Ok, so I worked with the sketch up for a long time and could not really get a cell to work, turns out its more for architecture kind of stuff... but do not worry! I found an alternative that was also fun!
So instead of sketch up I worked with Qualtrics surveys to create a quiz about a scientific topic. This is the assignment that the students would recieve, its in a google doc form.

Online Quiz Creation




and then here is the students example of the quiz, click on this link to get to the quiz and take it!

Numba 9

For my 3rd project I'm am planning on doing option 1: the student assignment


Students: Biology Students
Program: Google Sketch up
Plan:I will use google sketch up, a program where you can model things and I will assign them to model a cell... or something like that... I don't have all the details down 100 percent but thats my plan so far!

The Battle for Justin's Stomach!!

Ok so for my 2nd project I chose to do option 2 which is where you create the student's assignment.

My students assignment was to create a movie about bacteria from information we had learned about in class. I actually got this idea from my fellow Biology Ed. student Jordan (who is also in this class) in our 276 class. We had a lot of fun coming up with plays about bacteria and viruses, and I figured that this would be a great assignment to give students! Because all students love to make movies right?!

So this past weekend my husband Justin and I went down to my hometown of Las Vegas and while we were there I convinced Justin and my siblings to help me out with recording the video. Overall I think its pretty funny and entertaining!
So check it out! Hopefully you enjoy it! I know that we had a blast putting it together! :)

Asynchronous Video

Asynchronous video is like what we have been doing this whole semester with youtube, but I have to admit that I did know how to create my own video and post it to youtube! So this week was very helpful for me!
here is my video on asynchronous video!
I hope you enjoy it!

Synchronous Communication... Yoda uses it.

So from what I have read and learned, Synchronous Communication is when people use technology to communicate with each other using video programs like skype, or talk online using msn messenger at the same time, hence the word "synchronous".

When I wached the lecture that was given where the person speaking was not even in the room it reminded me of an old Disney Channel movie called Zenon, Girl of the 21st century! haha in this movie Zenon and her friends are living on a space station up in space and when they go to school they are taught through a hologram teacher who is down on earth! haha This is awesome... I wonder if one day we will be able to do this?!

Also, holograms are used as forms of communication in star wars on many occasions, therefore, its a pretty legit way to talk to people, so we should all do it more often!
Here a picture of Princess Leah pleading for help from Obi Wan. (OK so this isn't "synchronous"... but still, its cool)





And Here is a picture of Yoda, talking with his fellow members of the Jedi Council.






These are both forms of synchronous communication!

I am such a fan of synchronous communication. I think it has so many wonderful aspects to it that can be applied to many areas in our life. I decided to talk with a couple of my friends in Hawaii who worked at Sea Life Park with me! I havn't seen them face to face in like a year and a half and it was so fun to see them and to be able to see their expressions while we talked! They are doing really good, and loved all the tsunami excitement of this past weekend!

Anyways, I really enjoyed this assignment, and I think that synchronous communication is such a blessing. We are so lucky that we live in an age where technology is so advanced that we can talk with people face to face who are half a world away! Its really exciting actually! I can't wait to see what technology comes up with next!

Why is Copyright important?

Copyright is very important for many reasons. First of all it allows people to safely put their creations out for the public to see, hear, experience, and learn, and it does so in a way that keeps those creations safe from being stolen. If we did not have copyright then people could steal others peoples material and claim it for their own. There would be no way to give credit to people for ideas, or inventions. And anyone could claim they invented something when really, someone else did.
Although we would hope that people would not steal the credit for things that they did not create, but unfortunately it is necessary in our world today. It is also important for people to learn how to learn and do work on their own, without copying other people's things. Copyright is very important in academic atmosphere's because students in school try to cheat all the time by copying other people's papers, and ideas. If there weren't laws against copyright infringement then students would never learn how to think on their own.

Movies in the Classroom!

I think that movies can be especially helpful in the classroom to help students learn and become more engaged in the topics! Movies can be very helpful, especially in science classrooms, where we sometimes talk about tiny microscopic things, and seeing pictures of them help students to understand the material much more! Of course movies shouldn't take the place of hands on interactions and experimenting, but they can be used to fill in missing knowlege, or to get students interested in Biology in general.
Knowing how to make movies is important for outside the classroom as well. There are so many fun ways that experiences can be shared through movies. Wether its through actual video recording of an experience you had or just pictures to music, movies are a fun way to share you life with people1
I lived out in Hawaii for a year and at one point I made a movie of mine and my friends adventures so that people at home could watch it and see all the fun things we were doing! It was fun to make, and it was fun to hear about peoples reactions to it! :)