Al Byers, Project Director Tyson Brown, Program Manager

“Have you tried searching under ‘fruitless’?”

Accomplishments

…in the course of three summer workshops  Trained 66 teachers  Evolved simple Criteria to Rubric-based selection  Created a series of thematic Web Guides  Started development of a Teachers Guide to Web Use

Teachers Trained 44 Grades Grades K-6 Selected from nearly 500 applicants Final Workshops in Summer 2002 Application period closed March 1, 2002

Activities Learned to select high- quality Web content Incorporated the content into Thematic Web guides, available later this year

Activities Enriched knowledge base with expert speakers, visits to research facilities and museums, and collegial interaction Took advantage of Washington, D.C.’s cultural attractions Developed spiffy theme songs and t-shirts

Don’t take our word for it Group Leader : Steve Rapp

Basic Criteria  Accuracy  Currency  Design  Interactivity  Multimedia  Scientific Inquiry  How Scientists Work  Engagement  Quality of Writing  Resource Integration  Accessibility

How are the criteria used? Reviewers use rubrics to elicit consistent ratings. Yes or No

Example criterion: Interactivity

Web Guides are thematic Organisms and their Environments Earth and Sky Heredity and Reproduction Materials and Matter Grades K - 6 WebWatchers

Web Guides are thematic Summer 2000 Energy Flow Through an Ecosystem Heredity—Inherited Variation Characteristics Earth Structures Force and Motion Summer 2001 Ocean Floor Ecosystems Energy Resources Weather, Climate & Humans Atomic Structure/ Chemical Bonding Grades 7-12 WebWatchers

Web Guide Components

National Standards Each Web Guide is aligned to NSES (Atomic Structure)

As are the targeted Web pages. National Standards

Concept Maps (Ocean Floor) Click on any keywords to view the SciLink recommended web sites.

Guide Themes Structure of Atoms Structure of Matter Periodic Table and Periodic Properties Periodic Table and Periodic Properties Chemical Bonds Chemical Reactions (Atomic Structure)

Keywords Conservation of mass Types of Reactions Oxidation Reduction Acid Base Combustion Thermochemistry Reaction rate Catalysts Keywords ultimately make connection to Web content (Atomic Structure)

Keyword Web page description Icons Sample Report Page

NSES Report Comments

What about the icons ? Online Interactivity Hands-on Investigation Lesson Ideas Ask an Expert In the News Misconceptions A Bit of History Assessment Data Sources Graphics/Multimedia Career Information Core Content Inquiry

One of the selected pages (Ocean Floor)

Next Steps

Formative Field Test Results Students & teachers perceived guides as worthwhile from learning and motivational standpoint Validated necessity for creating teacher guidebook for implementation, and in using rubrics

Where are the Web guides ? In Pilot testing until April 2002 Currently password-protected Available to public in late Spring 2002? To find out more, contact Mark Davis: