Teacher's guide for Offshore Windfarms in the United States?

by Pamela Olson

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Introduction

Use this WebQuest to help 10-12th grade high school and college students in Environmental Science learn about Offshore Windfarms in the United States. The goal is to get students to use critical thinking skills.

Overview

Main Topic:	wind energy
Subtopics:	Offshore wind farms in the United States, renewable energy, global warming, US energy policy
Grade Level:	10 - 12
Subject(s):	Science
Learning Goal:	engaging in critical thinking

Vision and Reality

If the learning goal were achieved in the most ideal of perfect worlds it would look something like:

Use this WebQuest to help students learn about the renewable energy source of wind power and the development of offshore wind power (wind farms) worldwide and the current debate about such development in the United States.
The goal is to have students engage in critical thinking through problem solving and to use the internet to research the many issues related to the decision on whether or not to permit the building of offshore wind farms in the United States.

However, what I anticipate probably looks more like:

This WebQuest would be best scheduled as a long term project due to the complexity of the subject and tasks required.
Collaboration between classroom teacher and library media specialist is highly recommended .
To achieve the greatest impact on student learning students should have mastered basic computer skills, including use of browsers, search engines, Microsoft PowerPoint and word processing skills.

The What - If Inventory

To give the activity its best chance at helping students learn, I assembled this list of possible resources:

Cmputer lab
Access to resource web sites and other linked web sites
Visits to proposed offshore wind farm sites or existing wind farms.
Guest speakers from the Army Corp of Engineers, Wind Industry,
Department of Energy or citizen groups.
Online databases InfoTrac on line database for magazine articles, BigChalk for articles.
Gipe, Paul, Wind Energy Comes of Age, John Wiley & Sons, Inc 1995
Dupler, Doug, Energy Shortage, Glut or Enough? Information Plus Reference Series, Gale Group 2001
Berinstein, Paula, Alternative Energy:facts, statistics, and issues Oryx Press 2001



There are many web sites with information about wind power and the development of offshorewind farms around the world. The development of the first offshore wind farms in the United States is currently being discussed.

collaborate with students from other countries in the world where offshore wind farms have already been developed.

Standards

Standards

Massachusetts’ Curriculum Frameworks
http://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/current.html
Grades 9-12
· Strand 3 Technology
Nature and Impact of Technology
· Strand 4 Science, Technology and Human Affairs
· Language Arts
National Standards
Science and technology in local, national, and global challenges
· Science and Technology are essential social enterprises, but alone they can only indicate what can happen, not what should happen. The latter involves human decisions about the use of knowledge. Understanding basic concepts and principles of science and technology should precede active debate about the economics, policies, politics, and ethics of various science-and-technology related challenges. However, understanding science alone will not resolve local, national, or global challenges.
· Progress in science and technology can be affected by social issues and challenges.
· Individuals and society must decide on proposals involving new research and the introduction of new technologies into society. Decisions involve assessment of alternatives, risks, costs, and benefits and consideration of who benefits and who suffers, who pays and who gains, and what are the risks and who bears them. Students should understand the appropriateness and value of basic questions…”What can happen?”—“What are the odds?”—and “How do scientists and engineers know what will happen?”
· Humans have a major effect on other species. For example, the influence of humans on other organisms occurs through land use---which decreases space available to other species---and pollution—, which changes the chemical composition of air, soil, and water.

Earth and Space Sciences
Level IV Grade: 9-12
Standard 1
Understands atmospheric processes and the water cycle
· Knows how winds and ocean currents are produced on the Earth's surface (e.g., effects of unequal heating of the Earth's land masses, oceans, and air by the sun
Standard 6
Understands relationships among organisms and their physical environment
· Knows how the amount of life an environment can support is limited by the availability of matter and energy and the ability of the ecosystem to recycle materials
· Knows ways in which humans can alter the equilibrium of ecosystems, causing potentially irreversible effects (e.g., human population growth, technology, and consumption; human destruction of habitats through direct harvesting, pollution, and atmospheric changes)
Standard 13
Understands the scientific enterprise
· Knows that, throughout history, diverse cultures have developed scientific ideas and solved human problems through technology
· Understands that individuals and teams contribute to science and engineering at different levels of complexity (e.g., an individual may conduct basic field studies; hundreds of people may work together on a major scientific question or technological problem)
· Knows that science and technology are essential social enterprises, but alone they can only indicate what can happen, not what should happen
· Understands that science involves different types of work in many different disciplines (e.g., scientists in different disciplines ask different questions, use different methods of investigation, and accept different types of evidence to support their explanations; many scientific investigations require the contributions of individuals from different disciplines; new disciplines of science, such as geophysics and biochemistry, often emerge at the interface of older disciplines)

Information Literacy
Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning

National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) addressed include:

Basic operations and concepts:
· Students demonstrate a sound understanding of the nature and operation of technology systems. Students are proficient in the use of technology.

Social, ethical, and human issues:
· Students understand the ethical, cultural, and societal issues related to technology.
· Students practice responsible use of technology systems, information and software.
· Students develop positive attitudes toward technology uses that support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits and productivity.

Technology productivity tools:
· Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity and promote creativity.
· Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works.

Technology Communication tools:
· Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences.
· Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.

Technology research tools:
· Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.

Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools:
· Students use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions.
· Students employ technology in the development of strategies for solving problems in the real world.

Conclusion

Through the use of problem-based learning strategies employed in this WebQuest, students have had the opportunity to practice creative problem-solving skills, cooperation, critical thinking skills, consensus building skills, cooperation, communication, and teamwork.

They have furthered their understanding of technology and society by using the internet to research current information, and creating a multi-media Power Point presentation.

They have had the opportunity to apply their knowledge and receive real world feedback by writing a letter to Congress. Students have been given the opportunity to plan the course of and take responsibility for their own learning and their performance has been evaluated using an authentic assessment tool.

Credits
thanks to Becky Mather, University of Northern Iowa, professional workshop, Problem-Based Learning with WebQuests, July 2003

created by Pamela Olson email: po.avalon2@verizon.net http://www.web-and-flow.com/members/polson/webquest/webquest.htm