I received an email from the HHMI Ask a Scientist website today. This is the message that was contained in the email:
Danita, thank you for submitting the following question to the
Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Ask a Scientist website:
If the definition of a cell is changed to mean anything that has its own DNA, what other entities that are not considered to be alive would be placed in the "alive" category?
Here is a response provided by one of our volunteer scientists:
I can only think of viruses. DNA is retained to some degree in fossils, amber-embedded insects, and so on.
We welcome feedback from you about this answer to your question and
appreciate your interest in Ask a Scientist.
Ask a Scientist Coordinator
So, apparently, there was no great international debate regarding my question. It must have just been a backlog.
Again, it is a great website. When I share it with my students, I'll be able to share my experience, and remind my middle school students to remain patient as they wait for a response.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Backward Design Lesson Planning
The backward design method of developing lesson plans differs from the traditional method. It focuses on assessment first and then instructional activities.
"Backward design forces teachers to look at the big picture with the end goals in mind. In backward planning teachers set the vision or the essential understanding of their curriculum or unit, decide how students will provide evidence of their learning, and finally design instructional activities to help kids learn what is needed to be successful." (Backward Design 101)
The goals of my lesson were to allow students to work in small groups in order to understand and describe how human activities produce change in the natural processes in Maryland. Students were able to improve 21st century learning skills by using laptops in the classroom to conduct Internet research on their species. The goals of my lesson were met. The students were able to work in groups and were also able to describe the impact of human activities on the environment. This is evident by the work produced by the students
The backwards design model is a process that begins with knowing the desired results first, then working backwards to develop instruction. In my customary form of lesson planning, I know the goals and objectives of the curriculum and create the lesson plan from there. The difference in the backwards design process is that the educator also considers the learning that will endure over the long term. Focusing on the enduring knowledge should be essential in education, as enduring knowledge is really what education is all about.
Although I attempted to upload photographs of the student work, I received a message indicating that the images "could not be uploaded due to internal error". A typed copy of student work appears as follows:
Snake Head Fish
by K. Carter
Don’t be fooled by its size
It’s very deadly.
Originally from a pet store they think
With sharp teeth and a
Rude attitude.
Very deadly fish.
It can walk on land from pond to creek
Populating so fast meaning less fish to eat.
It’s the Asian invasion of all these creatures.
It’s a war of nature I hope we win
American species live I cheer again and again
Stink Bug
by J. Matthews
The alien bug that we know little about
It came from Asia, we know without a doubt.
It smells, it’s ugly, and it eats and it eats everything
So there’s nothing left for me.
You can hit it
But I really don’t want to
Because it will make a smell like rotten eggs
So nasty and smelly
Your belly
Won’t feel well.
The smell will hurt your eyes,
Make you want to cry
That’s why they call it the
Stink bug
References
Backward Design 101. Amherst Regional Public Schools. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.arps.org/users/ms/coaches/backward%20design%20101.htm
"Backward design forces teachers to look at the big picture with the end goals in mind. In backward planning teachers set the vision or the essential understanding of their curriculum or unit, decide how students will provide evidence of their learning, and finally design instructional activities to help kids learn what is needed to be successful." (Backward Design 101)
The goals of my lesson were to allow students to work in small groups in order to understand and describe how human activities produce change in the natural processes in Maryland. Students were able to improve 21st century learning skills by using laptops in the classroom to conduct Internet research on their species. The goals of my lesson were met. The students were able to work in groups and were also able to describe the impact of human activities on the environment. This is evident by the work produced by the students
The backwards design model is a process that begins with knowing the desired results first, then working backwards to develop instruction. In my customary form of lesson planning, I know the goals and objectives of the curriculum and create the lesson plan from there. The difference in the backwards design process is that the educator also considers the learning that will endure over the long term. Focusing on the enduring knowledge should be essential in education, as enduring knowledge is really what education is all about.
Although I attempted to upload photographs of the student work, I received a message indicating that the images "could not be uploaded due to internal error". A typed copy of student work appears as follows:
Snake Head Fish
by K. Carter
Don’t be fooled by its size
It’s very deadly.
Originally from a pet store they think
With sharp teeth and a
Rude attitude.
Very deadly fish.
It can walk on land from pond to creek
Populating so fast meaning less fish to eat.
It’s the Asian invasion of all these creatures.
It’s a war of nature I hope we win
American species live I cheer again and again
Stink Bug
by J. Matthews
The alien bug that we know little about
It came from Asia, we know without a doubt.
It smells, it’s ugly, and it eats and it eats everything
So there’s nothing left for me.
You can hit it
But I really don’t want to
Because it will make a smell like rotten eggs
So nasty and smelly
Your belly
Won’t feel well.
The smell will hurt your eyes,
Make you want to cry
That’s why they call it the
Stink bug
References
Backward Design 101. Amherst Regional Public Schools. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.arps.org/users/ms/coaches/backward%20design%20101.htm
Sunday, October 17, 2010
No News from "Ask a Scientist"
It's been just about four weeks and I have not received a response from the "Ask a Scientist" website. I would like to think that my question was so thought provoking that there is currently an international debate in the scientific community about the possibility that the existence of DNA should indicate that life is present. This, however, is probably not the case. Although I still like the idea that an archive of information is available to assist students with homework, I am currently not very fond of the idea of submitting a question to this website with the promise of receiving an answer within a week's time. I'm afraid that if my students were to experience this, it would discourage them from participating in similar kinds of websites in the future.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Ask a Scientist - Follow up
Well, it's been a week and I haven't heard back from the "Ask a Scientist" website. This is a little disappointing because I was hoping to have received an answer by now.
Although I did not hear back from the website yet, I can see how this website would be beneficial to my students. They can use this website to get information on Science Fair Projects, Careers in Science, and Personal Health. There is even a section dedicated to Homework Help. In addition, there are the top ten questions of six categories AND an archive of questions previously asked, so some students may be able to receive immediate feedback on their questions.
I am still eagerly anticipating an answer to the question I submitted to the "Ask a Scientist" website last week, and will post their response as soon as I receive it.
Although I did not hear back from the website yet, I can see how this website would be beneficial to my students. They can use this website to get information on Science Fair Projects, Careers in Science, and Personal Health. There is even a section dedicated to Homework Help. In addition, there are the top ten questions of six categories AND an archive of questions previously asked, so some students may be able to receive immediate feedback on their questions.
I am still eagerly anticipating an answer to the question I submitted to the "Ask a Scientist" website last week, and will post their response as soon as I receive it.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Ask a Scientist
I submitted the following question to the "Ask a Scientist" website supported by HHMI:
"If the definition of a cell is changed to mean anything that has its own DNA, what other entities that are not considered to be alive would be placed in the "alive" category?"
After navigating the website and determining that this question is not already answered in the archives, I received the following response:
"Congratulations!
Your question has been submitted successfully. We will send a confirmation via e-mail and get back to you with a response as soon as we can."
I'm looking forward to the response, and will post the information as soon as I receive it.
"If the definition of a cell is changed to mean anything that has its own DNA, what other entities that are not considered to be alive would be placed in the "alive" category?"
After navigating the website and determining that this question is not already answered in the archives, I received the following response:
"Congratulations!
Your question has been submitted successfully. We will send a confirmation via e-mail and get back to you with a response as soon as we can."
I'm looking forward to the response, and will post the information as soon as I receive it.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Evaluating Web 2.0 Presentation Tools
I am a "mature" student in graduate school. During my current course, Investigating the Living World, I must create a course project on the endangered animal of my choice. This is great because I love projects, but it is also intimidating because I must use a Web 2.0 Presentation Tool in order to present my project.
So, now the task at hand is to evaluate Web 2.0 Presentation Tools in a scientific manner.
What in the world are Web 2.0 Presentation Tools? According to the Discovery Education website, these tools are "revolutionary new ways of creating, collaborating, editing, and sharing user-generated content online." (So far, so good.) The website goes on to say that "Teachers and students can master many of the tools in minutes." (I'm starting to feel better about this ;-) *NEWS FLASH* Web 2.0 is all about ease of use. (Okay...this is right up my alley 8~)
Now that I have finally taught myself how to use PowerPoint with animated clip art and music that plays throughout the presentation, I have just learned while investigating Web 2.0 Presentation tools that there are ways to jazz up the PowerPoint presentations even more. The tools I will be evaluating today are Picsviewr and 280 Slides.
Picsviewr allows the user to turn your Flickr photos into presentations. It is a free online service. I obtained information about Picsviewr from http://www.picsviewr.com/ First of all, there are ten slide show templates available to choose from, therefore it is very easy to use. This is good news for people that are looking for something that is not difficult, but it can be very limiting for creative individuals.
This tool seemed to be good for presenting a collection of pictures in a variety of ways, however, it did not seem to allow for music playing in the background, or text of any kind. Regarding collaboration, another user's photos can be accessed with their specific URL.
I do not recommend this presentation tool for the course project. It only supports Flickr photo collections and does not provide other tools such as text, music, or videos that some colleagues may want to include in their presentations.
280 Slides is a tool available and it does not require PowerPoint. There is no software to download and there are no charges for the service. According to http://280slides.com/, you can import existing documents, take presentations anywhere because they are stored on a secure server, add pictures or videos with a built in media search, download to PowerPoint if desired, and publish to the web. There are also built in themes to add a professional quality to the work presented. I do feel that this tool is feasible for the course project and I have already decided that my students will use this tool for their Astronomy project this year.
So, now the task at hand is to evaluate Web 2.0 Presentation Tools in a scientific manner.
What in the world are Web 2.0 Presentation Tools? According to the Discovery Education website, these tools are "revolutionary new ways of creating, collaborating, editing, and sharing user-generated content online." (So far, so good.) The website goes on to say that "Teachers and students can master many of the tools in minutes." (I'm starting to feel better about this ;-) *NEWS FLASH* Web 2.0 is all about ease of use. (Okay...this is right up my alley 8~)
Now that I have finally taught myself how to use PowerPoint with animated clip art and music that plays throughout the presentation, I have just learned while investigating Web 2.0 Presentation tools that there are ways to jazz up the PowerPoint presentations even more. The tools I will be evaluating today are Picsviewr and 280 Slides.
