Thing #7

The search engine Google is fascinating and I am extremely dependent upon it in many areas of my life. I have been aware of the "extras" that are available to users, but I have not had the time to investigate them. All of them are interesting, but I took the most time with setting up an iGoogle site with two pages--one for current news, weather, etc. for me to enjoy and one for biology. The latter one I will use to quickly become aware of current research in various fields under the general heading of life sciences. As I set it up, I wanted to include instructional sites that I might use in class. I located several animations that students might use to enhance their understanding of topics covered. I quickly realized that I could make these sites available by setting up a notebook. At this point I am not sure that I want to enable all students access into my iGoogle page and the notebook idea solved the situation temporarily. I have not added much to the notebook at this point, but I will by the time school begins. The website address for this notebook is http://www.google.com/notebook/public/09939402928693244871/BDSelIwoQ8OvqlLcj

I am very excited about Google Earth. The possibilities for the use of this site in the classroom are endless. In the study of ecology, students have to "imagine" the interactions of organisms with the environment whereas with the ability to zoom into a geographical region and note the topography and climate, a reality level is heightened. As I was searching through the site, I focused on the Los Angeles area and was able to get some real time views of the seismic events that have taken place in that part of California over the last few days. Earthquakes are a density independent event that all biology students study. Surely, being able to focus on the location where these events are actually occurring will enhance understanding.

Thing #6

I love mashups!!! I envision many possibilities for using this with students. A map focusing on regions of a particular biome could be borrowed from Google and organisms unique to these areas could be superimposed on top. Students could search various websites for images. Flickr and, of course, Google will have a vast array. The finished product could be linked to my blog for all students to see.

I have also become interested in ways to use the card making sites. I tried to connect the biome idea with Big Huge Labs. I assembled the following card from images I found on Google. This format will be relatively easy for students to follow as they become familiar with a particular biome.

Thing #5

Flickr is filled with useful resources. I particularly enjoyed the information in the area named Science Commons within the Custom Commons. Exploring teh Health Commons, part of the Science Commons, provided ideas to help students recognize the importance of the web in sharing vital information for more than purchasing products. A video clip by John Wilbanks located at http://sciencecommons.org/projects/healthcommons/ explains the need for more communication within the science community. I envision students being directed to this site with the assignment to view it and follow with a comment on my blog.

I also think students would enjoy an assignment to develop a food web or food chain by using pictures found on this site.

Thing #4

Yea!! I am registered.....I hope.

Thing #3

Setting up my blog went very smoothly although I did manage to set up two of them. I am not really sure how that happened. I have wanted to know more about blogs for a long time thus I actually feel that I am finally inching toward expanding my use of the Internet in the classroom. I really enjoyed playing with the avatars although I am not completely pleased with the one I came up with. I want to change it anyway because I find that if I do not practice a new task several times, I will lose the skill. In general, I plan to work with the design more as I move through this process.

Thing #2

After reading the 7 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learners, it is very easy to select the most difficult one and that is the last one or at least part of it. I t is always a challenge for me to find time to feel good about allowing myself time to "play". The responsibilities that I have as a wife, mother, grandmother, and teacher are sometime major tasks for me that I do willingly, but consume so much of my time. My goal is to work on efficiency and organization to allow me to schedule my time to include personal learning time.

The easiest habit will most likely be #6. I will unquestionably use the technology in class. My students are extremely literate in this area and will enjoy having the opportunity to voice their opinions about topics that we do not have time to discuss in class. In my AP class, I anticipate assigning articles to read that I would expect students to comment on. This might also be a venue for current events. Every day there are new publications with new findings in science. How exciting it will be for the students to gain an interest in relaying what they find in their locating some of the articles.

Thing #1

I am really excited about playing with these new web "toys". I hope to set up a blog to take communication with students to a new level. Hopefully they will respond with their reflections about my comments as well as ideas that they bring to the discussion. Since class time is limited for delving into current biology research and events, a blog may be a pathway to accomplish this.