Dollars For Diseases??
by Bari Mannlein
Introduction ·
Question ·
Background Info ·
Individual Roles ·
Group Process
Rubric ·
Conclusion ·
Teacher's Guide
Introduction ·
Question ·
Background Info ·
Individual Roles ·
Group Process
Rubric ·
Conclusion ·
Teacher's Guide
Introduction
Each year, millions of people,like Daryl Strawberry, are diagnosed with colon cancer. Thankfully, this type of cancer can be cured in approximately 99% of the people who are able to detect it early. Colon cancer is just one of many types of cancer that has a genetic component. Diseases that are genetic, are or can be, passed on from one generation to the next. Cancer is only one example. Many genetic diseases, unfortunately, start in childhood and are not yet curable. The well-known football player, Boomer Esiason, has a son who was born with cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis along with Down's Syndrome are two of the most widely known childhood genetic diseases. Some genetic diseases however, like Huntington's Disease, have a late onset and have affected people such as Woody Guthrie, the author of 'This Land Is Your Land.'
Researchers have identified the chromosomes responsible for many of these diseases, yet no cure has been found to date. One of the newest discovery has been the correlation between breast cancer and the Human Chromosome #22. Although it's been identified, more research is necessary to correct the defective gene. With breast cancer being the #1 cancer that affects women, this discovery has led many researchers to seek funds in order to continue this battle against genetic diseases.
The Question
The main question you will be asked to find an answer for is:
How should the Federal Government prioritize funds intended for genetic research?
Background Information
In order to become knowledgeable about genetic diseases and what it will take to prioritize them for funding, each person will have to know some basic information. Using the links below, be able to answer the following questions.
a. What is DNA?
b. What are genes?
c. What is a chromosme?
d. What makes a disease genetic?
e. What is the Human Genome Project?
f. What considerations must be taken when discussing or reporting on genetic diseases?
Make sure you can answer all the questions before moving into your individual assignments.
Glossaries of Human Genetics/Genome Project Terms
Howard Hughes Medical Center--Blazing the Genetic Trail
Genetic Science Learning Center
Genetic Disorders
Individual Roles
Now that you have some overall background knowledge, it's time to return to the main question for this WebQuest. Questions this big and important are better answered when a few people are working on it at one time. In order to answer the BIG QUESTION, everyone will need to know about a genetic disease in detail. Each person will be assigned a different genetic disease to research. You will then be a member of a larger team that will have to prioritize federal funds available for genetic research. Each person will be responsible for creating an individual report, reading and analyzing their team members report, participating in a conference online to assist in the decision making, and finally, actively engaging themselves in the critical thinking process to reach a conclusion with their team. Additionally, each team member will be required to group assess and self assess the decision process.
Class Research
Regardless of the disease you are assigned, you all have to reach a decision which will be based on values. As a level of maturity is reached, decisions should be based on values that are appropriate for society as well as an individual. In order to reach a decision, one must be aware of the problem and the solutions that can be associated with it. AFTER COMPLETING YOUR INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH, use the following as guide to help you reach a personal decision and then a team concensus regarding this dilemma. (Use the links below for additional information on solutions to genetic problems)
a. identify the problem you are faced with
b. choose from the value list, supplied by your teacher, any values you feel might be associated with making your decision
c. rank the values according to which are most important
d. list possible solutions (prioritization of diseases)
e. next to each solution, list the value associated with it (the different solutions to the problem should be based on different reasoning)
f. decide on a probable consequence if your #1 choice was implemented
g. list reasons why others won't agree
h. determine how confident you are that this solution is the best solution (rank it from 1-5, with a 5 being most confident)
- How To Conquer a Genetic Disease
- Understanding Gene Testing
- March of Dimes--Genetic Counseling
- Medical Genetics-UKMC-Genetic/Rare Conditions--Support Group Information Site
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention
- Genetic Testing, Screening, and Counseling
- Genetic Discrimination
- Ethical, Moral, and Social Issues
- Biocapitalism--What Price the Genetic Revolution?