Picsviewr allows the user to turn your Flickr photos into presentations. It is a free online service. I obtained information about Picsviewr from http://www.picsviewr.com/ First of all, there are ten slide show templates available to choose from, therefore it is very easy to use. This is good news for people that are looking for something that is not difficult, but it can be very limiting for creative individuals.
This tool seemed to be good for presenting a collection of pictures in a variety of ways, however, it did not seem to allow for music playing in the background, or text of any kind. Regarding collaboration, another user's photos can be accessed with their specific URL.
I do not recommend this presentation tool for the course project. It only supports Flickr photo collections and does not provide other tools such as text, music, or videos that some colleagues may want to include in their presentations.
280 Slides is a tool available and it does not require PowerPoint. There is no software to download and there are no charges for the service. According to http://280slides.com/, you can import existing documents, take presentations anywhere because they are stored on a secure server, add pictures or videos with a built in media search, download to PowerPoint if desired, and publish to the web. There are also built in themes to add a professional quality to the work presented. I do feel that this tool is feasible for the course project and I have already decided that my students will use this tool for their Astronomy project this year.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Topics and Tools
Astronomy is the area of Physical Science that I will focus on during this investigation. I found several 21st century learning tools that help students’ understanding, awaken interest, and connect students to authentic science experiences. The most powerful and innovative online resource I found during my research can be located at worldwidetelescope.org. This software enables any personal computer to function as a virtual telescope.
The WorldWide Telescope (WWT) is a Web 2.0 visualization software environment that enables your computer to function as a virtual telescope—bringing together imagery from the best ground and space-based telescopes in the world for a seamless exploration of the universe. (WorldWide Telescope, 2010)
The software is very interactive and allows the user to experience applications such as taking tours, creating tours, finding objects in space, or finding your location in the universe. There is even an application that allows the user to make a constellation. This software can assist my students in becoming 21st-century scientifically literate citizens by connecting students to authentic science experiences while awakening interest.
The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology has an online resource at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/kids/index.cfm allows users to experience planets such as Saturn and Mars. Students are also able to choose to become space explorers during a virtual field trip. In addition, choices are available to create projects, play games and animations, and learn fun facts about Earth, space, and technology. One plus for teachers is that there is an entire menu for teachers that includes information on resources, projects, and staff picks of classroom activities.
The Masters of the Universe webquest is specifically designed for 8th graders which is the grade that I teach. It allows students to first test their knowledge of what they already know, giving students an opportunity to write down questions that they would like to investigate during the webquest. The webquest includes a planets organizer allowing students to keep track of data on each planet, math worksheet to calculate distances of solar objects from each other, and a solar system organizer. It is the classic K-W-L (what I know, what I want to know, and what I learned) strategy adapted for 21st century learning, activating students' background knowledge, while improving comprehension of expository text.
The resources referenced above are tools extremely useful in 21st century learning. This is important because it helps the students to understand the information that is being presented. They activate prior knowledge, facilitate the inquiry process with games and activities, engage students in creativity in projects, and engage students in collaborative learning. In addition, students are able to utilize the Internet to do research, and communicate understanding of concepts.
The WorldWide Telescope (WWT) is a Web 2.0 visualization software environment that enables your computer to function as a virtual telescope—bringing together imagery from the best ground and space-based telescopes in the world for a seamless exploration of the universe. (WorldWide Telescope, 2010)
The software is very interactive and allows the user to experience applications such as taking tours, creating tours, finding objects in space, or finding your location in the universe. There is even an application that allows the user to make a constellation. This software can assist my students in becoming 21st-century scientifically literate citizens by connecting students to authentic science experiences while awakening interest.
The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology has an online resource at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/kids/index.cfm allows users to experience planets such as Saturn and Mars. Students are also able to choose to become space explorers during a virtual field trip. In addition, choices are available to create projects, play games and animations, and learn fun facts about Earth, space, and technology. One plus for teachers is that there is an entire menu for teachers that includes information on resources, projects, and staff picks of classroom activities.
The Masters of the Universe webquest is specifically designed for 8th graders which is the grade that I teach. It allows students to first test their knowledge of what they already know, giving students an opportunity to write down questions that they would like to investigate during the webquest. The webquest includes a planets organizer allowing students to keep track of data on each planet, math worksheet to calculate distances of solar objects from each other, and a solar system organizer. It is the classic K-W-L (what I know, what I want to know, and what I learned) strategy adapted for 21st century learning, activating students' background knowledge, while improving comprehension of expository text.
The resources referenced above are tools extremely useful in 21st century learning. This is important because it helps the students to understand the information that is being presented. They activate prior knowledge, facilitate the inquiry process with games and activities, engage students in creativity in projects, and engage students in collaborative learning. In addition, students are able to utilize the Internet to do research, and communicate understanding of concepts.
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