Creating a Science Fair in a Virtual World

Creating a Science Fair in a Virtual World

A Guide for Media Specialists & Teachers

By Benjamin Dickerson

L595 – High Tech Learning

Introduction

In this exciting guide, you will be given all of the knowledge and tools to be able to produce and manage your very own virtual science fair at your school. Through the integration of traditional science fair methods and new and innovative technology, students will be able to gain a better appreciation for science and the need to share the information and knowledge they have acquired with others. This virtual science fair framework will have the following technological components: a wiki, a blog, digital photography, and a PowerPoint element. You will find that with a little bit of patience, some hard work, and a positive attitude the technology will not be as overwhelming as it might seem right now.

Audience

The ideal audience for this type of unit of study would be 5th graders. These students are curious about the scientific world around them and are eager to explore it. They have been given the basics of what the scientific method is and why it is necessary to follow its structure. They have also been given opportunities to research areas of interest in the past and are capable of taking their inquisitive minds to another level, with sufficient guidance of course.

Need

Many different Indiana State Academic Standards may be addressed in this unit, depending on the students’ interests.

Here are a few of the 5th grade science standards that could be covered:

5.1.1Recognize and describe that results of similar scientific investigations may turn out differently because of inconsistencies in methods, materials, and observations*.

5.1.3Explain that doing science involves many different kinds of work and engages men, women, and children of all ages and backgrounds.

5.1.6Explain how the solution to one problem, such as the use of pesticides in agriculture or the use of dumps for waste disposal, may create other problems.

5.2.4Keep a notebook to record observations and be able to distinguish inferences* from actual observations.

5.2.6Write instructions that others can follow in carrying out a procedure.

5.2.7Read and follow step-by-step instructions when learning new procedures.

5.2.8Recognize when and describe that comparisons might not be accurate because some of the conditions are not kept the same.

5.5.7Explain that predictions can be based on what is known about the past, assuming that conditions are similar.

5.5.8Realize and explain that predictions may be more accurate if they are based on large collections of objects or events.

5.5.9Show how spreading data out on a number line helps to see what the extremes are, where they pile up, and where the gaps are.

5.5.10Explain the danger in using only a portion of the data collected to describe the whole.

5.6.4Investigate, observe, and describe that things change in steady, repetitive, or irregular ways, such as toy cars continuing in the same direction and air temperature reaching a high or low value. Note that the best way to tell which kinds of changes are happening is to make a table or a graph of measurements.

The following English/Language Arts will also be addressed:

5.2.1Use the features of informational texts, such as formats, graphics, diagrams, illustrations, charts, maps, and organization, to find information and support understanding.

5.2.2Analyze text that is organized in sequential or chronological order.

5.2.6Follow multiple-step instructions in a basic technical manual.

5.4.11Use logical organizational structures for providing information in writing, such as chronological order, cause and effect, similarity and difference, and stating and supporting a hypothesis with data.

5.4.5Use note-taking skills when completing research for writing.

5.4.6Create simple documents using a computer and employing organizational features, such as passwords, entry and pull-down menus, word searches, the thesaurus, and spell checks.

5.4.10Edit and revise writing to improve meaning and focus through adding, deleting, combining, clarifying, and rearranging words and sentences.

5.6.3Identify and correctly use appropriate tense (present, past, present participle, past participle) for verbs that are often misused (lie/lay, sit/set, rise/raise).

5.6.6Use correct capitalization.

5.7.1Ask questions that seek information not already discussed.

5.7.12Give precise directions and instructions.

5.7.15Make descriptive presentations that use concrete sensory details to set forth and support unified impressions of people, places, things, or experiences.

Technology Effectiveness

Technology can be an asset to any unit of learning, if used correctly. When technology is misused, then it can become bothersome and ineffective. The following technology will be used throughout this unit of study. Along with each component, a justification for that specific technology is given.

Wiki – A wiki is an interactive website that allows its users to edit and enhance their own work as well as others. It is a constantly evolving technological tool that helps to enhance students writing skills as well as communication. By being able to assist each other, wikis provide students with instant feedback and a sense of community. It is a “form of online collaboration, like email, shared folders, and discussion servers.” (Ginsberg 2006)

Blog – In the simplest terms, blogs are an online journaling tool. Just like with a paper journal, individuals are able to record observations, steps to a process, and other information with relative ease. Their creator can constantly revise the Blogs and others can comment on specific entries to gain more clarification, give tips, or just add their own interpretations. They are relatively “easy to create and help to promote conversation.” (Achterman 2006)

Digital Photography – Photos also help to tell a story and enhance a project. Through the use of digital photography, students are able to post their photos within their wikis or blogs to help explain their work and add a visual element to their online presentation.

PowerPoint Story Starter - This technological element will be used for students to rate their peer’s projects. It allows an instructor to design a specific format for an assignment and gives the opportunity for students to express themselves in a structured way. By using the discussion notes, instructors are able to explain how to properly complete the story starter to their students. These starters can be printed for display or saved to a shared drive on a school network to be reviewed/assessed later.

