Discussion Question

1. Describe one difference between mitosis and meiosis.

Every day our bodies expend and burn through cells. All of our cells have lifespans and eventually either die off or die by other means such as trauma to our bodies. In order for us to continue to live and continue to maintain our daily lifestyles our bodies must be able to be able to use up and replace all of the cells that we expend. On top of this our bodies must be able to replicate and produce more cells in order for us to reproduce and create more offspring. In order for our bodies to do this, they must accomplish tasks in order to replace and create all of these cells. The ways that the body is able to do this is known as both mitosis and meiosis. Mitosis is the process that our body utilizes in order to maintain our bodies use and abuse of the cells. This process allows the body to both repair and regenerate cells in order for us to continually grow and maintain. Meiosis is the process that our body will utilize in order to both prepare for sexual reproduction and continue sexual reproduction. Both of these processes involve a system of checks and balances in order for the cells to be created properly. One of the main differences with these two types of cell reproduction Is how many cells are created during each division or process. Ultimately at the end of mitosis our bodies are able to create and end up with two identical diploid cells. Within these cells there is genetic information that is also identical. At the end of meiosis our bodies are able to end up with four different haploid cells. Within the inside of these haploid cells, they contain completely different types of genetic information. When regenerating cells for repair and replacement our bodies must be able to make identical cells to replace the same ones. When creating new genetic material our bodies need to make multiple different cells in order to create different sets of genetic material. This is one example of the difference between mitosis and meiosis.

The Discussion Board Guidelines are below.  Be sure to read the rubric. Please check this!  It’s our way of telling you how to best succeed. For now, use the info below to guide you.

1. Post your answer on a specific topic to one of the questions.  This is due by Wednesday night.  You then need to respond to a classmate. Your response needs to be made on a dffierent day than the answer to the question.  Therefore, your posts needs to be made on  2 different days of the week.  You will not receive full credit if you post both comment to your classmates and answer my questions on the same day.
2. Here are some key phrases from the AP DB rubric about high quality posts:
   1. “indicate your mastery of the materials”
   2. “integrate multiple views”
   3. “present a seed for reflection”
   4. “provide evidence that you are reading, comprehending… the assigned materials and other student postings
   5. “giving thoughtful consideration to the assigned materials and other student postings”
   6. “able to analyze them [the facts] and handle conceptual ideas”
3. Be sure to either repeat the question to which you are responding or to include mention of the topic of the question in the first sentence of your post.  This allows others to orient themselves to your response. Also, as you are answering the question, please address the person you are answer.  For instance, when answering one of the question sets, address your answer to the instructor (and your class).  When you are posting a comment to your classmates, include your classmates name in your post so that they will know you are providing more information about their topic.  This will also help me to determine whether you are answering one of the questions in the question set, or making a comment to your classmates postings.
4. Important!  Remember to read all new posts before submitting your answers. Repeated answers/topics will not count as a post. It is best to make a list of the topics as you are reading each other’s posts so that you are not repeating posts when you submit your answers.
5. Your posts should be a paragraph in length (minimum of 300 words). This does not include the question, quoted material, in-text/end-of-text citations, or statements that say "I agree, great job, I learned a lot or similar language" when commenting on your classmates posts.  Short posts will not receive full credit. The discussions can incorporate material from the book as well as outside sources. When copying material for the text or outside sources (make sure it is in quotation marks), it does not count as part of the minimum length.
6. Remember that, in addition to your post answering one of my questions, you must respond to at least one other student’s post by the same set of guidelines.
7. When responding to someone’s post, remember to do more than just say: “ I agree” or “that’s great.”  Extend the discussion by bringing in a different example, asking a question, providing additional details, disorders, diseases, debating, and/or connecting their response to a question you chose to answer.
8. Keep in mind that in science we seldom use quotations.  The best way to determine if you understand something is to explain it to someone else in your own words.
9. All posts will be run through SafeAssign/TurnItIn, which is plagiarism detection software, per department regulations.  You cannot reuse previous posts you have written from a prior semester. Evidence of plagiarism will result in a zero for the assignment.  Repeated violations result in referral to the Academic Integrity committee.
10. Be sure to cite the source of your information when posting. Your citations can be at the end of your post.  In-text citations do not count towards your word length.

10. 1. This is necessary even if you are not directly quoting someone.  You must provide a reference for any idea that is not your own, and for any information that is not common knowledge, even if you have put them in your own words. 
    2. Some internet resources are not acceptable.  These include any web address that includes about.com, answers.com, wisegeek.com or Wikipedia.org anywhere in the URL.  I will make a comment in your posts if the citation is unacceptable.  Repeated uses from the same website will result in point deductions.
    3. If you use a source other than your text, be sure to include the entire reference.  If it is a website, when I click on the link, it should bring me to the exact page in which you obtained the information.  You can do this by copying the entire http:// line. 
    4. To help keep track of your sources, it helps to have a word file open while doing your research.  Copy the URL and title of the page as you type notes.  (This can also help with grammar and spelling if you use Word’s built-in checker.).
11. Spell-check your posts! You can spell check your posts easily within the DB reply window. 
12. Read ALL the posts for the week, not just your own.  The DB is meant to be a true class discussion, not simply something to check off your list for the week.  The DB questions are a bit like review questions you might be given to answer before an exam.  The benefit here is that you are working together to answer them!  Our little learning community will sink or float based on how well we all paddle. 

I know this is a long set of guidelines.  But following it will ensure that you receive a good grade for your discussion posts.  The discussion board makes up 10% of your overall course grade.