Kirsten Green
UMBC - school
MD

Podcast: Are We Alone?: Geography of Mars

Tue, Oct 23, 2012 12:01 AM
Findings of Water on Mars

I think that this podcast was actually quite informative about some of the findings in regards to the water found on Mars. The host of the podcast does a great job describing blueberries which help prove that there might have been flowing water on Mars at one point in time in the past. He picks great questions to answer from the live communication feed that he has going on during the podcast and answers them quit thoroughly. I just think that the naming of this resource is a little misguided. Even though water is considered a geographic feature, I do believe that this podcast is more about the finding of water and proving that it was there rather than the overall geographic features of Mars. When opening this resource I definitely thought I was about to learn more about the physical features of the planet’s surface. Overall, I think it is something to look into if you are interested in expanding your knowledge of Mars.

Earth, Sun, and Moon: Earth's Seasons

Mon, Oct 22, 2012 11:35 PM
Great media usage.

This science object really helped me better understand why we have seasons on Earth. Before I had a vague idea, but now I can cite specifics. There are a ton of diagrams and visual aids that help you visualize what they are trying to explain throughout all of the sections. One of the videos, or animations as they call them, actually describes what is happening on the Earth as it orbits the Sun on its tilted axis. At each solstice and equinox, the video explains why certain hemispheres are or are not experiencing certain seasons at that time. A later activity compares the temperatures at certain places to their seasons and their location on the Earth’s surface in degrees latitude. Overall, I think this is a good resource for teachers and developing professionals because it provides a good overview of how the seasons on Earth work.