Written by:
12/5/2009 12:29 AM 

CSI- Crime Scene Investigation at school!

Third graders find unidentified skeleton on school campus.

What is one to do, when you find such a specimen on school grounds? Students across grade levels took a mini fieldtrip to the pond on campus to examine the skeleton. The BIG question for everyone, including teachers was: WHAT kind of animal was it? What an opportunity and teachable moment for students and teachers to collaborate in the investigation process and find out.

We had different approaches to the investigation:

Approach A:

• took photos of skeleton and xeroxed copies for students to take home and do research involving parents
• researched online for different images from animal skeletons to compare
• using parent veterinarian as resource
• got in touch with school librarian

Approach B:

• took photos of skeleton and e-mailed them to local Museum of Science and History, local zoo and Florida Fish & Wildlife Service
• e-mailed photos to local veterinarian.
• posted request for identification and research help on School Librarians listserve
• blogged about it on The Barefoot Librarian – Can you identify this Aninmal Skeleton?
• took the opportunity for lesson with 2nd & 3rd graders to talk about and demonstrate inquiry and research process
  • first stop library for reference interview
  • use books and online resources to narrow search
  • contact local experts
  • evaluate your sources. What makes an expert? (Animal lover versus Florida Fish & Wildlife Service Employee)

Approach C:

• took images of skeleton with iPhone
• uploaded to Twitpic, which sent  automatic tweet to  Twitter network

 Over the next three hours the “shout out” for help in identifying the skeleton received over 50 Twitter responses with

• links to resources to further investigate
• guesses on what it could be
• help to get experts involved
• questions to help further narrow the answers down
• advice where else to publish questions and take advantage of the power of social networking

Following recommendations, I uploaded the image to the ID-Please group on Flickr.

Within a short period of time comments and notes were left on the image.

Another tip came and suggested to upload the image to a site called “idthis.org”

The Twitter network also jumped in and retweeted (RT) the request for help onward to their network. Guesses and further questions what animal it could be flooded in. Suggestion of getting in touch with experts who could help our investigation along and their offer of help were so exciting.

I am amazed, again, at the power of the network. As the investigation spread across our school campus, so it did across the network. Having a support team, a flood of resources and experts at your fingertips (literally), it is truly an example how learning, research, has changed through the collaboration, connecting and communication tools of the social network era.

I am happy to report, that all three approaches of research came to the same conclusion.

Our skeleton seems to be a raccoon skeleton.

Our librarian has collected the specimen and is shipping it, as we speak, to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Services, who have offered to clean it up, give us a positive identification and ship it back to us.

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