Many WISE projects provide videos, computer-based and interactive components creating an engaging set of materials.  Below are sample project descriptions.

Wolves in Your Backyard (illustration above right) is a one-week middle school activity, but could be run in high school.  Students are introduced to the basic biology of wolves, some frequently asked questions (no recorded instances of human casualties from wolves in NA or Europe) are addressed, as well as the nature of wolves (they are social, they hunt in packs, stalk their prey for a week, kill about once per week). The project then presents some biology of predator-prey relations, and asks students to think about their own model for the food chain (both initially and then after they survey the relevant evidence). Students then explore the different perspectives of the wolf control controversy, taking reflection notes on Evidence. They then critique the recent Wolf Management Plan for Minnesota. Finally, they close with an online discussion that has been very rich in terms of how students incorporate the ideas. This project relies on the teacher's ability to adopt it into his/her curriculum.  Suggested grades 6-8.

In Airbags, Too Fast, Too Furious (illustration left) students investigate the relationship between linear, one dimentional motion and its corresponding graphs of position and velocity vs. time. The investigation is set in a context of learning about automobile airbag safety. Students run embedded dynamic simulations to learn how differences in speed and direction are represented on a graph. Students also analyze video footage of crash tests to investigate what conditions could lead to injury from a deploying airbag.  Sugested grades 11-12.

FraudBureau.com is a free site "established to alert online consumers and investors of prior complaints relating to online vendors including sellers at online auctions and to provide consumers, investors and users with information and news on how to safely surf, shop and invest on the net."  You can also learn about the newest scams like cramming, pagejacking and mousetrapping and find out how to protect yourself.  Fill out a quick form to report a scam or to search through already confirmed scams and find out if an offer or vendor is legitimate.  Symantec also maintains a Website with the most recent virus and cybercrime information for home users.

Fortunately, Bob and Rusty do a fantastic job protecting our school network but we need to be vigilant at home, as well.  Our students also need this information and anything we can do to increase their awareness is an important life skill that they need.  The Internet is the Wild West for scammers and hackers so it pays to be skeptical, suspicious and wary.  But can we do without it--probably not! 

Please talk to Bob, Rusty or me if you have any questions.

We all know that a piece of writing doesn't just happen--even for writers able to make their living writing.  But their agony, effort and sweat are obscured by the dazzle of the finished piece.  Somehow, we think, it must be easier for them!  Gordan shows us the reality, " We'd like students to look at the site and think, 'If these famous writers can be so open and brave with their writing, maybe I can do the same.'"

Two writers/poets are provided a topic, prompt, quote or image and are given fifteen minutes to compose a piece. (lower right)

In real time we can look over the writer's shoulder and see their typos, deletions, thoughts and complete U-turns. (left)

For those in a hurry, the time can be speeded up.  Links are provided to bios, publications and the finished poem. 

"The Visual Ranking Tool makes the process of ranking items and comparing lists easy. With a simple click and drag, students move items to any position in a list. Working in teams, they collaborate and negotiate their reasoning. The comment feature of the tool gives them a place to record this rationale. After the teams have finished making their lists, they compare their results with their classmates' versions and discuss the differences and similarities. Visual Ranking displays how closely the lists match and shows the correlation between two rankings.

The Visual Ranking Tool can be used at any stage of a learning project. As a pre-activity or pre-assessment, it helps students discuss their prior knowledge and identify the things that they need to research or study further. As a mid-unit activity, it helps put new learning in a context that will be more useful in the next activity or phase of the unit. At the end of a unit, Visual Ranking may be used to assess or reflect on learning."

As a class you might create the list together, then work in teams.   Teams drag and drop the items to prioritize and provide their rationale in the related text boxes.  They can compare their list with any other team, as well as, the whole class.

The illustration on the right shows a team comparing their ranking of most important inventions to another team.  Because there are no right answers it just provides more questions for discussion!  The colored lines and boxes help indicate matching items.  The correlation number brings in a math component for numerically measuring agreement or disagreement.  Teachers can comment and question students' choices and students can respond back.

I quickly set up a project to test drive the site.  It's pretty simple and works as billed.  Anyone already using it or wanting to try it please let me know!