihydrogen Monoxide.Spezify  Watch the following You Tube videos: Video 1 and Video 2 about this topic.Video 1Video 2 How does a tool like Spezify help to narrow or diversify your search for information? How did you feel about the information provided by the You Tube videos? How can you use sources that incorporate visuals to aide in your research?

 Quantitative scientific information can be grouped into datasets. Read the article to learn how you too can use datasets to do your research: Scientific Datasets an Important Tool for Student LearningScientific Datasets an Important Tool for Student Learning What are some of the advantages of using datasets as opposed to collecting your own data? What are the disadvantages? Which are some of the features that you should look for in selecting datasets for your research?

 Scientific data can be found grouped in spreadsheets. Learn about the use of spreadsheets from the following tutorials: ◦ Spreadsheets for Science Spreadsheets for Science ◦ Microsoft Excel Tutorial Microsoft Excel Tutorial ◦ Excel converters and viewers Excel converters and viewers To learn more about how to manipulate your data, practice some simple water conversions with the online calculator found under ‘other resources’ in Spreadsheets for Science. Convert 25 gallons into liters and check your answer with your classmates.Spreadsheets for Science

 Scientific datasets can be presented in spreadsheets using different formats. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences of these data formats. ◦ Excel format (1.4 MB) Excel format ◦ Tab-delimited ASCII format (676 kb) Tab-delimited ASCII format Which format would you find easier to read?

 You will now conduct a simple research study on the domestic use of water in your county, state and country. Once you have collected this information you will compare it to your actual water consumption.  In order to do this research, you will visit different sites that will guide you in downloading the information from datasets.

 Read the abstract from the article: Estimated use of water in the US in 2000 Find the self-reported domestic use in million gallons per day. In the Table of Contents, click on ‘domestic’ then click on ‘table 6’ for the state data. Estimated use of water in the US in 2000 How much water is consumed in your state? Use the dictionary provided to find the tag for domestic ground water in Mgal/day.dictionary Which code is assigned to your county ( for ex. Miami- Dade)?code

 Compare the domestic water use data for several year:  Estimated Use of Water in the US in 1995 Estimated Use of Water in the US in 1995  Estimated Use of Water in the US in 1990 Estimated Use of Water in the US in 1990  Trends of Water Use between 1950 and 1990 Trends of Water Use between 1950 and 1990 What are the trends for domestic water usage between 1990 and 1995? How does the trend vary between 1950 and 1990? How does the National Handbook of Recommended Methods for Water Data Acquisition define domestic use, what are the sources and how is it measured?National Handbook of Recommended Methods for Water Data Acquisition

 You will now learn about your own water consumption. Visit the Down the Drain website and read the instructions carefully. After completing the activity you should know the amount of water you use on average.Down the Drain How much water did you use? How does this amount compare to the average water used in your district, your state and in the country?

 To make it easier for you to analyze and interpret your data, visit the following sites and learn how to use these applications to make your data more visual: ◦ Many Eyes Many Eyes ◦ Chart Go Chart Go  You can then link your data to your home location through Google Earth. Use the tutorials on this site to learn how to use this valuable tool. Google Earth How does graphing your data help you to compare with other data from your class? Do you think your water consumption varies much from that of other states? From other countries?

 There are many Web 2.0 tools to help you report and share your research data.  First, locate any new vocabulary terms to be used in your report at the site’s Glossary.Glossary  Build a word wall with these terms to help you with the oral presentation, see Wallwisher or Wordia. Wallwisher Wordia  Learn to use Photo Story 3 or Slide Share to share visuals of your research with the class.Photo Story 3 Slide Share

 Sharing of information in science with others beyond your immediate classroom can be done using Web 2.0 capabilities  You can create a Wiki, a Blog (Bloglines or Google Reader) or use Twitter to share your data, make sure to include the latitude and longitude where you collected your personal water consumption data.WikiBloglines Google ReaderTwitter

 You may also use other Web 2.0 tools to make your data more accessible.  To share your data and work collaboratively with other scientists you can use Jog the Web or build a mind map with mind42.com.mind42.com  To share photos and images of your study you can use Thinklink.Thinklink

 Building your bibliography is easy using a handy Web 2.0 tool. Go to bibme and complete filling out the information the APA style.bibme

You are now an official Web 2.0 Scientist!