Assignments+2009-10

= = = KEY DUE DATES - SEMESTER 2 =

** Monday February 1: **
** Place a detailed procedure for your experiments on link on the class wiki to your name. **

** February 19-29 Weekend on Campus: **
** Intensive work on your experiments and preparation of your essays. **

** February 27: **
** Final draft of your essay to be reviewed before submission to the American Museum of Natural History Young Naturalist contest (Due March 1). **

** Apri1 1: **
** Draft Powerpoint presentation for the NCSSM Research Symposium. **

** May 16-17: **
** Residential stay Sunday to prepare for Research Symposium presentation Monday. **

= = Weekly assignments will be communicated in one-on-one Elluminate sessions and confirmed via email. They will be tailored to each research project.

= = =__For the Remainder of the Course as you work on your research assignments:__= = = = ** Please post daily progress, photos, literature reviews etc. of relevance to your project on the personal pages at left. We can all see them so that should help us all figure things out. ** = = = = ** To make a visual/voice record that we can comment on and follow along with as you are working on the hands-on parts of your research projects, consider using VoiceThread http://voicethread.com/#home Place a detailed procedure on those pages at left. Due Monday February 1. ** =

=Research Proposal Timeline:= 
 * January 9 – 2nd draft of Research Proposal** (Right after residential weekend)


 * January 15 – Final Research Proposal**

**Week of November 16 [Grid 11]**

 * **Assignment** || **What to do.** || **When due** ||
 * Journal Article Selection and Summary || Research a topic or topics you think you would like to do your independent research on. Use the “How to …” tools.

Read 1 journal article of your choosing and write a summary of its contents according to the outline template on the Class Wiki homepage.

Post the summary HERE || Saturday November 15 at noon. ||
 * Vote for ONE article summary || Choose the article that you think would make the best Elluminate session discussion and vote for it using the poll tool. || Monday November 16 at noon. ||
 * Continue Leaf Litter Collection || Follow the protocol and post your counts on the class wiki in the table provided || All week ||
 * Continue Weather Station data collection for your site || Use CRONUS site or sites that supply the best information and continue to collect data. Post a table on your personal wiki setup so that heat sum calculations are enabled.

SEND THE NAME OF THE CRONOS STATION THAT BEST MATCHES YOUR SITE to schmalbeck@ncssm.edu || All week as necessary.

By Sunday. ||

Week of November 9 [Grid 10]
Read 1 journal article of your choosing and write a summary of its contents according to the outline template on the Class Wiki homepage. Post the summary HERE || Saturday November 15 at noon. ||
 * **Assignment** || **What to do.** || **When due** ||
 * Journal Article Selection and Summary || Begin researching a topic or topics you think you would like to do your independent research on. Use the “How to …” tools.Edit
 * Vote for ONE article summary || Choose the article that you think would make the best Elluminate session discussion and vote for it using the poll tool. || Monday November 16 at noon. ||
 * Continue Leaf Litter Collection || Follow the protocol and post your counts on the class wiki in the table provided || All week ||
 * Continue Weather Station data collection for your site || Use CRONUS site or sites that supply the best information and continue to collect data. Post a table on your personal wiki setup so that heat sum calculations are enabled. || All week as necessary. ||

Week of November 2 [Grid 9]
Read 1 journal article of your choosing and write a summary of its contents according to the outline template on the Class Wiki homepage. Post the summary HERE || Saturday November 7 at noon. ||
 * **Assignment** || **What to do.** || **When due** ||
 * Journal Article Selection and Summary || Begin researching a topic or topics you think you would like to do your independent research on. Use the “How to …” tools.Edit
 * Vote for ONE article summary || Choose the article that you think would make the best Elluminate session discussion and vote for it using the poll tool. || Monday November 9 at noon. ||
 * Continue Leaf Litter Collection || Follow the protocol and post your counts on the class wiki in the table provided || All week ||
 * Continue Weather Station data collection for your site || Use CRONUS site or sites that supply the best information and continue to collect data. Post a table on your personal wiki setup so that heat sum calculations are enabled. || All week as necessary. ||


