Instructional Design project for EdTech 544 at SDSU

1. Concrete Jungle:
Urban Ecology Online
Jessica Ebel& Trudy Pachón
EDTEC 544

2. Welcome to Concrete Jungle
Congratulations!
The people of San Diego have elected you for Mayor.
The most recent polls show that the citizens are
seriously concerned about the environment.
According to surveys, the most important issues are:
•global warming
• endangered species
• overpopulation
• clean energy
• soil and agriculture
• water pollution
• planning for the future
The voters think you have what it takes to make San Diego the greenest city in America. You
might be wondering how you’ll learn to make wise decisions about the environment.
Well, this program is designed to train you for your new job. Throughout your training you
will be able to rely on your advisors and other tools to help you build a cleaner, brighter San
Diego.
One more thing! If you are successful at cleaning up San Diego, the President of the United
States will allow you to design and build your very own Eco-Friendly city! GOOD LUCK!

3. Create Your Character
Let’s Get Started!
First, you need to create your own avatar. Follow the steps in the tutorial to modify your look!

4. Your Advisors
Here to Help!
These professionals are here to assist you during each of your ecological missions.
Gertie Flanders will be Dr. Juliana de Fleur Mungo MacGregor is a Dr. Jen Miyuki is a
your secretary. She knows all about air. world famous Scottish “people person”. She’s
has worked in the She is head of the explorer and naturalist. in charge of everything
Mayor’s Office for over Atmosphere He conducts many over at Population
15 years. Administration . studies in the Life Management.
Sciences Laboratory.
Professor Filbert Russell Lum is an Dr. Mandira Kapoor, a Dr. Cleo Jones will help
Finestein is the leading expert on dirt. You can brilliant Indian chemist, you design your city of
scientist at the Energy find him at Soil and works at the Water the future. Find her at
Agency. Agriculture Services. Control Center. the HQ for Future
Development.

5. Navigation Bar: Click on any building.
How To Play: Tools and Resources
Checklist: Click the ▼ to see which missions you have
completed.
ECOPOINTS: You will receive points for every mission
you successfully complete. Later, you will be able to use
these points when you build your own city!
Ask Your Advisor: Click on the character to search for
answers to your questions or get helpful reminders and
advice.
Notebook: This is where you will take notes
during labs and activities..
Textbook: Use this tool to research topics by chapter or alphabetically. There‟s also a
place to practice vocabulary with flashcards and games.

6. Ready? Let’s start by finding out what you
already know…
MISSION CHECKLIST▼
Pretest
This slide represents the pretest. It will be useful later when comparing pretest and
posttest scores for evaluation purposes.
The test will be GRE style, adjusting questions to determine overall level. This way,
the students will not become discouraged if they are unable to answer the more
difficult questions.
Navigation
After completing the pretest, the students will work through the “Mayor‟s Office”
modules, which provide an overview and help them become familiar with the
program‟s features. Then, the students will learn about biogeochemical cycles, air
pollution, and climate change by completing the “Atmosphere Administration”
lessons.
Our Prototype
For our prototype, we focused on lessons three and four from the “Life Sciences
Laboratory” section. The students will have already finished lessons one and two
ECOPOINTS: 000000
from this unit, so we will presume that they now understand energy flow and how to
classify groups of animals. For our prototype, we developed the “Owl Investigation”
and “Food Chain” activities.

7. Life Sciences Lab
Dear Mayor, MISSION CHECKLIST▼
Hullo there! Welcome to mah laboratory! As ye
know, mah name‟s MungoMacGregor. Ah‟ll be
yore tour guide for this liddle section.
Durin‟ the Life Sciences Unit, you‟ll learn all there
is tae know aboot nature. We‟ll start wi‟ energy
an‟ then you‟ll learn aboot ecosystems. Then,
you‟ll get to study some wee, bonny birdies for a
bit. An‟ have ye no‟ ever wondered how all the
creatures in yore area survive? Och, „tis
allusinterestin‟ to learn about food chains and
webs!
Finally, Ah‟ll take ye aroond San Diego to explore
some of the amazin‟ biomes in yore own
backyarrrd! It‟s gonna be grrreat, Ah tell ye! ECOPOINTS: 17,000
It‟ll be a challenge, but dinna worry mah fair lads
an‟ lassies! Ah‟mgonna be right there to help ye if
ye have any questions.
Best o‟ luck to ye!
~Mungo

