Alix-Anne Bush
UMBC Undergraduate Student
DC

Podcast: Earth Then, Earth Now: Our Changing Climate: Basic Greenhouse Physics

Thu, Oct 30, 2014 4:14 PM
Podcast: Earth Then, Earth Now: Our Changing Clim

While researching ideas for different lesson plans I came upon the different Podcasts that NSTA offers. Some podcasts are long about one hour while others are as short as a few minutes. I think this is a great resource because it is something you can listen too while doing something else. Most importantly it is information that comes from segments of web seminars. If you do not have the time to sit through a whole seminar, or if there is only a portion that you are interested in then the Podcasts are a source of information one should utilize. I decided to listen to Earth Then, Earth Now: Our Changing Climate: Basic Greenhouse Physics. The interesting thing about this particular podcast was the added visual aids of graphs and diagrams. The graphs are hard to understand if someone is unfamiliar with the information. I was slightly confused by them. However the visual diagram was a little more helpful towards the end. In this particular 7 minutes and 36 seconds a brief history of CO2 emissions was covered, where CO2 can be found, how it affects the Earth, and the future outcome of CO2 on planet Earth. It is impressive the amount of information on one subject that is made available. I will keep looking for interesting podcast, specifically on subjects that interest me and that I know little or nothing about. Having the occasional opportunity of hear someone talk about a subject can capture the attention of prospective teachers and students.

The Solar System

Thu, Oct 30, 2014 4:12 PM
Solar System SciPack

Recently as school assignment I need to complete the Solar System SciPack. This was my first experience doing any kind of online science learning. I am more of the hands on, kinesthetic, learner. Prior to starting the SciPack we were required to assess ourselves by completing the pre-assessment. This allowed me to see how much I knew before reading through the material. Surprisingly I had a reasonably amount of prior knowledge. When starting the actual packet I found that it was easily manageable. Each folder consisted of information that was short and to the point. The visual aids in forms of diagrams and videos are a bonus for those who are visual learners. It allowed for me to see and understand at a different level the information I was reading. As I progressed through the Solar System SciPack I became eager to learn more. There were many topics that I remembered learning previously but there was a great deal of background, and new, information that I was not aware of beforehand. This is a good way to review or learn new material. The periodic quizzes permit the learner to verify that they understand the material they just read. Besides giving explanations on wrong answers the packet reinforces with explanations when you also answer correctly. I will say that the final assessment is hard and a little confusing. I would have preferred completing a written comprehension assessment rather than a multiple choice. This way you can really show if you understood the material. If every SciPack is set up the same way I will definitively do more of them to refresh prior knowledge and learn new material.