#AP Computer Science Principles: Collaboration & The Internet 🌐

Hey there! Let's get you prepped for the AP exam with a focus on how the internet has revolutionized collaboration, especially in science. We'll break down citizen science and crowdsourcing, making sure you're ready to ace those questions! Let's dive in!

#The Power of the Internet for Collaboration 🤝

The internet has been a game-changer, opening up access to data and human capital like never before. This means:

Faster Problem Solving: Need an answer? Google it! No more dusty manuals. 💡
Global Access: Scientific findings are now readily available online, not just in hard-to-find journals.
Increased Collaboration: The internet fosters a collaborative spirit, leading to amazing things like citizen science and crowdsourcing.

Key Concept

The internet's ability to connect people and information is a core theme in AP CSP. Understanding how this connectivity enables collaboration is crucial.

#Citizen Science 🧑‍🔬

#What is Citizen Science?

Citizen science is when the general public helps conduct scientific research. Ordinary people, using their devices, contribute data to real scientific projects.

How it works: Think of people counting birds at feeders or observing the sky. They use their smartphones to send data to scientists.
Impact: This approach brings in diverse data from a wide range of people, allowing scientists to do more than they could alone.

#Examples of Citizen Science in Action

Name	Description	URL
Christmas Birds	Volunteers count birds each winter, helping to track bird populations.	https://www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count
eBird	Birdwatchers contribute bird sightings to a huge online database.	https://ebird.org/home
Zooniverse	A massive platform hosting over 50 citizen science projects across many fields.	https://www.zooniverse.org/
NASA	NASA has several citizen science projects, like tracking penguins and studying kelp forests.	https://science.nasa.gov/citizenscience
National Geographic	Offers many citizen science projects, mainly in biology and earth science.	https://www.nationalgeographic.org/topics/citizen-science/?q=&page=1&per_page=25

Quick Fact

Citizen science leverages the power of many individuals to gather large datasets. Remember this for MCQs!

#Crowdsourcing 🧑‍💻

#What is Crowdsourcing?

Crowdsourcing is gathering input or information from a large group of people online. Citizen science is one type of crowdsourcing, but it's not the only one.

Impact: Like citizen science, crowdsourcing allows organizations to get diverse data and do more than they could alone. Plus, it's often free for the organization!

#Examples of Crowdsourcing

Feedback: Online reviews, surveys (like College Board's), and product feedback. 📝
Employment/Volunteers: Uber, Airbnb, and Wikipedia all use crowdsourcing for their labor force.
Problem Solving: Innovation contests where people submit ideas to solve problems.
Financial Support: Crowdfunding sites like GoFundMe, Kickstarter, and Patreon for raising money.

Memory Aid

Think of crowdsourcing as "many hands make light work" but online! It’s about getting contributions from a large group of people, not just scientists.

Exam Tip

Be prepared to differentiate between citizen science (focused on scientific research) and other forms of crowdsourcing (like feedback or labor).

#Connecting the Concepts

Overlap: Citizen science is a subset of crowdsourcing. All citizen science is crowdsourcing, but not all crowdsourcing is citizen science.
Benefits: Both models leverage the internet to gather diverse data and achieve more than would be possible with traditional methods.

This section on collaboration and crowdsourcing is a high-value topic. Make sure you understand the differences and examples well.

#Final Exam Focus 🎯

Key Terms: Be solid on the definitions of citizen science, crowdsourcing, and crowdfunding.
Examples: Know real-world examples of each (like Zooniverse, Uber, Kickstarter).
Impact: Understand the benefits of these models (diverse data, increased efficiency, cost-effectiveness).
Distinctions: Be able to distinguish between different forms of crowdsourcing and their purposes.
Ethical Considerations: Think about the possible biases in crowdsourced data and how to mitigate them.

Common Mistake

Students often confuse citizen science with all forms of crowdsourcing. Remember the scientific research focus of citizen science.

#Practice Questions

Practice Question

#Multiple Choice Questions

Which of the following is the BEST example of citizen science? (A) A company uses online surveys to gather customer feedback on a new product. (B) Volunteers count the number of monarch butterflies they see during their migration. (C) A website allows users to rate restaurants and leave reviews. (D) A company uses an online platform to find freelance workers for short-term projects.
Crowdsourcing is best described as: (A) The practice of using a small team of experts to solve a problem. (B) The practice of obtaining input or information from a large group of people online. (C) The practice of using complex algorithms to analyze data. (D) The practice of using traditional methods to gather information.
Which of the following is an example of how the internet has fostered collaboration in scientific research? (A) Increased use of physical textbooks in university courses. (B) The rise of citizen science projects. (C) The decrease in the use of cloud storage for research data. (D) A reduction in the number of scientific journals.

#Free Response Question

Question:

Explain the differences between citizen science and crowdsourcing, and provide one example of each. Then, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using these methods for data collection, especially in scientific research.

Scoring Breakdown:

Point	Description	Example
1	Correctly defines citizen science	Scientific research conducted by the general public.
1	Correctly defines crowdsourcing	Obtaining input from a large group of people online.
1	Provides a valid example of citizen science	eBird, Christmas Bird Count
1	Provides a valid example of crowdsourcing (that isn't citizen science)	Uber, Kickstarter, online surveys
1	Describes an advantage of citizen science or crowdsourcing	Access to diverse data, increased efficiency, cost-effectiveness
1	Describes a disadvantage of citizen science or crowdsourcing	Potential for biased data, lack of control over data collection