 * Week of October 26** **[Grid 7]**
 * **Assignment** || **What** || **When Due** ||
 * Continue Leaf Litter Collection || Pick up leaves from your site aiming for Monday and Thursday collection. Post results in table on Home page || This weeks' data due on Monday and Thursday. ||
 * Weather Station Data || Follow the procedure posted on the Home page to identify the weather stations closest to your site and to evaluate how much data is actually available from CRONUS for your website. Post one or more spreadsheets (one for each weather station) on you personal wiki on the Assignments page. || Sunday evening. ||
 * Weather Station Data || Follow the procedure posted on the Home page to identify the weather stations closest to your site and to evaluate how much data is actually available from CRONUS for your website. Post one or more spreadsheets (one for each weather station) on you personal wiki on the Assignments page. || Sunday evening. ||

Week of October 12 [Grid 6)
For links and details please refer to the Home page of this Wiki site. Compile more questions. || Oct. 16 ||
 * **Assignment** || **What to do** || **Wh****en Due** ||
 * Smithsonian Conference Session and Leaf study Activity || Watch presentation by Scott Wing at [] It takes a while to load. Then do activity (posted on Home page). || Oct. 16 ||
 * Site Presentation || Follow template to produce 6 slides for presentation on Saturday morning. You can either post the presentation on your wiki or send schmalbeck@ncssm.edu your Powerpoint or, best of all, do both. || Oct. 16 ||
 * Pataki & Oren Paper – Post Questions || Read through this paper with special attention to terms and vocabulary. Post a question to ask Dr. Oren about the paper here
 * Come to Weekend on Campus || Welcome! || Oct. 16 ||

Week of October 6 [Grid 5]
For links and details refer to the Home page of this wiki site.

Then read through and complete the activity (in a .pdf document linked on main Course Wiki page). Post your answers on your personal wiki page. || Oct. 10 ||
 * **Assignment** || **What to do** || **When Due** ||
 * Review STELLA Bath Tub and Water Cycle Models || Look through the STELLA models and make sure that you understand how they work. If not, ask questions on your wiki and/or during Elluminate Session || Oct. 10 ||
 * Review Dr. Maddock’s Research || Make sure you are clear on the connections between Dr. Maddock’s work and the work we are planning to do. Compare what you observed of Dr. Maddock’s team’s research with the research described in Pataki & Oren. How is it similar and different? || Oct. 10 ||
 * Listen to Smithsonian Conference, Answer Questions and complete Activity || Go to Smithsonian link and watch this presentation. Answer the questions on the provided Word document and post your answers on your wiki.
 * Read assigned section of Pataki & Oren Paper || Read through your assigned section (perhaps more than once) and be ready to report back to the class at the next Elluminate Session. || Oct. 10 ||

Questions and Answers are on both GoCourse and class wiki. Post your answer sheet on your personal wiki Assignment page. || 10/3 || Post STELLA model for your experiments on Assignment page of your personal wiki. || 10/3 ||
 * **Assignment** || **What to do** || **Due Date** ||
 * Watch “Habitable Planet” video and answer questions || The video is on GoCourse
 * Conduct experiment with “Experiment in a Box” and construct simple STELLA model based on experiment. || Follow instructions and determine parameters necessary to model steady state conditions.
 * Answer questions on more complex “Bath tub” model || STELLA Model on Class Wiki and on GoCourse. Follow instructions and answer questions on personal wiki Assignment page. || 10/3 ||
 * Continue to identify and describe sap flux site || Continue site idea posting maps and other information on Journal page of personal wiki. || 10/3 ||
 * Continue moon observations || Continue moon observations until you have 1 month of data and record in your lab notebook. || 10/3 ||

