05+A+Wiki+Project

=A Wiki Project - Isle Royale =

In previous years, my students have researched the relationship between the wolves and moose of Isle Royal. This ecosystem in Lake Superior has been studied for decades because it is almost completely isolated. Closed ecological systems are a rarity and scientists take advantage of this fact to study more precisely the relationship of populations. In this project students were assigned one element of Isle Royal. These elements include flora, fauna, geology, human influence, moose population changes and their resources, wolf population and their resources. The students began independently by researching their topic. Then they collaboratively created a rough draft of the information in 'expert' groups. Individuals returned to a project group to share their topic. Each project group was charged with creating a presentation that included all topics researched. Many years ago they made posters and wrote a paper. Finally they presented their work to the class. About 12 years ago, I switched them to using power point presentations. This year I will assign students to a wiki on their research topic so that the experts can collaborate; however experts will not be in the same class. They will be in a group that has one member from each of my classes. The project groups will also be established across all my classes. I will add a level to the project by requiring them to use an on-line wiki rubric to evaluate the final projects. The project will be accomplished across six weeks.