I came across this interactive lab from the University of Illinois. The Bugscope Project has been around for ten years and has been hugely successful. It allows students access to a real scanning electron microscope through the web.
This is how it works: The teacher signs up, the class collects a few insects and sends them in. Then you have to apply for a session (preferably 6 weeks ahead of time). Once your session is scheduled, all you need is access to a computer. During the session, students will view their specimens under the SEM and they can control the microscope through the computer. The site includes teaching materials to prepare for the session and understand how a SEM works.
Here is an example of a micrograph of a Japanese beetle captured during a session.
Another option is the companion site called Virtual Microscope which is available for free download and includes simulated data for a fluorescence light microscope, an SEM and an atomic force microscope. The image data is preloaded, but the user control the loading of the specimen and navigate around it, change magnification, focus and image brightness and take measurements. There are video tutorials and neat animations to explain how the whole process works.
The Webtools for Teachers class is wrapping up, and people are moving on, it feels kind of lonely out here in the blogosphere today after having spent the last eight weeks constantly receiving email updates from twitter, blogger and wetpaint on classmates' latest activities, questions, excitement (and frustration) about learning new tools... I have that feeling right now of going on a school trip and becoming really close friends with people you wouldn't normally even talk to, then you go back to school and everyone goes back to their regular friends and on with their normal business.
It's strange not to be going back to work for the third year. I miss the stress and excitement everyone described in their last posts that comes with getting ready to go back to school, and I miss having a physical PLN. As I said earlier in the summer, having an online PLN has been invaluable for me to keep in touch with my career now that I'm staying at home to take care of my kids. However these past couple of weeks have also made me realize that a developing a quality online PLN takes as much effort as a physical one, or maybe even more- because it's easier for people to ignore you online! There is so much going on and people are engaged in so many different web venues that I feel you really have to make a strong case and show your worth before people give you the time a day (while in "the outside world" you just chase people down the hallway until eventually they are forced to stop and talk to you). I have started promoting the Science teacher wiki I put together in a few different forums, twitter, etc. but still haven't seen too much action and nobody has joined except for a few (awesome) classmates. I realize now that it's going to take a bit more legwork than I originally thought to get it off the ground, but with so many Science resources out there, why would anyone care? Anyway, I'll keep working on it as my personal project and hopefully people will find it useful.
And here, I will continue my journey exploring Web 2.0 opportunities for Science teachers. Thanks to everyone who has helped me along the way this summer!
I have just changed the title of the my blog from "Marta Toran's Blogging Chit-Chat" to "Web 2.0 Tips for Science Teachers". Since I am going to continue my blog after the MSU Webtools class ends, I wanted a title that would provide visitors with a better idea of the blog's focus.
I tried searching and haven't found any other blogs with this name. If anyone who stumbles across this knows of another blog with a similar title, please let me know so I can change it!
N.B. This is a pretty long post, so if you don't really feel like reading it, just read this next sentence: Please join The Science Teacher's Hub wiki so we can continue to share Science and Edtech resources after the class is done. Since we all already have a wetpaint account, its easy just go to the site and click on Join!!Thanks for checking it out.
My main goals for this final project were: centralizing all my web-based initiatives and create a foundation/ scaffolding to use for integrating technology into my teaching in the future. I had to keep looking back at my Guiding Principles to keep myself in check and make sure I was being realistic. I'm pleased with the result (or rather the progress) so far.
