Tree of Life Web Project

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• Learn more about animals, biodiversity, biology, evolution, insects, and plants.

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The Tree of Life Web Project is an online database that compiles information about biodiversity and the evolutionary relationships of all organisms. The navigation of the site is meant to mirror the phylogenic tree of life, and users can move up and down the branches to find organisms. There are thousands of amazing illustrations and photographs to accompany the information provided about each organism. There are also numerous references and other links provided to help find more information regarding various organisms. The majority of the information provided on the site is at a very high level, and was originally intended for biologists studying biodiversity and phylogenies. This being the case, it is a good idea to turn on the glossary feature of the site, which highlights unfamiliar terms and gives a definition when you roll over the term with the mouse.In addition to the scientific information provided about thousands of organisms, there is also a section called Treehouses that is meant to be used by children, teachers, and anyone interested in publishing a contribution to the site about their interests and experiences regarding topics related to biodiversity. Here, the resources are at a level that is accessible to non-scientists, children and adults alike. Some of the resources found in the Treehouses include slide shows, flash presentations, stories, activities, a webquest about learning with and using the site, and links to other web resources.

The treehouse building tools provide a web based data entry process for muti media formats. Having students build a treehouse would be an excellent format for an assignment that integrates science with communication and technology skills. Read below to see what the creators have to say about the site’s educational value in the classroom.

• Create excitement about bioscience learning by providing your students with fun and creative ways to learn about Life on Earth.
• Support the scientific inquiry process in your classroom and help create young scientists. ToL learning resources assist students with building their prior knowledge, reflecting on their practice, publishing their results, entering into the dialogue of scientists, and generally building their self-concept as science practitioners.
• Forge connections between science, literacy and technology learning. Creating web pages provides a motivating medium to promote student writing and scientific enterprise. The process of building a web page will cultivate students’ basic computer skills, as well as more advanced areas such as the creation of multimedia files.