Apr 02, 2015
SEE
Introduction to Systems
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Introduction to Systems – Unit Plan

Introduction:

To foster understanding of systems, students first work with a familiar example – a cell phone network. Students manually build a schematic of a cell phone network within the class and learn how the complexity of networks makes their analysis very difficult to perform by hand. Students then use a computer program (Cytoscape) developed by leading scientists in the field of Biological networks to perform sophisticated analyses of their cell phone network. By using this software, students study the network in ways very analogous to how real scientists study networks in Biology.

Objectives


What Students Learn:

  • A network is a system of interconnected parts. These parts may be organisms, genes, molecules, etc…
  • Nodes are the parts of a network, and edges are the relationships between those parts of the network
  • A network shows the flow of something through a system, including information (cell phone network), energy (food web), etc…
  • Scientists use computer programs to analyze networks because networks are often very complex.


What Students Do:

  • Students create and analyze a cell phone network.
  • Students use the computer program Cytoscape to analyze the cell phone network.
  • Students use a computer program (Cytoscape) track flow of information through a network
  • Students use a computer program (Cytoscape) to interpret the impact of removing nodes on a network

Pacing Guide:

This unit consists of 2 lessons designed for 50-minute periods (except where indicated).

Lesson 1- Cell phone network introduction (2 periods)
Lesson 2- Cytoscape cell phone network

Unit Assessment:

Assessment networks and halo.doc. This post-assessment should be given to students after they have completed Lesson 1 and Lesson 2 of this module in addition to the Ecological Networks module.

For the answer key, please contact us.

Resources:

Advanced preparation
TEACHER HALO KIT EVAL 2005.doc