Originally posted on January 19, 2017 @ 8:37 am
ICT in Biology
The documentation on the ICT requirements for the new course is currently not well documented. However it is expected that the five categories will remain the same as they were in the old course:
- Data logging
- Graph plotting software
- Spreadsheet
- Database
- Computer model/simulation
ICT in IB Biology is an excellent resource for all aspects of ICT usage from graph construction to online databases.
Datalogging
For DP Biology I recommend Vernier and the resources in terms of practical protocols they provide.
Graph plotting and spreadsheet software
HHMI Spreadsheet Data Analysis Tutorials will show you how to use google sheets to analyse data, produce tables and plot graphs.
It is currently (to the best of my knowledge) not possible to put error bars onto data points in scatter graphs in google sheets (although you can for bar graphs oddly) and I therefore recommend that students use Excel to carry out data processing and presentation.
The problem arises in schools with BYOD policies that don’t take into account that students need to have the same version of these programs to ensure a flow of learning in classrooms where teachers are trying to instruct their students on this stuff.
Databases