Well......I guess everyone knows by now that Ask A Scientist takes quite some time to respond to questions. Actually, I had a difficult time even submitting my question. By the way, my question was, "How is a person's DNA affected if he/she receives an organ or bone marrow transplant." I tried several times to sumbit my question while using Internet Explorer. Each time the screen timed out before the question was submitted. I finally tried using Safari, and it worked right away.
Considering there is so much information on the web, and the amount of time it takes to get an answer back, I am not sure that Ask a Scientist is something I would use with my students. There are sights (like NASA) where you can partner with an engineer or scientist. They will work with you throughout the school year to answer questions or direct you to places where you can find answers. I think this is a much better arrangement for my middle school students.
Thanks to a Walden classmate, Kelly Roberson, I found the answer to my question. If you would like to know the answer, just go to http://www.thetech.org/genetics/ask.php?id=208 Thanks Kelly!
Have a great week!
I also am not sure how well this would work with students if it takes some time to get the answers. I am wondering if it would work to have students put in a question at the beginning of a unit. I already have students complete a KWL. Then students could get their answer by the end of the unit. I like this idea because sometimes I look through their want to know questions and get stumped by a good question. This would teach students how to get science questions answered online. Do you use the NASA sight with students? Sounds amazing and I can see middle school students being engaged by the quick feedback. I am going to look up the website from Kelly. Isn't it crazy that 99.9% of our DNA matches up with each other!
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