8. Owl Investigation
This morning, some visitors to San Diego
captured this incredible footage. MISSION CHECKLIST▼
Dear Mayor,
We caught this on film
while visiting San Diego. We hope
you can tell us more about what we
saw. We are very worried about this
owlet and want to know if he might
be sick. Perhaps you can help us to
learn more!
Sincerely,
The Australian Tourists
ECOPOINTS: 17,000

9. Owl Investigation
MISSION CHECKLIST▼
Tools
Your job is to dissect this disgustin’ owl vomit
in order to:
1) identify exactly what this little owl ate
2) determine whether this owl is sick
3) make some inferences about the
nature of the community in which the
owl lives
4) understand what scientists can learn ECOPOINTS: 17,000
from dissecting owl pellets

10. Owl Investigation
Follow the steps to complete the owl pellet dissection.
MISSION CHECKLIST▼
After that, ye‟ll use a chart to identify what ye discovered!
Tools
THE STEPS
1. Put your lab gloves on.
2. Use the ruler and scales to
measure your owl pellet.
3. Write down some observations
about your owl pellet on pages
27 and 28 of your notebook.
ECOPOINTS: 17,000

11. Owl Investigation
MISSION CHECKLIST▼
Tools
THE STEPS
1. Put on your lab gloves.
2. Use the ruler and scales to
measure your owl pellet.
3. Write down some observations
about your owl pellet on page
27 of your notebook.
ECOPOINTS: 17,000

12. Owl Investigation
MISSION CHECKLIST▼
Tools
THE STEPS
1. Put on your lab gloves.
2. Use the ruler and scales to
measure your owl pellet.
3. Write down some observations
about your owl pellet on page
27 of your notebook.
ECOPOINTS: 17,000

13. Owl Investigation
MISSION CHECKLIST▼
Tools
THE STEPS
1. Put on your lab gloves.
2. Use the ruler and scales to
measure your owl pellet.
3. Write down some observations
about your owl pellet on page
27 of your notebook.
ECOPOINTS: 17,000

14. Owl Investigation
MISSION CHECKLIST▼
Tools
THE STEPS
4. Carefully use the dissection probe
and tweezers to gently
separate the bones from the
soft bits and fur.
5. You can use the magnifying glass
to zoom in for a closer look.
6. As you remove the bones, place
them in the bowl of bleach
water.
ECOPOINTS: 17,200

15. Owl Investigation
MISSION CHECKLIST▼
Tools
THE STEPS
4. Carefully use the dissection probe
and tweezers to gently
separate the bones from the
soft bits and fur.
5. You can use the magnifying glass
to zoom in for a closer look.
6. As you remove the bones, place
them in the bowl of bleach
water.
ECOPOINTS: 17,300

16. Owl Investigation
MISSION CHECKLIST▼
Tools
THE STEPS
7. Gently remove each bone from
the bowl of water.
8. Sort the bones into piles.
9. Count the number of skulls and
record that in “actual # of
skulls” column on page 28 of
your notebook.
ECOPOINTS: 17,600

17. Owl Investigation
MISSION CHECKLIST▼
Tools
THE STEPS
7. Gently remove each bone from
the bowl of water.
8. Sort the bones into piles.
9. Count the number of skulls and
record that in “actual # of
skulls” column on page 28 of
your notebook.
ECOPOINTS: 17,600

18. Owl Investigation
MISSION CHECKLIST▼
Tools
THE STEPS
7. Gently remove each bone from
the bowl of water.
8. Sort the bones into piles.
9. Count the number of skulls and
record that in “actual # of
skulls” column on page 28 of
your notebook.
ECOPOINTS: 17,000

19. Owl Investigation
MISSION CHECKLIST▼
Tools
THE STEPS
10. Study the Skull Identification
Key on Page 29 of your
notebook.
11 Use the Dissection Microscope to
look closely at each skull.
12. The Bone Charts in your
textbook can also help you to
determine the species of each
skull.
ECOPOINTS: 17,700

20. Owl Investigation
MISSION CHECKLIST▼
Tools
THE STEPS
10. Study the Skull Identification
Key on Page 29 of your
notebook.
11 Use the Dissection Microscope to
look closely at each skull.
12. The Bone Charts in your
textbook can also help you to
determine the species of each
skull.
ECOPOINTS: 17,000

21. Owl Investigation
MISSION CHECKLIST▼
Tools
THE STEPS
10. Study the Skull Identification
Key on Page 29 of your
notebook.
11. Use the Dissection Microscope
to look closely at each skull.
12. The Bone Charts in your
textbook can also help you to
determine the species of each
skull.
ECOPOINTS: 17,700

22. Owl Investigation
MISSION CHECKLIST▼
Tools
THE STEPS
10. Study the Skull Identification
Key on Page 29 of your
notebook.
11 Use the Dissection Microscope to
look closely at each skull.
12. The Bone Charts in your
textbook can also help you to
determine the species of each
skull.
ECOPOINTS: 17,000

23. Owl Investigation
MISSION CHECKLIST▼
Tools
THE STEPS
13. Record the number of
skulls in the chart on page
28 of your notebook.
14. Answer the analysis
questions on page 30. If
you need help, search for
“owl” in your textbook.
ECOPOINTS: 17,700

24. Owl Investigation
MISSION CHECKLIST▼
Tools
THE STEPS
13. Record the number of
skulls in the chart on page
28 of your notebook.
14. Answer the analysis
questions on page 30. If
you need help, search for
“owl” in your textbook.
ECOPOINTS: 17,000

25. Owl Investigation
MISSION CHECKLIST▼
Tools
THE STEPS
13. Record the number of
skulls in the chart on page
28 of your notebook.
14. Answer the analysis
questions on page 30. If
you need help, search for
“owl” in your textbook.
ECOPOINTS: 17,000

26. 2. Why do you think owls need to
regurgitate owl pellets?
A.They have small stomachs.
B. They get sick easily.
C. They can‟t digest bones and fur.
D. They are being poisoned by pesticides.
E. They need to make room for another meal.
F. Both C and E.

27. 2. Why do you think owls need to
regurgitate owl pellets?
A.They have small stomachs.
B. They get sick easily.
C. They can‟t digest bones and fur.
D. They are being poisoned by pesticides.
E. They need to make room for another meal.
F. Both C and E.

28. 2. Why do you think owls need to
regurgitate owl pellets?
A.They have small stomachs.
B. They get sick easily.
C. They can‟t digest bones and fur.
D. They are being poisoned by pesticides.
E. They need to make room for another meal.
F. Both C and E.

29. 2. Why do you think owls need to
regurgitate owl pellets?
A.They have small stomachs.
B. They get sick easily.
C. They can‟t digest bones and fur.
D. They are being poisoned by pesticides.
E. They need to make room for another meal.
F. Both C and E.

30. Owl Investigation
MISSION CHECKLIST▼
Tools
THE STEPS
13. Record the number of
skulls in the chart on page
28 of your notebook.
14. Answer the analysis
questions on page 30. If
you need help, search for
“owl” in your textbook.
ECOPOINTS: 17,000

31. Owl Investigation
MISSION CHECKLIST▼
Tools
THE STEPS
13. CHALLENGE ACTIVITY for
BONUS POINTS: Choose one
skull. Assemble the rest of the
skeleton using the bone sorting
charts.
No, thanks!
ECOPOINTS: 18,000

32. Life Sciences Lab
Congratulations, Mayor! MISSION CHECKLIST▼
Ye‟ve completed the Owl Investigation and earned
a thoosand points feryerself! „An on top o‟ that,
you‟ve also won five hundred more points for
completing the challenge activity! I knew ye could
do it!
Now, you shouldnae forget what ye‟ve learned
because ye‟ll surely need it for the next lesson on
Food Chains. Ah must be off to the jungles of
Africa, but mah good friends Diana Torres and Dr.
Marcel Garcia are excellent field biologists. Ye‟ll
have tae meet them at the Natural History
Museum, and then they‟ll take ye out intae the
wilderness!
Och, I almost forgot! As another reward for ECOPOINTS: 18,500
yerharrd work, the citizens of San Diego have
given ye this liddle beauty! It‟s a solar-powered
personal helicopter. Go „head and give it a whirl!
~Mungo

33. Thank You!
MISSION CHECKLIST▼
Dear Mayor,
Thanks for doing all you can to learn
about our beloved owls of San
Diego! We just know that when the
time comes, you‟ll be ready to make
the best decisions for us and our
precious wildlife. Good luck on your
next mission!
Your adoring,
Citizens
ECOPOINTS: 18,500
Now you’ll have to fly your new ride from your downtown
office to the Museum of Natural History in Balboa Park for
your next mission!

34. The next set of images
would simulate the
helicopter flight from
downtown San Diego to
Balboa Park.

45. Urban Food Chains

46. By the end of this lesson you
should be able to:
1. Identify the main habitats in San Diego.
2. Identify urban, riparian and chaparral
creatures from San Diego.
3. Create a simple food chain.
4. Predict what will happen when a
creature is removed from a food chain.
Back

47. Directions
To complete this lesson:
1. Use your notebook to take notes.
2. Click to learn about each local organism. Click
Dr. Marcel Garcia will
on hotspots to learn more.
3. Review energy flow in aHe is
take it from here. food chain and make
sure you know each organism’s role in the food
very knowledgeable
chain.
4. aboutto learnDiego ecology.
Click San vocabulary words you don’t know.
5. Review previous lessons if you need to. These
cover some of the material we will go over
here:
1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.11
Back

48. First we‟ll Dr. Marcel Garcia.here
Hi! I‟m look around right I work
in our city,the Museum of Natural
here at then we‟ll go to the
San Diego I‟m goingexplore you to
History. River to to take
riparian habitats. Finally, we‟ll
a couple of spots here in San
explore Rose canyon here in about
Diego where we can learn
San Diego covered in chaparral
food chains.
habitat.
Back

49. Let‟s look at some San Diego Habitats
Chaparral /Sage scrub- The plants
and animals you see around the
canyons here in San Diego.
Riparian- Areas surrounding the
creeks and rivers
here in San Diego. Think: water
City/Urban-Areas that are dominated by
humans. San Diego is special because of
the canyons. Even urban areas have
native wildlife!
Back

50. Now it‟s your turn
Drag habitat type to its picture.
Urban
Riparian
Chaparral
Back

51. Now it‟s your turn
Drag habitat type to its picture.
Urban
Good Job! You know
your San Diego
Riparian habitats!
Chaparral
Back

52. Native vs. Non-native
You will need to know what native and non-native species
are.
NativeNon-Native species can in andbig effects on Diego.
Species-Naturally lives have evolved in San
Wasn‟tecosystems. They take space, use
brought in by humans.
resources and/or pollute environments to
the point that native species can‟t live there
Non-Native-Does not naturally live in San
anymore.
Diego. Was brought in by humans.
Back

53. Urban Ecosystems
Let‟s go to Paradise Hills here in San
Diego to look at some of the plants and
animals that live in the urban
environment! Look at each plant and
animal on your own.
Back

54. Welcome to
Paradise!
Back

55. American Crow
The American Crow is found
throughout San Diego.
• Native Species
• Extremely intelligent
• Gets energy from plants,
scavenges, and hunts small
mammals and insects
• Can remember where food is and
strategically hunt
• Very social birds (and loud!)
Back

56. Black Mustard
Black Mustard is found throughout
San Diego County.
• Non-Native Species
• Rapidly spreads, chokes out
native plants
• Mustard seeds were used to
make mustard
• Has become an important base
of many food chains
Back

57. House Mouse
There are many species of mice in
San Diego. Many are native, but the
most common in homes is the
House Mouse. House mice are
found throughout San Diego County
in populated areas and in homes.
• Non-Native Species
• Gets energy from human
trash, plants and hunts insects
and spiders
• Natural enemy of the Black
Widow!
• Click here to see all the species
of mice here in San Diego
Back

58. Species of mice found
in San Diego.
List provided by San
Diego Natural History
Museum.
Note: This does not
include Pocket Mice (17
more species!)
Back

59. Coyote
Coyotes are amazingly adaptable
animals. Found throughout San
Diego, they have found ways to co-
exist well with humans.
• Native Species
• Gets energy from hunting
individually, or in pairs
• Favorite food sources are
rabbit, snakes, other small
reptiles and rodents
• Intelligent, social mammals
Back

60. California
Sunflower
California sunflower is a lovely
plant which grows throughout
San Diego County.
• Native Species
• Part of the chaparral
community
• Flowers once yearly
• Seeds eaten by many
rodents in the ecosystem
• Leaves eaten by insects
Back

61. Brush Rabbit
The California Brush Rabbit is
abundant in San Diego county.
• Native Species
• Gets energy from plants in
the chaparral
• One to seven young are
born per litter, reproduces
fast!
• The brush rabbit is a type
of cottontail rabbit
Back

62. California
Buckwheat
California buckwheat is found
throughout San Diego and is found
in canyons as well as in urban areas
• Native Species
• Native Americans used as a
grain
• Blooms once yearly
• Tolerates extremely low water
conditions
• Seeds and and flowers
support a wide variety of
animals
Back

63. Grasshopper
Grasshoppers are common in San
Diego
• Native Species
• Many species of
grasshoppers
• Eat green parts of plants
• Can become problematic
when populations increase
• Can be a food source for
lizards, spiders, snakes, mice,
birds and other animals
Back

64. Black Widow
The Black Widow spider is a
common arachnid which lives
throughout San Diego, often in
people‟s yards and garages.
• Native Species
• Preys on insects
• Most venomous spider in North
America, but deaths are rare
• Injects very little venom
• Very shy animals
• Spin webs that lack shape
and form. Webs look erratic in
appearance.
Back

65. Hummingbird
Hummingbirds are very
common in San Diego
• Native Species
• Coexist well with humans
• 12 species in San Diego
• . Feeds on nectar from
flowers
• Preys on insects and
spiders as well
• Can hover in mid-air by
rapidly flapping their
wings up to 90 times per
second
Back

66. Cockroaches
Cockroaches are common
throughout San Diego county in
inhabited areas. They are not
often found without humans.
• Non-Native Species
• Eat human trash, food
droppings, pantry foods
• Coexist with humans
• 3 species are most common
• American, Oriental, German
• German cockroaches are most
common in homes in San Diego.
• Click here to see each type of
roach
Back

67. Back

68. Show How Energy Flows in a Food Chain
Drag and drop your energy sources to the correct position. Click here to review food chains.
Good Job, you showed how energy flows in the food
chain!
Back

69. Show How Energy Flows in a Food Chain
Drag and drop your energy sources to the correct position. Click here to review food chains.
Ooops! Remember
what you learned
about how energy
flows in a food chain!
Try again
Back

70. What would happen if you removed one link
from the chain?
The black widow populationthe coyote. due to mouse
WithThe spiders gonegrasshopper population
the uncontrolledpopulation explodes
TheLet‟s remove grasshopper population
mouse the decreases
because there are no coyotes.
devastates the plants.
overpopulation.
expands.
Back

71. Now it‟s your turn. What will happen when you remove
the mouse?
 A. The black widow population will go down.
 B. The coyote population will go up.
✔
 C. The grasshopper population will go down.
That‟s right! With the
 D. The sunflower population will go up.
mice gone, the spider
population will grow and
the grasshoppers will
decrease!
Back

72. Click on the Chapparal/Sage scrub
organism
Sage
Broom bacchus
Owl
Coyote
Mouse
Ground squirrel
California Sagebrush
Cooper‟s Hawk
Back

73. Click on the Riparian
organism
Cottonwood Tree
Mulefat
Raven
Coyote
Mule deer
Bee fly
Willow
Benthic insects
Dragonfly
Back

74. Vocabulary
Food chain Arachnid
Urban Coexist
Riparian Exotic species
Chaparral Habitats
Native species Inhabited
Non-native species
Back