Wunderground Activity - Honolulu, Hawaii 2010

I've always wanted to go to Hawaii, and after completing this activity, I don't know if there's ever a bad time do do it.  On the fifteenth day of each month, the daily temperature was between 60-80 degrees F - and that's including the highs and the lows!  Working with Google-docs to complete the spreadsheet and graph was definitely new for me, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to add labels to the key.  I'm sure it's something simple, but I certainly couldn't get it...

I can see myself using an activity like this in my classroom during our chemistry unit.  Students could research the melting and freezing points for each of the various groups of elements on the Periodic Table, and could create a graph (or multiple graphs) to represent the data they've collected.  Or, perhaps I could use it to record student data for analysis when we create ice cream in a bag, and the students have to monitor the temperature change over time.  Whatever the reason, I think spreadsheets and graphing programs are fantastic for science students, and I would like to find more ways to incorporate it into my teaching!

Feel free to check out the link below to the spreadsheet and bar graph I completed on Honolulu, Hawaii.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0Av921-Wt-YgQdGJrbnRISXZTOV9xZzVuVmhhN1NHSUE&hl=en&output=html

Forces and Motion Scavenger Hunt

I have created a file for students to use as they review the main concepts of Forces and Motion for their final exam.  Each of the concepts are those that the students should already know, but for those who need a refresher, I have posted helpful links that will provide individuals with the information that they need to complete the puzzle.

Click on the link below to access the Forces and Motion Scavenger Hunt:
https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1bA4W6uukdZWFjiKCI7p7nBN2stj0QCTsSrINm1VHEzI

Roller Coaster Theme Park Slideshow

I've created the following file to show off the 2009-2010 8th grade class projects for the "Isaac Newton's Inertialand Fair." 

https://prezi.com/secure/abbe63140c3a4ffdae6961e8ad3763ce4110c1fd/

Mapping America: Las Vegas, NV

Access the following website to help you complete the attached file. 

http://projects.nytimes.com/census/2010/explorer?ref=us

Use the file below to help you analyze the data from "Mapping America: Every City, Every Block."
https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1aMtXKKTxzf-rN7mHQyxvOCfAhj8i-dF7iMIsWTS9PLA

Visions of Dandelions

This first photo is the original image taken offline.  As a child, I hated the yellow flowers that permeated my back yard, and the white fluff that followed, sticking like thorns to all of my clothes.  Today, I find nothing more beautiful than the simplicity of the dandelion's seed as it is lifted into the air and floats away on the wind.  Each of the images below were modified using http://www.befunky.com/.

I love how this image depicts the image through the beauty of "pointillism."

 I chose to represent this image with a "grunge" tool, and I love the harsh lines and dreary colors that have overtaken such a delicate image.

This is perhaps my favorite image, as the floating seeds and flower are blurred, and the image has been converted into black and white.  The technique is called "pinhole."

The final image is created using a "sketcher," and picks up all of the fine details in the background of the image, as well as the dragonfly-like seeds.

I could potentially use the program in class for students who are creating images for their Thrill Ride Brochures to creatively depict their roller coaster projects, or images of their alternative energy sources as they put together their presentations for the class.

Wikipedia Comparison

Thoughts on Wikipedia vs. Britannica

I have been dissuading my students from using Wikipedia as a source for research for years.  However, after taking a look at Wikipedia versus the more reputable Encyclopedia Britannica, I may have changed my mind. 

Some of the things that I discovered as I looked back and forth between the two online resources are strikingly surprising.  The articles on Simple English Wikipedia contained much more information on the things I chose to research than from the Britannica site.  When researching information on Golden Retrievers, I found that the data on Simple English contained much more information than Britannica.  Simple English had information posted in kid-friendly terms regarding the appearance, the activities, kinds, health, history and external links on the breed, while Britannica only mentioned the standard height, color and popularity from the year 2002.

Wikipedia allows anyone in the world to access the pages, but you must create a log-in if you wish to make modifications to the information in any way.  On Encyclopedia Britannica, you must create a log-in in order for you to access all of the information on each of the pages.  While Wikipedia allows for pages and pages worth of information to be written, Britannica seems to have articles with a 250 word maximum. 

The English version of Wikipedia is much more detailed than either Simple English Wikipedia, or Encyclopedia Britannica.  After learning that there are individuals that moderate the sites, and that there are individuals that monitor postings for various subjects, I feel a little bit more confident with the information found on wiki sites.

Feel free to access the changes that I have made to the articles on Golden Retrievers, Michigan State University, and the state of Michigan at the following address:

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/Goldenamh83