Enhancing Student Computer Skills with an On-Line Writing Project in Biology Ronald L. Hall Westminster Schools of Augusta Augusta, GA

The computer skills that students will need for college and in the workplace are growing every year.  On-line research, writing and editing with a word processor, working collaboratively, and electronic file sharing are all necessary skills for success in the world they will face in the future.

At the GaEtC conference (2005), I participated in two sessions on the uses of Google given by Patrick Crispen (Google 201: Advanced Googology and UberGoogle).  Google is a powerful search engine with many features that students will need to understand and use for research in college and beyond.  Mr. Crispen showed us many ways to use Google, including the Images section as well as standard searches.  These sessions inspired me to develop and assign a collaborative writing project in my 9th grade biology classes using Microsoft Word and the Internet.

During a unit on bacteria and viruses, we discussed in class the various pathogenic agents found in each group.  To allow students to delve more deeply into the subject, they were asked to write a report on one pathogen, the disease that it causes, and the treatments or preventative measures that can be taken to stop the organism from causing major harm.  Students were assigned to pairs, with each pair being assigned a different pathogen for research.  The project included finding the name of the pathogen and the disease that it caused, a picture of the pathogen, the symptoms of the disease, the dangers posed to sufferers of the disease, methods of diagnosis, how the disease is spread, the incidence of the disease, and methods of treatment or prevention.  The final project required at least two internet sources and was written in Word and turned in electronically.

After the assignment was made and discussed with students, we met for class in the computer lab.  Students worked with their partner using Google to find the sources that they needed and to organize their project.  We discussed finding reputable websites and students were able to check their findings with me during this exercise.  Further work was done on the school’s computers or at home, with the requirement that each partner contribute about 50% of the work toward the completion of the project.  Papers were turned in one week later either by e-mail or on a disk.

When the papers were turned in, I distributed them for peer review.  Since the papers were submitted, electronically, it was easy to remove student names and give each project a number, then print copies for students to read.  Perhaps in future assignments of this type I will also distribute them electronically, but here I just made paper copies.  Each student read four papers and ranked them according to the criteria of the project.

Students liked the scope and approach of this project and learned or exercised skills involving the use of computers.  They improved their skills with the search engine, practiced using Word, and had to share files back and forth with their partner.  Having them turn in the papers electronically will prepare them for the future when files of all types will have to be handled and submitted.  The peer review was especially useful (an idea I got from another session at GaEtC) since students were confronted with the work of other students on the same assignment.  The computer skills acquired and elements of collaboration practiced, this project was definitely worthwhile!

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