 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The TOPS BioWeb Program is a computer-based science program for secondary and middle schools in the Los Angeles region. After an opportunity to become familiar with the hardware and websites of the program, teachers will be able to use the BioWeb network in their classrooms to enable students to carry out research on a topic of interest to most science classes. Currently, BioWeb is focused on the Southern California region.
BioWeb advocates a broad-based approach to the study of any dimension of Southern California. Students choose a topic of interest, ask a question, and develop a project based on that question. Cross-curricular projects are encouraged. Educators and their students develop a mechanism to share BioWeb at their schools. The Student Research Conference is an opportunity for all BioWeb schools to build a regional tapestry of the Southern California experience. Students share their work in a supportive academic meeting setting at Occidental College.
The goals of the program include promoting and improving science education and literacy by providing educators and students with the support and hardware necessary to access web-based curricula in the classroom, encouraging the development and implementation of innovative learning models and encouraging students and educators to become lifelong learners.
The equipment available to each teacher (on loan for approximately one week two to three times per year) includes:
10
Macintosh iBooks (with AirPort card), 320 MB RAM (OS 10.3)
1
Airport Base Station
Assorted peripherals (e.g Zip Drive and Floppy Drive)
1
Cart for transport and secure storage
This equipment will permit access to selected websites via the Macintosh host computer, without the need for real-time Internet access. In addition, the BioWeb computers have an exclusive BioWeb eLibrary on the hard drive of every computer.
Featured Sites for Winter/Spring 2006:
HOTSPOT: California on the Edge
Curated by California Academy of Sciences scientists, discover the stunning biodiversity that exists within California and why the state has been designated as one of the world's 34 "biodiversity hotspots." Meet live frogs, salamanders, and insects, find endangered species, and explore six unique habitats. This exhibit is sponsored by Wells Fargo.Collapse? Why do some civilizations decline while others flourish? An Exhibtion at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
To find out, visit Collapse? and explore the role that environmental circumstances and other factors have played in the destinies of different societies, both past and present.The exhibition has been inspired by ideas in the latest book from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jared Diamond: "Collapse: How Societies Choose To Fail Or Succeed". Collapse? continues the Natural History Museum's recent tradition of producing rich, multi-sensory experiences with contemporary themes - like L.A: light / motion / dreams. Collapse? will be open from May 1 to January 17, 2006. To plan your visit, see the Museum's hours and directions.
Encounters: El Norte --The Spanish and Mexican North In Encounters: El Norte--The Spanish and Mexican North, the Autry National Center brings together the collections of the Museum of the American West and the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, each contributing to the story of the Spanish and Mexican north. Indian artifacts from the Southwest will enhance this story of encounters, and the Southwest’s complementary collections of Hispanic material also will be integrated into the gallery--from California mission paintings to the guitar given by Miguel de la Guerra to his fiancée Trinidad Ortega in the 1850s.
LA: light / motion / dreams It is a city of light, motion, and dreams. A light-drenched landscape perched on the edge of a continent, L.A. leans into future possibilities. It is a destination for transformation. It is an environment where dreams may be realized. This is the innovative combination that inspired the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County's latest offering: L.A: light / motion / dreams.
Student Project Examples from Previous Student Research Conferences: 2002 2003
- Student Project Abstracts Submitted for the Student Research Conferences: 2004 2005
Links for Educators:
Educator Application to the BioWeb Program
Schedule BioWeb for your Classroom
BioWeb Alignment with California Science Content Standards
Examples of BioWeb projects (Under Construction)
TOPS
BioWeb was made possible by support from the
Howard
Hughes Medical Institute
TOPS Homepage | BioWeb Program