Introduction

What's the truth and who says so? In the old days (say just before you were born), people could read books, study, and feel pretty sure they knew what was going on. Then things started changing. We realized everyone had an opinion and if we listened, we could learn something. We also found that a lot of topics weren't separate, but connected to each other. So thinking in little boxes didn't work so well. Then along came the Web. Ah-oh... Because anyone can publish a Web page and passionate people tend to want to get their ideas out there, almost any interest, concern or issue has its online community.

Guess what: you're going to use the Web for learning. And grabbing someone else's ideas without giving them a close look is worse than silly. Think of it as intellectual slavery. So let's break the chains.

As a group you're going to explore the topic of exponentials. Each member of your team will become an expert in one part of the topic. Then you'll have to come back together to answer a question that gets to the heart of 'what's the truth and who says so?' We want you to do a good job, so why not read the evaluation rubric for this WebQuest?

The Question

The main question you will be asked to find an answer for is:

Ok, so here it is!! I am the President of the United States and have some money to spend. Your job is to research an area that impacts society and demonstrates some form of exponential growth or decay. You will need to persuade me to spend the money on your interest area and show me the math the American public needs to understand.

Background Information

Before becoming an expert on one aspect of this topic, we'd better make sure that everyone on your
WebQuest team knows the basics. Use the links below to examine the difference between linear and
exponential relationships. First print out the worksheet and then visit each link to gather your data. From the data, predict if the data is linear or exponential. Then graph the data and find the model of best fit using your graphing calculator. Did you predict correctly???

back:weed

back: $

back: pop

back:height

back:worksheet to print and do

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. Things work even better when a group of you decide to look at the question from different perspectives. This way team members can become experts on different aspects of the question and then come together to poll their learning. This is where team work pays off. So are you ready to divide and conquer this question?

spread of a disease

I have given you links for Lymes and AIDS. If you have an interest in a different disease, be prepared to do some surfing at home, as class time is limited on this task.

Investigate the following links to gather persuasive information and hard data to create an argument addressing the following questions:
1. What are the public concerns of this disease?
2. Is there an accurate detecting test? A vaccine, a cure?
3. What are the public and health costs of this disease? Why would money spend on this issue save money in the long run? Justify your argument.
4. Is this disease a serious future public concern?

epidemics

think quest project

general info

data

aids

transmission/prevention

alternative treatment

for lymes and aids

bacteria growth

Use the links below to learn more about your role. Specifically, look for answers to the following questions:

1)Where is bacteria in our everyday life?
2) How fast does it grow?
3) Should this be a public concern ( sickness, fatalities) ? Pick one type that is and discuss it. You may choose a different bacteria other than the ones found in the following links. If so, be prepared to do some surfing at home, as class time on this task is limited.
4) What measures can the public take to minimize its spread?
5)What are the health costs of the spreading? Is there a major future concern?
6) How can government spending help this issue?

bac growing problem

bacteria growth chart refrig

food safety slide show

cal law for safe cooking

time and temp make difference

Group Synthesis

Congratulations! Your team is now full of expertise. Each person on your team has become an expert on the topic of Exponentials. You've all gathered 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.
So with your team members, carefully read and try to answer the main question for this WebQuest. Use information, pictures, movies, facts, opinions, etc you explored to convince yourclassmates that your viewpoint is important and shouldreceive the Presidential funding.
Before you are done, check out this assessment.

Real World Feedback:

Conclusion

At the beginning of this activity, you were asked about the difference between linear and exponential growths. Did you discover it? Did everyone in your group? 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, remember the intellectual slavery we spoke about earlier? You're free! How will you use these ideas and strategies as you continue to grow and learn? It's all up to you. Good luck.

created by Ellen Plumley email: eplumley@srsd.org http://www.web-and-flow.com/members/eplumley/exponentials/webquest.htm