Class Wiki

So I've decided to try keeping a wiki site for my biology and ag biology classes this coming year. I used Google sites last year to keep a web page for my biology class and decided to create a wiki through google sites for both of these class; it seems easier to keep everything in one place even though some of the other sites seem more logical to use. One thing I really like about the wiki over the blog is that I can have students work on it as well. They can more easily post information and participate in discussions. I also like how the wiki presents itself more like a webpage with more options for placing content and links. What I can't decide now is whether to keep my web site for the biology class or just run it through the wiki. I need to see if there is a way (I'm sure there is) to control actions on the wiki so the kids can't change everything. All I know now is that hours can easily be spent putting these resources together and my eyes are now tired and the caffeine is wearing off. Here is the link to the beginnings of my biology wiki page. I still have much more to add, but need to be home where I have more of my resources.
http://sites.google.com/site/rfhsbiology/home

Simulations

Online simulations have been a huge asset to me over the past several years. I consistently use PhET Simulations from University of Colorado. They always seem to load and the kids can easily figure them out. Mos often I use these to introduce new units as it gives the kids a chance to play with the concept and see how the different variable change outcome without having to get into the true science of it. One thing that also impresses me is how often they add new simulations. I like their physics based ones best, but the biology ones are even starting to prove useful. Another simulator of sorts that I have used, but not a huge fan of is the McDougal Littell Virtual Labs that came with our latest curriculum. The labs are decent to bring kids up to speed that may have missed a lab in class, but I really could not see using the virtual lab in replacement of a true lab. It is nice that a majority of the labs they have on their virtual list are ones that are not typically done in high school because of time or budget constraints. In the past I have done the Breeding Fruit Flies virtual lab, which sure beets having fruit flies buzzing all around the room/school.
My one fear with these improved simulators and labs is that we will enter a time when all kids will have to do is log on to a science site and do these labs and simulators in order to earn science credit. These can be useful tools, but can also lead to lazy science if not kept in check.

Online Data part 1

At first I wasn’t too sure how to go about incorporating this “Generate an Argument” approach to inquiry. I figure that I do it quite often in my head and personally, but rarely in the class (too much content to cover right?) After reading through Ch. 6 and looking of the example provided though, I’m thinking it’s worth a shot. I have had several questions I’d like to see my students research for the past couple of years, but have not yet found a place in the content to really make it work. This is my key stumbling block, being tied to set standards somewhat limits what I can “justify” teaching. I know sometime you just have to throw standards to the wind and do what is “right,” but I’m lucky if I cover 2/3 of what I should to begin with. I would really like to have my Earth Science students look at the natural gas industry in western Colorado, where we live. I have yet to find reliable data about how much gas is being pumped, but ultimately I’d like to connect volume of gas extracted, or area covered by the industry, to water quality of surrounding areas. Many students have family and friends who can no longer drink the tap water because it is contaminated (but not from the oil and gas industry of course). This seems to be one that could engage my kids. Another that I’d like to see my ag students research is land use changes. It would be interesting to find data on how farm lands are being converted to urban/suburban areas with concrete and asphalt and then connect that to weather patterns, or maybe even water quality. There are so many places to go in thought, but seems to be limits to the data I want. I know there is a lot out there, but not always applicable to my small mountain town in western Colorado. I’ll keep searching.

Screencast of class website

I have finally been able to use Jiing for screencasting. It took having to load it twice and then three attempts at recording, but I was successful (I say this before actually trying to embed it in this blog. It was a fun tool to use and I could see using it occasionally throughout the year for different projects and class updates just to mix things up.

Glogster Project

So I've finally started to get the hang of Glogster. It seemed easy at first, but I was having the hardest time finding pics from Creative Commons that would readily upload. I was thinking of using this as a pre-assessment for my beginning physics class to see what they associate certain words with. I actually had my wife do the project to see and it turned out well too.

http://hhentschel.glogster.com/physics-pre-assess/

Food Snob

I never really considered myself to be too much of a food snob. I do try to grow as much of my own food, eat locally, and very little processed foods, but after watching this video I found through one of my Twitter followings I'm having second thoughts. Maybe we've been cheated a bit...where are the Hot Cheetohs?!?! Happy 4th of July!

Video Posting

In my Ag Bio class this past year, we built a couple of hoop houses (twice over because of the high-mountain hurricane-force winds). These are a few of the "better" clips from that process. I might try to incorporate these into a screencast after cutting some of the videos down and then do some voice-over, but we'll see...I've spent too much time on the computer this morning and it finally stopped raining. (All right, I tried to upload it from my computer several times, but that wouldn't work, so I created a YouTube account and loaded it onto there and then embedded it. So much work!)
This video shows the kids raising the hoops and was captured using a Flip camera.


This video shows them with the assembled framing and setting up prior to sheeting with plastic. Also captured through a Flip camera.


Final video is of sheeting the hoop house. Video was captured with a Flip camera and edited using iMovie and then uploaded to YouTube.