Science is Wicked!

 I found TeacherTube to be quite appealing and user friendly.  I found several useful videos to share with my students (particularly the “Meiosis Square Dance” video).  I could envision myself using TeacherTube more frequently in the classroom to show students videos and clips that pertain to the content.  In addition, I would like to be able to have the students produce videos and presentations that can be uploaded to a video sharing website.

I love the idea of using podcasting in the classroom.  My ultimate goal in the classroom is to be able to produce a daily podcast of class discussions that students can use in case they miss class or just need supplemental reinforcement.  I would also like for my students to be able to create their own podcasts and share with each other in collaboration.  For this activity, I previewed several NPR podcasts for the news content.  In Grazr, I searched for Science podcasts and came up with several interesting options.  Mostly the podcasts seemed to deal more with college level students than high school students.  Wouldn’t it be a neat idea if all of our faculty meetings were conducted via podcasts that you could listen to at your convenience?

 BubbleShare: Share photos – Play some Online Games.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/selago/260003978/

Milkweed aphid, Aphis nerii, by aroid

____Welcome to the San Diego Zoo’s_____ __________Wild Animal Park_____________ by CharlesSF

My slideshow is all about animals and I found the images on Flickr using the search field “Animals biology”.   All of the animals are animals that we discuss in class during AP Biology.

Milkweed aphid, Aphis nerii, by aroid

http://www.flickr.com/photos/selago/260003978/

I have been using a photosharing website for quite some time to manage my personal digital photos, but I haven’t used Flickr.  I primarily use Picassa for my photosharing needs since I use blogger for my personal blogging use.  I think using Flickr is a great tool for the students to learn to use so they can add images, photos, and clips to their presentations.  For my search, I searched “biology” and came up with a theme of animals.  I can imagine various uses for photosharing such as using my new set of class digital cameras to allow the students to capture their own images and then uploading them to a photosharing site.  The students can then manipulate the images and use the images in presenations and various other media outlets.

I am well aware of the copyright restrictions and rights that we as professionals must adhere to.  However, it is quite a task to get the students to understand that material on the internet is subject to the same restrictions and rights as any other printed or published material.  Students feel free to copy and paste from various websites at will without understanding the severity and consequences of their actions.  I have not noticed the CC logo on any websites that I have visited, so this is a new concept to me.  I think that CC will impact the way that students view material and create projects.  It will enable students to have more access to internet resources without fear of consequences.  I frequently use digital images, clips, etc. in content information that I present to students.  I have a class website where I will post homework assignments, documents, presentations, etc. for students to access.  My teacher materials are owned by me if I created them.  I can see some potential negatives for using CC being a hesitancy for some people to post material to the common sharing site for fear of losing credit or a feeling of doing all the work with no return.   

I am definitely interested in using and incorporating Wikis into my classroom.  For example, I would like to create a wiki for each of my classes to allow students to contribute and collaborate with one another.  In my AP Biology class,  I would like to be able to assign an article for students to read and then contribute to a discussion group.  On a personal level, I would like to use a Wiki for family gatherings/reunions/vacations.  Most of the wikis that I look at were more geared toward elementary/middle school students.  I would like to create the wikis for my students, but allow the students to set up the wikis and run the majority of the discussion groups. 

I also subscribe to various news feeds as I do not like to watch the nightly news on television.  I feel I cannot control what I am viewing and most of the news is depressing or otherwise uninteresting.  I like having the google reader and subscribing to feeds so that I can still feel up-to-date on current events without feeling bogged down in the despair of the news that I don’t want to hear.  By subscribing to the CNN feed and the FOXNEWS feed I can still get my information, but in a more controlled way. 

While subscribed to the NY Times, I found an interesting story about the most recent face transplant recipient.  A patient in Cleveland, Ohio received the latest face transplant in a surgery that took nearly 20 hours.  Doctors had to rotate in and out of surgery to eat, sleep and use the restroom.  No identifying information is being used for the patient or the donor. 

In general, blog writing is a very informal style of writing.  It seems to be more of a conversational tone, albeit a one-sided conversation unless comments are posted.  I find blog reading to be more entertaining than other types of reading, but you have to consider the source.  Blogging is opinion based, not necessarily fact based.  You might or might not agree with the opinion of the blogger.  Blog writing is different than other types of writing because it is so informal.  It is more like texting.  Acronyms are often used and the texting language has become infused with blogging.  Blogging can become a two-way conversation once comments are introduced into the picture.  This provides a means of communication between the blogger and the reader.  I am afraid that students growing up in the digital age of Web 2.0 will be influenced by blogging and texting and will “lose” proper grammer mechanics and punctuation.  I sincerely hope this is not the case.  I believe that blogging can facilitate learning by promoting student engagement and interest.  I would love to create a blog to share information with my students and eventually show/teach my students how to create their own blog!