**Week of September 21**

 * **Assignment** || **What to do** || **Due Date** ||
 * Sampling Site identification and evaluation || Continue sampling site identification and characterization. Post results on both personal wiki and Class wiki. Update as new information becomes available. || 9/25 ||
 * What's In My Neighborhood Table || Complete table that has been entered in the "Journal" section of your personal wiki concerning sources of information in your own neighborhood that could help with the sap flux measurement project. ||
 * Phases of the Moon Observations || Continue observing and recording phases of the moon || 9/25 ||

**Week of September 14 [Grid 3]**
Share your findings with your assigned partner during meetings on Wednesday and Friday. Enter each days work in personal wiki journal. Post presentation on personal wiki and on Class wiki and present to class during 9/21 Elluminate session. || 9/14 – 9/19 ||  ||
 * ** Assignment Assignment** || ** What to do What to do.** || ** Due Due** || **Check when complete** ||
 * Preliminary Selection of Field Site || Identify a sap flow monitoring site and record key features about the site.
 * Continue observing phases of the Moon || Record each night that you make an observation in your journal on your personal wiki site. || 9/14 -9/19 ||  ||
 * Complete any unfinished assignments || See earlier assignment grids. || 9/15 -9/19 ||  ||

David Suzuki Interviews James Lovelock || Take notes on paper as you watch the video. Consider how Dr. Lovelock’s experience with the development of the Gaia Principle fits or does not fit with the “How Science Works Diagram. || 9/12 ||
 * ** Assignment Assignment** || ** What to do What to do** || ** Due Due ** ||
 * “How Science Works” || Study the diagram “How Science Works” and try to relate to your own experiences. Use the organization of the diagram to organize notes that you will take while watching the video. || 9/12 ||
 * Watch Video –
 * Complete blank “How Science Works –sheet” || In the appropriate dialog box provided on the “How Science Works – sheet” version of the flow diagram, type in events, discoveries etc. that Dr. Lovelock described that fit in with the portion of the flow diagram that lies under the dialog box. || 9/12 ||
 * “Making Observations – Phases of the Moon”. || Use lab notebook to record daily (nightly) observations. Begin once you have built and tested your clinometers and have prepared your lab notebook according to instructions. || 9/12 ||

** Week of August 31 [Grid 1 - continued] **
1) Go over the list of things needed to complete the Assignment from last week and make sure you have completed everything in the table. Here is a link to the check off table.

2) Complete the Assignments detailed on the "Home" page (see summary table below) and check of each assignment when you have completed the assignment. This would probably work best if you printed out the grid below and used a pen or pencil or if you copy and pasted into your personal wiki on a new "Assignment Tracking" page. Either way is entirely acceptable. __**New Assignment Grid for Week of August 31:**__ **[Grid 1]**


 * **Assignment** || **What to do** || **Due Date** || **Check When Complete** ||
 * Read “Secrets of Ancient Navigation” || []

- Make a timeline of discoveries - Find out how crossbar and sextant work (record on pencil and paper and be prepared to discuss during **//Elluminate//** session). || 9/5 ||  ||
 * Play “Find Your Longitude at Sea” || []

In assignment section of personal wiki record the clues and how you figured out where you were for 3 rounds of the game. || 9/5 ||  ||
 * GPS and John Harrison’s discovery || [] and []

In assignments section of personal wiki write 1 to 2 paragraphs comparing the basic principles of GPS navigation and John Harrison’s discovery that permitted sailors to find longitude. || 9/5 ||  ||
 * Make a clinometer || Find a design for a clinometers on the Internet; make one and test it using a known object. Instructions contained in “Making Observations – Phases of the Moon”. [[file:Making Observations - Phases of the Moon.docx]] || 9/5 ||  ||
 * Begin “Making Observations - Phases of the Moon” || Use lab notebook to record daily (nightly) observations. Begin once you have built and tested your clinometers and have prepared your lab notebook according to instructions. http://ncssmresearch.wikispaces.com/Field+Notebooks || 9/5 ||  ||
 * Read “Great Challenges” and prepare to discuss those that interest you. || []