1. M.Toran's Hub- The first thing I did was create a hub for all my class websites and "professional development" pages. I did this using the free web builder and host called Yola (per recommendation of the FreeTech4Teachers post on Free Website Builders). I have used Weebly in the past as well and love the simplicity of it, but Yola, which also doesn't come with any ads, allows you to do more. I am very happy with it so far. My hub is made up of: STUDENT PAGES: Intro Biology, AP Biology, Forensics, Biotechnology, Marine Biology & TEACHER PAGES: The Science Teacher Hub wiki (see below) and Marta Toran's Blogging Chit-Chat. Right now, most of my student pages are pretty empty, because since I'm not teaching at the moment, I need to wait unitil I start teaching again and know what subjects that will be, etc. before I can start putting up all the info. For an idea of what a class page will look, check out the Forensics one or the Biotechnology one (more details about class websites below) (In the future, I will also add a personal pages tab to my hub which will include my jewelry business website, translating services I offer and the book club I manage here in my town.) 2. The Science Teacher Hub wiki- This is were most of my work went into this week. I have gotten so much useful information from my classmates that I thought it would be a good idea to create a wiki we could all (or whoever wants) contribute to once the class ends, maybe also past and future students of the WebTools course? The wiki I created is for Science Educators to share teaching ideas and resources. Here is a screencast tour I made of the site:
I created the site using Wetpaint, which I had never used until this class. I had made a haphazard attempt at using wikis with my class before, for example this (not that great) Biotech Class wiki, but I used Wikispaces. Both are free and pretty similar in their use, though Wetpaint sites seem more clean and organized. The only thing I don't like about Wetpaint is that you can't attach files to the body of the page, so it all has to be done through links (eg. via Google Docs) or added at the bottom of each page out of context. Now that the site is up and running, and once it gets promoted (through our PLNs), it will require little maintenance from me, hopefully it will take care of itself and I can contribute as often as I can and give it a spring cleaning once in a while. There are already a bunch of resources I put up, many from material from this class and from classmates who gave me permission (thanks!) I didn't have time to put everyone's stuff up there, but please feel free to contribute with anything you think others will find useful.
3. Class websites- (These as I mentioned above are regular websites, not wikis or blogs) They will serve as repositories for general course information, posting assignments, access to grades, class resources and links. I've tried to do this before, but it was a few years ago and I used Dreamweaver which required sooo much work and I never quite got the hang of. Yola sites are so quick to edit and update that I feel this is would be a much more realistic feat this time around. The class websites will also be a good resources for parents who are interested in knowing what we are covering, as well as check assignments that I set. I haven't done it yet, but I plan on embedding a Google Calendar widget into each class page where I can add assignment reminders, details and deadlines. Any class blogs or wikis I use with my each group will also be accessed through the class pages. What I do with each class in terms of using blogs and wikis will depend on the nature of the group and the school I teach at (eg. hw policy, tech policy, access to computers, etc). -I can envision having a class blog for AP Bio maintained by the students (each blog on Blogger can have up to 100 authors). The way I envision it used is for asking questions and answering each other's by adding comments. They can also post links to review sites and any other resource they find that may be useful to their classmates. AP Bio is usually a fast paced course in which students are required to take ownership of most of their learning and guide themselves through the material with little input from the teacher. Having a blog where they can help each other out would take some of the load off my office hours, give them practice walking through problems together and at the same time allow me to moderate their activity and jump in when more explanations are needed. I would also post discussion questions myself for them to think about. At this level, I wouldn't make posting mandatory or grade it because I am confident they would use the resource without it being mandatory and I would get feedback on what they are learning/ what they don't understand without grading anything formally. I probably wouldn't do a wiki with this class because there simply wouldn't be enough time for them to create and maintain it. -I would use a class blog in a similar way for Intro Bio, but at this level they would need a much greater input and constant encouragement from me. So I would use it more for posting thought-provoking questions they would have to comment on (eg. three brainstorm questions at the beginning of each unit that would also provide me with feedback on prior knowledge they have on the topic). I would probably also use project-specific wikis for them to communicate what they learn to the wider audience like their parents (eg. topics I may do this with are: Nutrition, Evolution, Genetics, Ecology). -For Biotech I envision the students creating a PSA style wiki with information about what it is, how it's used, pros and cons, that kind of thing. Different topics could be featured as individual wiki pages (eg. Genetic Screening, GMOs, Cloning, Stem Cell Research, Tissue Engineering). The subject really lends itself to a wiki because it would hopefully serve to educate the public on something most are somewhat scared of and also very ignorant about. They could create online poll questions/ surveys send them to friends, families and peers, and we could then discuss the results in class. 