Using the Web Site

The Web site for The Science of Mental Illness is a tool that can engage student interest in learning, enhance the student’s learning experience, and orchestrate and individualize instruction. The Web site features simulations that articulate with several of this module’s lessons. The Web site includes the following resources:

• activities, including animations and videos, that students use as part of the lessons to understand more about mental illness;
• an introduction to the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Mental Health; and
• an online version (both HTML and PDF formats) of the curriculum supplement, including the masters.

Text pertaining only to Web-based activities is lightly shaded.

Hardware/Software Requirements

The Web site can be accessed from Apple Macintosh and IBM-compatible personal computers. Links to download the Macromedia Flash and QuickTime plug-ins are provided on the Web site’s Getting Started page. These plug-ins are required for the activities to function properly. The recommended hardware and software requirements for using the Web site are listed in the table below. Although your computer configuration may differ from those listed, the Web site may still be functional on your computer. The most important items in this list are current browsers and plug-ins; older versions may not work satisfactorily.

To access the Web site, type the following URL into your browser: http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/mental.

Recommended Hardware/Software Requirements for Using the Web Site*

CPU/processor (PC Intel; Mac)	Pentium III, 600 MHz; or Mac G4
Operating system (DOS/Windows; Mac OS)	Windows 2000 or newer; Mac OS 9 or newer
System memory (RAM)	256 MB or more
Screen display	800 × 600 pixels, 32 bit color
Browser	Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or Netscape Communicator 7.1
Browser settings	JavaScript enabled
Free hard drive space	10 MB
Connection speed	High speed (cable, DSL, or T1)
Plug-ins	Macromedia Flash Player (version 6 or higher) and QuickTime Player (version 6 or higher)
Audio	Sound card with speakers
*For users of screen-reader software, a multichannel sound card such as Sound Blaster® Live!™ is recommended.

Getting the Most out of the Web Site

Before you use the Web-based activities (or any other piece of instructional technology) with your students, it might be helpful to identify some of the benefits that you expect the materials to provide. The Web-based activities in this curriculum module can

• motivate students by helping them enjoy learning and stimulating them to learn more because it enlivens content that they might find uninteresting otherwise;
• offer unique instructional capabilities that allow students to explore topics in greater depth and in ways that are closer to actual field experience than printed resources can offer;
• support teachers as they experiment with new instructional approaches that allow students to work independently or in small teams; and
• give teachers increased credibility among today’s technology-literate students.

The number of computers needed for optimal use of the Web site depends on the specific activity. For some activities (Activities 1 and 3 in Lesson 1, Activity 3 in Lesson 2, and Activity 1 in Lesson 4), we recommend that you use a projection system to display the material to the class. For other activities, the ideal situation would be to have one computer for each student team. Even for those activities, however, you can still use the Web site if you have only one computer available. For example, you can use a projection system to display the image for the whole class to view. Giving selected students the opportunity to manipulate the Web activities in response to suggestions from the class can give students some of the same autonomy in their learning that they would gain from working in small teams. Alternatively, you can rotate student teams through the single computer station. If you do not have computer or Internet access, you can use the print-based alternative provided for each Web-based activity.

Collaborative Groups

Many of the activities in the lessons are designed to be completed by teams of students working together. Although students working on their own can complete these activities, this strategy does not stimulate the student-student interactions that are one of the goals of active, collaborative, inquiry-based learning. We often recommend that students work in teams of three on both Web- and print-based activities. Depending on the number of computers available, organize students into teams of two to four. Students in teams larger than this have difficulty organizing student-computer interactions equitably. This can lead to one or two students assuming the primary responsibility for the Web-based work. Although larger teams can be efficient, team members do not experience the in-depth discovery and analysis that the Web site was designed to provide. Team members not involved directly may become bored or disinterested.

We recommend that you keep students in the same collaborative teams for all the activities in a lesson. This allows each team to develop a shared experience with the Web site and with the ideas and issues that the activities present. A shared experience also enhances your students’ perceptions of the lesson as a conceptual whole.

If your student-to-computer ratio is greater than four to one, you should modify the way you teach the module from the procedures in the lessons. For example, you might want students to complete the Web-based work across an extended time period. You can do this several ways. One approach is to use available computers as centers for the Web-based work and, at the same time, establish separate centers at which students complete other activities in the module. In this approach, students rotate through the computer centers, eventually completing the Web-based work you have assigned.

Web Activities for Students with Disabilities

The Office of Science Education (OSE) is committed to providing access to the Curriculum Supplement Series for individuals with disabilities, including members of the public and federal employees. To meet this commitment, we comply with the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Section 508 requires that individuals with disabilities who are members of the public seeking these materials will have access to and use of information and data that are comparable to those provided to individuals who do not have disabilities. This online version complies with Section 508.

If you cannot access the information on the Web site using assistive technology (such as a Braille reader or a screen reader) or if the format of any material interferes with your ability to access the information, please contact us by e-mail or mail for assistance. To enable us to respond in a manner most helpful to you, please indicate the nature of your accessibility problem, the format in which you would prefer to receive the material, the Web address of the requested material, and your contact information.

Contact us at

Curriculum Supplement Series
Office of Science Education
National Institutes of Health
6100 Executive Blvd., Suite 3E01 MSC 7520
Bethesda, MD 20892-7520
supplements@science.education.nih.gov

The Science of Mental Illness 508-Compliant Web Activities

Lesson, activity	For students with hearing impairment	For students with sight impairment
Lesson 1, Activity 1: Inducing a Response	This activity includes sound effects that may not be heard by students with a hearing impairment. A visual equivalent will also be displayed in conjunction with the sound effects.	This activity includes graphics that may not be seen by students with a sight impairment. An auditory equivalent will be available in conjunction with the graphics.
Lesson 1, Activity 3: What Happens in the Brain?	Students may click on the closed-captioning icon to view the captioning for the animations. The icon is located in the top left corner of the animation after it begins playing. The text appears below the animation.	Students using a screen reader or screen magnifier will hear descriptions of the animation along with the original audio narration. The descriptions will help the students gain an understanding similar to that of other students.
Lesson 2, Activity 1: What’s the Health Problem?	Students may click on the closed-captioning icon to view the captioning for the animations. The icon is located in the top left corner of the animation after it begins playing. The text appears below the animation.	Students using a screen reader or screen magnifier will be able to access an alternate version of the activity. This version allows students to hear the audio narration for each case and complete the activity forms through their Web browser. Teachers will need to assign specific cases to students.
Lesson 2, Activity 3: Observing the Depressed Brain	No special considerations are required.	Students using a screen reader will hear a description of the PET images. The descriptions will help the students gain an understanding similar to that of other students.
Lesson 4, Activity 1: Will It Get Better?	No special considerations are necessary.	Students using a screen reader will hear a description of the PET images. The descriptions will help the students gain an understanding similar to that of other students.
Lesson 5, Activity 1: Like Any Other Kid	Students may click on the closed-captioning icon to view the captioning for the video interviews. The icon is located in the top left corner of the video after it begins playing. The text appears at the bottom of the video.	Students using a screen reader or screen magnifier will hear the original audio narration and, in some instances, a description of the video.

Next: Information about Mental Illness and the Brain

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