Technology Issues

Even though much advancement have been made in terms of technology, there will always be some problems with in the innovative field. Some concerns that might arise when using the technology in this plan are:

Wiki – Wikis can be great tools for educational purposes, but all who visit them must treat them with respect. It is easy for an individual to add something to a wiki that can be inappropriate or may detract and distract from the original intention of the wiki creator. It is important that all are aware of the responsibility of what is published on the Internet and that tracking is possible on most wiki sites.

(Ginsberg 2006)

Blog – Blogs do offer their unique set of concerns. The fact that they are published in reverse chronological order, with the final posting appearing first on the screen does take some adjustment, but the pros far out weigh the slightly annoying cons. Some of the blog software will also allow the blogger to change dates of entries, which can be a problem if part of your assignment is to complete a daily journal. Unless you check everyone’s blog on a daily basis, students can wait until the night before it is due to enter their work. This is also a problem for printed journals, too.

Digital Photography –

Not every one of your students will have access to a digital camera, which may be a problem if the experiments that students are conducting are occurring at home. There are ways around this dilemma. If you are confident that the student will bring back the piece of equipment, then you could try to loan it out to them. If students have access to a traditional camera, then students could just can the prints once they are developed. If neither of these are a possibility, then students could create illustrations of their observations and scan them digitally using a scanner and use that image in their blog and wiki.

PowerPoint Story Starter -

Most computers are equipped with Microsoft Office and PowerPoint. The only issue that may arise from using this software is that certain fonts or graphics may not appear on a slide when used on a different version of PowerPoint. Make sure that you check this out by downloading your Story Starter to a few different computers (if students are using a computer lab, check on one of their computers, etc.) to make sure it works.

Works Cited

• Achterman, D. (2006). Making connections with blogs and wikis. CSLA Journal, 30, 29-31. Retrieved November 26, 2006, from Library Literature and Information Full Text database.

• Ginsberg, D. (2006). A wiki wiki (quick) introduction to the wide world of wikis. AALL Spectrum, 10, 8-10. Retrieved November 26, 2006, from Library Literature and Information Full Text database.

Final Products

Wiki

Creating a wiki is very easy to do and it requires little upkeep, considering the students will be adding the bulk of the content. It will require obtaining an account at a specific wiki site. The one used for this example will be When you visit the site, it will give you directions to make a new space. Be sure to give your wiki a unique name that will be easy for students to remember and locate. Follow the directions and in no time your wiki will be created. You can also add “personal touches” by modifying the color scheme, layout, and graphics associated with your wiki. The wiki I designed for this unit is

Blog

Just like wikis, there are many different blog sites available that are free of charge. The blog site that I used for this unit was It requires students to register for an account and then allows them access to create as many blogs as they would like. If you are concerned about students giving their email addresses out in the registration process, then I would suggest creating a school account that the students can add their blogs. There is an unlimited number of blogs per account, so it would be relatively easy for one account to carry all of the blogs for the students. Once you create an account, follow the simple procedures as outlined by the website. The website used for this unit is

Digital Photography

Digital photography can be added to any project to help enhance and clarify the intended purposes. The ways in which pictures are taken and stored vary greatly with the type of camera you use. Some cameras have “memory sticks” while others use floppy disks. If a camera contains a floppy disk, the easiest way in which to transfer the pictures to the computer is by ejecting the disk from the camera and inserting it into the computer. If the camera does not have this option, then more than likely there is a cable that can be connected from the camera to the computer. See the instructions that came with the camera to determine how to complete this process.

Once the pictures are found to be on the computer, it can be relatively easy to insert them into the wiki or blog. Both wikis and blogs have a picture icon on the editing toolbar. It looks like a picture of a landscape. Once that button is clicked, it will then ask you to enter the needed directory information to locate the image. If you click on the browse button, all of the different directories for your computer will appear and then you can select the folders to open and then select the image. Follow the directions on the screen to finish selecting the photo.

The digital photography used to enhance this unit can be found at the blog and wiki addresses noted above.

PowerPoint Story Starter

A story starter could be used to help students to give feedback and “rate” each other’s projects. Within the story starter, directions for how to complete the slide are given in the discussion notes. Students can either save their work to a shared drive within your schools network or to an external Flash drive or floppy disk. In order to determine how to save work in your school, check with a technology person either in your building or at the district level. Please feel free to modify the story starter that was designed for this unit to suit your needs. These could also be printed and given to the student who is being critiqued for reference. Since it is a PowerPoint presentation, you will need the PowerPoint software already installed to your computer before you download.

Here is the story starter when it is blank:

This is a completed story starter:

Newsletter

In addition to the technology components explained above, I have also created a newsletter that can be either posted on a school website or printed and copied to be sent home for parents to get involved.

The newsletter can be viewed at the following address: