Techie Learning Tech

We're creating an Inquiry-Based Learning Activity in my Tech class. We have the option of a document-based activity, where the students are basically filling out an electronic worksheet by researching various websites, or (for extra credit) actually creating a WebQuest on http://questgarden.com. Of course, I'm going to go the WebQuest route. Fun!!!!

So a topic... hmm,... Well, I'd like to eventually teach AP Calculus, so I think I'll go with something involving the derivative. I checked out the Teacher's Guide to Stewart's Calculus, which is the textbook they use in Knox Co. for AP Calculus (incidentally the same book they use for Math 141-142 at UTK). Derivatives are Chapter 3 and Applications of Differentiation are Ch. 4. I'm trying to decide if this WebQuest will be an introduction to differentiation or something to tie it all together at the end of Ch. 4.

If they had more background knowledge, the WebQuest might be a little more fun,... but if differentiation was somewhat new to them, it would involve more discovery. Hm,... Section 3.4 is called "Rates of Change in the Natural and Social Sciences," that might be a good place to focus as far as the text is concerned. Okay, I flipped to that section in the book and it covers these standards:

• II.2c, "Instantaneous rate of change as the limit of average rate of change,"
  
• II.3d, "Equations involving derivatives. verbal descriptions are translated into equations involving derivatives and vice versa," and
  
• II.5f, "Interpretation of the derivative as a rate of change in varied applied contexts, including velocity, speed, and acceleration."

There's also a pretty cool "Group Work" worksheet in here for that section... Maybe I could convert that into my WebQuest? Hmm,...