Plant IT: Careers, Cases, and Collaborations Getting Started July12 th, 2010 Ethel Stanley BioQUEST Beloit College Toni Lafferty C.H. Yoe High School

The Plant IT Workshop invites participants to explore the potential of introducing plant science into their classroom. We will ask you to develop your own investigative cases and will provide the following experiences: Introduction to contemporary plant biology in the context of both technology and careers by exploring cotton in the field, In the laboratory, and online. Introduction to Investigative Case Based Learning and its roleInvestigative Case Based Learning In contextualizing science through problem spaces and require learners to direct their own learning through: posing problems; engaging in problem solving, and; providing evidence for their conclusions through peer review. Like practicing scientists, students work collaboratively during this process. Introduction to cyberlearning through the use of online productivity tools and data analysis tools.

Productivity Tools Sign up for a Google accountGoogle account Work with Google docs to take and make a survey Use Google spreadsheets and add a motion gadget Use Word Press on the Plant IT blog to build your own blog pageWord Press Enter text, links, and images throughout the workshop and beyond Upload and download files including documents, spreadsheets, images, sound files, etc. Participate in an online community of Plant IT teachers Create a Yodio accountYodio Post images with audio from your own phone. Download Google Earth:Google Earth Search map and satellite images for specific locations Create a Google tour of locations

Data Analysis Tools Gapminder Work with Gapminder to explore global data Explore Gapminder Agriculture Use NCBI to: NCBI Entrez: Search for protein and nucleic acid sequence information Blastp and Blastn: Search for similar sequences and identify unknowns. Download Image J to:Image J Count objects and export data Measure objects and export data

So, what do we know about cotton?

Pair/Share: Cotton boll

Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) Data Sharing: Research on Cotton

During the late medieval period, cotton became known as an imported fiber in northern Europe, without any knowledge of how it was derived, other than that it was a plant; noting its similarities to wool, people in the region could only imagine that cotton must be produced by plant-borne sheep. John Mandeville, writing in 1350, stated as fact: "There grew there [India] a wonderful tree which bore tiny lambs on the endes of its branches. These branches were so pliable that they bent down to allow the lambs to feed when they are hungrie."

Why so much cotton in our lives? Cotton is entirely made up of cellulose. It can also withstand high temperatures in water and tumble drying and remarkably can be bent as many as 50,000 times before breaking point. It is soft and comfortable.It absorbs perspiration quickly. It has good colour retention.It is also strong and durable. It is very versatile, stable chemically, resistant to alkalis. It is of moderate cost. It is sunlight resistant. Handle is soft, cool to the touch. Cotton has an incredible ability to absorb moisture up to 27 times its own weight in water

7&Dealer=1016&InetOrder=True Cotton in song Cotton in dance

Workshop website:

National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996) “Inquiry into authentic questions generated from student experiences is the central strategy for teaching science.” Plant IT: Careers, Cases and Collaborations Root your classroom science investigations in real world activities and collaboration Explore data, visualization tools, analysis tools and other resources for structured, yet open-ended investigations Learn and share strategies for supporting and assessing student investigations Access e-science resources to prepare your students with 21st Century skills

National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996) “Science often is a collaborative endeavor, and all science depends on the ultimate sharing and debating of ideas.” Plant IT: Careers, Cases and Collaborations Develop case materials tailored for your classroom Root your classroom science investigations in real world activities and collaboration Develop case materials tailored for your classroom Discover career connections to biology content

National Standards supporting inquiry (investigative case)s in the science classroom: LESS EMPHASIS ONMORE EMPHASIS ON Knowing scientific facts and informationUnderstanding scientific concepts and developing abilities of inquiry Studying subject matter disciplines (physical, life, earth sciences) for their own sake Learning subject matter disciplines in the context of inquiry, technology, science in personal and social perspectives, and history and nature of science Separating science knowledge and science process Integrating all aspects of science content Covering many science topicsStudying a few fundamental science concepts Implementing inquiry as a set of processes Implementing inquiry as instructional strategies, abilities, and ideas to be learned

CHANGING EMPHASES TO PROMOTE INQUIRY LESS EMPHASIS ONMORE EMPHASIS ON Activities that demonstrate and verify science content Activities that investigate and analyze science questions Investigations confined to one class period Investigations over extended periods of time Process skills out of contextProcess skills in context Emphasis on individual process skills such as observation or inference Using multiple process skills— manipulation, cognitive, procedural Getting an answerUsing evidence and strategies for developing or revising an explanation

LESS EMPHASIS ONMORE EMPHASIS ON Science as exploration and experimentScience as argument and explanation Providing answers to questions about science content Communicating science explanations Individuals and groups of students analyzing and synthesizing data without defending a conclusion Groups of students often analyzing and synthesizing data after defending conclusions Doing few investigations in order to leave time to cover large amounts of content Doing more investigations in order to develop understanding, ability, values of inquiry and knowledge of science content Concluding inquiries with the result of the experiment Applying the results of experiments to scientific arguments and explanations Management of materials and equipment Management of ideas and information Private communication of student ideas and conclusions to teacher Public communication of student ideas and work to classmates

Assessment of students' skills in identifying questions, resources, investigative methodologies and argumentation as well as their knowledge of the science concepts will be evidenced by: As students develop and... understand more science concepts and processes, their explanations should become more sophisticated... frequently include a rich scientific knowledge base, evidence of logic, higher levels of analysis, greater tolerance of criticism and uncertainty.

Lana McNeil Northwest Campus College of Rural Alaska ICBL Case Module