The Brain and Nervous System by Helen & Linda Kiddis

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This WebQuest is designed to be run over a 4 lesson sequence. The resources for each lesson of this WebQuest are located at the bottom of this page in the resources section.

Lesson 1: Anatomy and Physiology of the Brain
Lesson 2 : The Nervous System: Central and Peripheral.
Lesson 3 : The Neuron: Structure and Function
Lesson 4: Disorders of the Brain and Nervous system

It is pitched at Year 9 Science students. In particular, The topic is within the area of Life and Living ( Body Systems). It would be advisable to ensure that the students have some basic knowledge/ understanding of the human body prior to commencing this WebQuest. This would definently advantage the students in their learning process.

The whole purpose of the WebQuest is for the students to learn as much as they can about the Brain & Nervous System. The whole idea is that they are 'medical professionals' who need to know this sytem in great depth. This sets the standard and expectations prior to commencing the activity. Throughout the WebQuest there are investigations, readings and activities to complete. This encourages them to expand their knowledge and utilise lots of resources to address the WebQuest criteria.

At the conclusion of the WebQuest there is a survey for the students to fill out. Their responses are recorded and can be viewed on the survey monkey website. This serves as a way of gauging the students enjoyment/ opinion of the activity. In addition, it serves as a means of effectively making changes for next time. In this way the students are using ICT to reflect their opinions and responses back to you in a constructive way.

TEACHERS PAGE

This page is aimed at helping teachers plan and conduct this lesson in their own classroom setting.

Joint Statement:
The purpose of the ICT integration project is to produce a learning resource which is inquiry orientated and problem based. For our integration project it is specifically targeted towards high school science students in the outcome of Life and Living.
In addition the project must facilitate learning opportunities and student participation. Furthermore this project must incorporate ICT as a learning tool that can solve problems and engage students in the learning process. The integration project must also provide links to educational resources that can inform students� knowledge of the chosen topic area. In addition these resources must parallel the standard learning outcomes for the specific year group being taught.
If the project fails to meet this criterion then it is not considered a useful learning resource.
Overall the ICT integration project must link with an established learning theory and be a wholistic learning tool.

Mindmap
 Mindmap ICT project.docx

Project Plan
 PROJECT PLAN.docx

Forward Planning Document
 FPD-ICT-Nervous System.doc

Use of ICT
Which ICT and Why?

The three ICT we intend to use for our lesson deliverance are: Spider scribe, a class Wiki and interactive online activities. The rationale behind our ICT choices will be outlined below.
The use of spiders scribe was considered because it has a broad application to learning. It enables topics to be thought out in a visual way. In addition spider scribe provides an opportunity for student engagement and participation in the learning process. Spider scribe is seen as a tool which can be used to solve problems or expand simple ideas. In our context we are using it to expand on the basic knowledge our students have on the brain and nervous system. This will hopefully direct teaching and encourage learning in the areas which need attention, therefore making it a useful teaching tool.
The use of a class wiki facilitates research and note taking in a collaborative setting. This means that students can instantaneously view the research of their classmates in an educated forum known as a wiki. In addition this ICT tool facilitates learning in a constructivist fashion whereby students are able to build their own learning without being directly taught a concept. A wiki can also be used as a revision tool for exam time as it can be referred back to, making it a useful tool for present and future learning.
The use of interactive online activities was considered as part of our ICT lesson plan because it provides an opportunity for the students to test their knowledge of the content. In addition it provides a setting where students are able to engage with their learning instead of being passive observers to the learning process. Furthermore this ICT method is fun and interactive for the students, making learning an engaging endeavor. This ICT method is adaptable to various topics. In addition, there are many activities available for students if they want to continue their learning at home. It is therefore an excellent ICT resource to use for our chosen topic. For our subject we chose to use a labeling activity for the brain and a memory game, which are both useful interactive online activities for our chosen topic.
Overall these three ICT methods really help to engage the students and help facilitate them in the learning process. It also provides them with more opportunities to expand their own learning.
Learning Theory
Evidence based theory
Our ICT project is underpinned by three established learning theories of multiple intelligences, social constructivism and cognitive theory.
Our project is underpinned by the learning theory of multiple intelligences in that it uses ICT to cater to the different types of learners that could be present in a class. Through the use of visual brainstorming we are catering to the interpersonal and linguistic learners. Through the use of a wiki we are catering to the logical-mathematical and spacial learners. Through our use of ICT we are expanding the view of learning to cater for those people that learn differently and hopefully benefit their experience of learning.
Our ICT project is also underpinned by the social constructivism learning theory which states that learners construct knowledge out of their experiences. We have recognised this type of learning by integrating an ICT method which helps facilitate this type of learning. The use of a class wiki is the ICT we chose as it facilitates the process of knowledge being actively constructed in an orderly fashion. It also facilitates co operative learning which is a key component in the constructivist learning theory.
Finally our ICT project is underpinned by the cognitive learning theory as it facilitates discovery learning. We present the students with a problem such as how do we think and ask them to work backwards to figure out the part of the brain responsible and why. This type of learning is useful and underpins our ICT project because it facilitates higher order thinking and encourages the ability to problem solve. The use of spider scribe is exceptionally useful in this type of learning as we are able to use it to map out a problem and the possible solutions to it. Furthermore the use of interactive online activities also facilitates the use of cognitive skills to solve problems, which are incorporated into to our ICT project.
Overall the three main established learning theories have under pinned our ICT project in some way making it a useful resource to facilitate active learning and participation of students in the learning process.

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