Are any of these challenges of interest to you? Think about them in terms of the research project you will do on your own next semester. Be prepared to discuss during **//Elluminate//** session. || 9/5 ||  ||

//Introduce Yourself// || Add a short biography to our class wiki on the “Introductions” page. || Saturday, 8/29/09 || //Wikispaces// || Create your personal Wiki pages and insert some features as described in the Wikispaces assignment. || Saturday, 8/29/09 || //Google Earth Maps// || Complete Assignment and post on your personal Wiki page. || Saturday, 8/29/09 || //Prepare questions and discussions for Elluminate session, Monday August 31 from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM//. || Complete discussion questions for //**Elluminate**// session and be ready to discuss. || In time for **//Elluminate//** session || __**DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS**__
 * **Assignment** || **What To Do** || **Due** ||
 * __Assignment I__.
 * __Assignment II__.
 * __Assignment III.__
 * __Assignment IV.__

Be sure that you have added a short biography to the “Introductions” page of the Class Wiki. II. Wikispaces
 * I. Introduce Yourself**

The goal of this activity is for each student to become comfortable adding information to our class wiki in an orderly way and for each student to create his or her own wiki page with "GreenerTeacher" and "halpin" or "myrahalpin" as a co-organizer.

1) Be sure that you have added a short by to the Introductions page of the class wiki. 2) Create your personal wiki - you should have received an message from Wikispaces with a link to the shell of your personal wiki in place. Use this shell to customize the look and feel of the site to your taste. The Wikispaces [|tutorial] will help you to get started. 3) Make the wiki site "Protected" - look under "Manage Wiki" and then "Permissions" to do this. 4) Make sure that "GreenerTeacher" and "myrahalpin" are organizers on your site. (hint: select "Manage Wiki" from the upper left of the navigation pane). 5) Organization your wiki page:
 * table of contents - type in double squared parentheses around the letters "toc" automatically creates a table of contents for every text item that is in Heading3, Heading2 or Heading1 formats )
 * left navigation pane - create links to pages for:

i. Journal Entries, ii. Lab/Field Reports, iii. Assignments

6) Upload an image (your choice but remember this site can be seen on the Internet) 7) Upload a document (your choice but remember who will be on your website!) 8) Upload a link 9) Upload a video 10) On your new "Assignments" page in your personal Wiki, explain how you did each of these things so that you will have a quick reference for future assignments. Point form is fine.

III. Google Earth/Maps

The goal of this activity is for each student to download the most current version of Google Earth, become familiar with the controls and features and create a map that shows, with a marker their home, the school and measures the distance between the two locations. Students will create a .kmz file and post it on their personal wiki's. 1) Download latest version of Google Earth [] 2) Open it and make sure you know how to use the navigation tools (upper right) 3) Get to know Google Earth features - [] and [] 4) Place a marker on your home school as close to the middle of the campus as possible andthen add a label eg. "East Chapel Hill High" 5) Record the longitute and latitude in all available formats - decimal longitude and latitude as well as degrees, minutes, seconds formats (you can do this by adding them the lat and long values to the text box associated with the marker label) 6) Draw a line around your campus property in red. 7) Draw a line on the map between your campus marker and the entrance from Club Blvd into NCSSM. 8) Use the measuring tool to measure and record the distance in miles and kilometers between the marker on your campus and the entrance to NCSSM. 9) Save the map to your desktop (it will have a .kmz extension) and also save it as a Google Map map. 10) Post the map on your personal wiki on the main page. 11) Add the map as an interactive map to your personal wiki on the main page.

12) On your new "Assignments" page in your personal wiki, explain how you did each of these (the numbered tasks outlined under__. Google Earth__ above) so that you can do them again without having to look up all the tricks you learned all over again. Point form is fine.

IV. Write down any questions, problems or ways to improve on the Wikis or Google Earth assignments and be prepared to discuss them during the //**Elluminate**// session on Monday.