4. Voicethread- I, like others in the class, was very impressed with this tool and pleased at how easy it is to learn and use. I think I would probably use it quite a bit in an introductory level Biology class: as homework assignments before or after completing a unit (Characteristics of Living Things would be a topic that would lend itself well to this because there is great potential for discussion and different points of view), as well as for student presentations. I liked the idea of having students come up with a question they want to investigate in the lab and creating a voicethread of their "journey" (see my previous Week 7 Reflection post for an example of what I mean). For group projects, asking them to do the comments with audio and/or video is a great way to ensure they all participate (more) equally. Forensics is another course where I could get use out of this tool (eg. create crime scenes and have them comment on potential evidence they see, collaborate with other teachers by having their students create a case mine have to solve and viceversa). For the course's final project I usually have students create a CSI episode video showcasing techniques they learned to solve a case they make up. The filming, editing and converting/ uploading etc. of the movie however, are a huge time commitment from the students during a time they are also studying for exams in other classes. I think a voicethread would work great here in terms of preparation and execution, and would also allow me to give them feedback on the different sections of their presentation. I have made one below as an example of what I have in mind, though theirs would also have to include short video segments showing procedures for analysis of different types of evidence, because accuracy of skills is one of the things I grade them on. (Warning: Content might be upsetting to some viewers)
5. Other tools- Then there are the tools I will be using because they have already become second nature (eg. Google Docs, Google Reader, Picnik, Flickr, Creative Commons, ShareTabs, Animations, Delicious, Screencasting). Something which I will definitely be using a lot are embedded online poll questions and surveys. The best option for surveys I found so far is Google Forms, I was so excited to discover this app. I tried services like SurveyMonkey, which host online surveys for free, but most have a limit to the number of surveys you can create and/ or the number of users then you have to pay. Google Forms (part of Google Docs) is a simple way to create a web-based form which can then be shared by email, URL or embedded into a page. When the subjects submit it, all the results are stored as a spreadsheet and you can then also see a summary/ analysis of the results. I have each of my classes take a mid-term and end-of-term survey to give me feedback on their learning and my teaching. I used to do them on paper, but this would be so much more efficient, and I can save the results and compare them with other classes or terms.
Feedback, comments, constructive criticism always welcome. Thanks to everyone for your contributions to my PLN!
Week 7 has been mainly spent working on my final project for the WebTools course and I have tapped into my PLN continuously to find resources for the project. Some of the new things I have come across:
Voicethread 4 Education wiki- tips and ideas (from the wiki above) EXCELLENT resources and links. Includes Classroom partners- a bulletin board type page where you can ask and offer to collaborate with other teachers/ classrooms using voicethread and other webtools.
Grade 9-12 Examples of Voicethreads in the Classroom. Check out the Biology ones shared by Jeff Utrecht. Great examples of using voicethread for a group project to investigate a question and for the teacher to provide formative assessment directly on it. Here is one...
For the Chemists, here is a link to chem lab voicethreads made by students. Topics include: Displacement Rxns, Chromatography, Enthalpy, Phase changes.
Added Education Innovation blog. I liked the post called New classroom rules and also found a useful ppt in this blog called "25 Webtools for Learning Professionals 2009", here it is.
Most we've already seen, but there are some new ones like: FREE MIND and BUBBL.US for mind mapping DIM DIM- open source web conferencing tool One tool mentioned in the slideshow which I might definitely try is EVERNOTE described as an "external brain" a productivity tool to "capture, clip and share notes on the web". Here is a video about it, check it out, it's pretty cool...
I used many of the links provided by my classmates for the site I'm creating and added to my PLN (from 25 Ed Tech leaders to follow slideshow posted in FreeTech4Teachers) @chrislehmann @mscofino @larryferlazzo @elearningnews @elemenous @mguhlin
I also found this neat little site for creating a widget to show all your "web identities" on your blog or site. It's called Show yourself Widget, check out mine on the side bar.
I just figured this out and I thought it was worth sharing...
Embedding a single podcast into a blog post or website is pretty easy, you just go to the service that hosts it and get the embed code for it (most will have it). Then you copy the code into the Edit Html window, just like you would to embed a video, or anything else.
What I was interested in, is how to embed a Podcast Feed into my blog. So, for example, how to get the newest 60-Second-Science podcast from Scientific American to automatically show up on my blog whenever it's up without me having to do anything.
One easy way to do it is to go to the 60-Second-Science page, click on RSS feed, and copy the URL at the top of the page. Then, for example, if you want it to show up on your blog sidebar, go to the Layout section of the Blog editor, click on add a Gadget. There is one for RSS feeds, just click on that and copy the URL for the podcast page. I did it this way for my blog, see the RED ARROW to the left to see how it would show up. (The screen capture was taken using Aviary)
A better way to display the feed, I think, is by creating a customized widget for it (see BLUE ARROW). Sounds intimidating, but its actually really simple, it took me about seven minutes to figure out how to do this. Once you copy the URL for the desired podcast page (in this case 60-Second-Science again), go to Grazr.com to create a free widget, just paste the URL code into the blue box, customize the widget- ie change the color and size if you want, and copy the embed code from the brown box (you'll have to go there to know what I mean, but it really IS simple). Then in your Blog Layout editor, add an HTML gadget and copy the code into it. And its done!
If you know of other easier/ better ways to do this, please comment below, thanks.
Some ideas for Podcasting assignments for the Science classroom:
Create a radio commercial for a breakthrough invention (eg. the artificial heart)
Record the State of the Union Address section on Science
An interview with a historical Science figure (eg. Mendel, Hooke, Virchov)
An interview with a nobel prize winner dead or alive (eg. Francis Crick)
Featured "cool Science jobs" (eg. they would research careers they may be interested in such as Forensic Scientist)
Review soundbites (see below for my AP Bio example)
A debate between two (or more) students on a particular topic
A song about a Science concept (eg. Osmosis, Displacement reactions)
A spin off "Wait, wait, don't tell me" (from NPR) with Science questions
A "This I Believe" segment (also NPR) about a controversial topic (eg. Cloning)
Now regarding hosting podcasts that your students create...
I found this free website hosting site called called PodBean, stores up to 2.5GB of podcasting material to start off with, after that you get a monthly increase of 500MB.
Here (below) is what your podcast weblog would look like (you can customize it in many ways). The interface is exactly the same as that used by Edublogs, if you're familiar with that. Click on the image to go to my podcast weblog. Gcast.com is another free-podcast creating and hosting service. It's more basic, but not necessarily more straightforward than PodBean's. The interface is also not as attractive or customizable and it takes a while for the podcast to be uploaded and published once you have created it. And from Eric's junk drawer, check out Houndbite for podcasting.
The following podcast was created by one of my students in preparation for their AP Biology exam . Their assignment was to pick a topic from a class list we compiled of "difficult Biology concepts" and create a podcast that their classmates could download onto their iPods and that would help them review for their AP exam while they were working out in the gym or traveling on the bus. The quality of their podcasts varied, some were too long and monotonous, others were silly, others seemed like they were just reading their notes or a textbook. This one is short and sweet, I felt that it accomplished its job well. If I were to do this activity again, I would have a class brainstorming session beforehand where the students would come up with a list of "dos and don'ts" when creating a podcast episode, that would help them get off to a good start.
The podcast was created using Audacity, a very simple and free audio recording and editing tool. It is not a hosting service though, so you'd then need to sign up to one of the free podcast hosting websites and upload the podcasts to it.
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