The important concept from all the web based learning experiences is that you need to ask thought provoking questions that make the students solve problems. What you don’t want are questions that just have the students regurgitate what they find on the Internet. The questions need to get the students to gather information and then draw conclusions from the information that they gathered. I need to create questions that make my students defend a stand or a decision and/or develop their own point of view.
I will be developing an activity for my Natural Resources module in my Bio-Tech class. I want to specifically target wind energy. What I want my students to do is design their own wind turbine for use at their house. The two specific things I want them to design are the blade shape, and how many blades. One website from Florida International University shows some great blade designs and gives a brief description of them. Before I use this site I will have to make sure I am not breaking any copyright laws, as this site specifically warns against using there material without permission. Here is a list of the other sites I was looking at:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=wind_home-basics - Basic wind turbine knowledge.
http://www.nrel.gov/wind/publications.html - some in-depth research on everything related to wind turbines.
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/online/ccd/avgwind.html -To get an idea for the average wind speed in our area.
Have you looked on Flickr for photos? They have creative commons licensing so you can safely use certain photos. We'll be exploring Flickr more on Tuesday night.
ReplyDeleteWow! Designing a wind turbine seems like a daunting task. I am not sure about the copyright issues, but I did find some additional sites that seem to give decent information about building one's own wind turbine. You might want to check these:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.yourgreendream.com/diy_pvc_blades.php and
http://www.mdpub.com/Wind_Turbine/
Unfortunately, these are both commercial sites, so the ads that appear on the sites may render them inappropriate for your students.
Sounds like an interesting activity. Are you going to pull in how this could be used by individual houses? Keep me in mind if you find any websites for wind turbines for the house roof. I saw a tv show (or spot on a show) that they are the next big thing. I don't remember the show, but it really caught my attention. I would love to jump on that new technology.
ReplyDeleteAre you completely set on wind turbines? What if you ASKED the question of WHAT is type of energy we can use that has the least effect on our environment? That way the students have to choose what is the best and maybe even do some research on the different types of energy. Check this website out:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/home
They have blogs, videos, and podcasts!!! Might be great for your topic.
Thanks for all the great information. I am not set on wind, setting it up so the students pick could be a good idea. I will have to think about how to structure that.
ReplyDeleteThanks
It is much more effective for the student to use the internet information and apply it in a creative project. I really like the idea of the students making the personal connection by having the wind turbines in their own homes.
ReplyDeleteI like Kelly's idea too. I think it may depend on your objective of the project and the amount of time you can allot to the project. Broadening the structure may let the students take off with the idea, and who knows what product they could come up with!?