- The Genetic Revolution
Help Page: Strategy for Analyzing the People's Opinions on the Topic
Individual Research
In order to answer the BIG QUESTION, everyone will need to know about a genetic disease in detail. Using the links below, search for the following information for your individually assigned disorder.
(a)the general cause--How does one inherit this disorder? It should include what type of mutation is involved with this disorder and on which chromosome the mutation is located.
(b) the clinical explanation of the disease--Find what traits a person will exhibit if he or she was to inherit this disease. Include all physical and/or mental problems associated with this disorder.
(c) the current treatment--Research completely what current treatments are associated with this disease. Include early detection programs, counseling, physical therapy, and/or drug therapy which might be applied to this disease.
(d) the future outlook--Research all possible cures and all research being conducted today in regards to this disorder.
(e) the bioethics involved--Research any possible ethical issues involved with this disorder. Be sure to consider you personal views on the issue. (Examples: experimental therapy, institutional care, and whether the parents should have more children)
- Yahoo Directory of Genetic Disorders
- healthAtoZ.com--Your Family health site
- The Murdoch Institute
- Healthfinder
- Mayo Clinic
- WebMd
- Gene Clinics
- Rare Genetic Diseases in Children on Internet Resource Gateway
- Genetic Disorders
- healthanswers.com
- Understanding Genetic Counseling, Genetic Testing and Screening Genetic Risk
Help Page: Strategy for Analyzing the Parts of the Topic
Group Synthesis
Congratulations! Your team is now full of expertise. Each person on your team has become expert on the topic of a genetic disorder. You've all learned a lot of information. But guess what? Gathering useful information isn't the same as truly understanding a topic. What experts in the field of learning suggest is that you now use that information in a new and challenging way. Then you'll really know about this topic. Remember. all of this research was done in order to answer the one big important question: How should the Federal Government prioritize funds intended for genetic research? As a group of genetic specialists, you are being asked to educate the government about diseases within your area of expertise. Using your 3D writing skills (refer to instructions supplied by teacher), you will first prepare a hyperlinked document about your assigned disorder. Using First Class software,according to teacher directions, you will post your 'report' online so that other members of your team can familiarize themselves with the information you provided. Each of you will have access to one anothers documents. After accessing ALL of your teammates reports, you will collaborate online by critically thinking about the discussion questions posted and stating your opinion/answer to them. Feel free to read, analyze, and respond to how others felt about the guiding questions. Upon completion of this conferencing, each team will be asked to prioritize the funding intended for future research and to support your reasoning. This will be posted online, also in First Class. Finally, each individual member of the team will be asked to compare the basis of another team's prioritization to their own, using the rubric provided by the teacher. Consider the following...
1. Determine where you all agree and where differences arise.
2. Use information, pictures, movies, facts, opinions, etc you explored to convince your teammates that your viewpoint is important and should be part of your team's answer to the Task / Quest(ion).
3. Your WebQuest team should write out an answer that everyone on the team can live with.
Real World Feedback:
Pitsco's Hotlist to Ask Experts
Conclusion
At the beginning of this activity, you were asked to determine possible solutions. Did you discover them? Was there only one? Did everyone on your team think so? How did you answer the main question for this WebQuest? Have you checked the evaluation rubric to guide what you did?
You deserve a lot of praise for all the work you've done. And so does your brain. You've sure put that gray stuff to the test. You gained background information, developed expertise in one particular area and got into some pretty expert analysis. At times, you must have felt confused with ideas spinning every which way. That's normal when you're building new mental connections. It's funny, with each link between what you already knew and the new learning going on, you broke another different kind of link. How will you use these ideas and strategies as you continue to grow and learn? It's all up to you. Good luck.
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created by Bari Mannlein email: bmannlei@srsd.org http://www.web-and-flow.com/members/bmannlei/geneticdisease/webquest.htm |