Week 10

This week, I created a quick technical writing instructing students how to create a Dropbox account. This insures that they will always have a place to save their work, and as long as I keep their login information, they will never have an excuse.

Week 9

I have fallen behind on my ePortfolio, but I have made a lot of progress lately. I do not feel like I will have any trouble completing my assignments or my blended delivery course. I have decided to use Edmodo to host my blended delivery classroom, as well as incorporating tools from Google Apps and DropBox. Video compatibility issues will be addressed primarily using Vimeo in order to get around the blocked nature of YouTube.

Week 2

This is a screencast for the app PDFpen which allows users to highlight and make notes on PDF files.

Week 1

This was a quick search, but since my field is science, it was easy to find a multitude of apps. Some were better than others, of course, but there were several that seemed to be of high quality and useful. This app is Science 360, an app that offers a huge amount of science-oriented videos, many of which are not only educational, but entertaining as well; both of which are extremely important when using an app in the classroom.

Week 8

This is a tutorial for Edmodo, which can be a useful site for a blended classroom by making it easy for teachers and students to collaborate and hold discussions.

Week 7

Unit: Mitosis & Meiosis Textbook Mitosis: CH10-1 & 10-2 pg Meiosis: CH 11-4 pg Binary Fission: CH 19-1 pg Key Concepts The larger a cell becomes, the more demands the cell places on its DNA. In addition, the cell has more trouble moving enough nutrients and wastes across the cell membrane. Mitosis is a type of cell division that produces two genetically identical diploid daughter cells. Mitosis produces new cells for growth and repair. Mitosis produces all the cells in our body except sperm and eggs. To ensure that each daughter cell receives a complete copy of the DNA in the parent cell, the DNA in each chromosome is replicated, and then the two copies of each chromosome are separated into two genetically identical daughter cells. Biologists divide the events of mitosis into four phases: prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. Mitosis insures that each daughter cell has the same genetic information as the parent cell. A different type of cell division, called meiosis, produces haploid gametes (sperm and eggs). After the DNA is replicated, the first meiotic cell division separates each pair of homologous chromosomes and the second meiotic cell division separates the sister chromatids of each chromosome. This process produces genetically diverse haploid gametes. A haploid sperm fertilizes a haploid egg to produce a diploid zygote which has received half of its genes from the father and half from the mother. The zygote undergoes repeated mitosis to produce an embryo and ultimately a baby. As a result of meiosis and fertilization, each offspring has half of his/her genes from his/her mother and half from his/her father. As a result, children tend to resemble their parents and their siblings. However, the genetic diversity of the sperm and eggs results in genetic diversity of the different offspring produced by the same mother and father. Bacteria divide through a process known as binary fission. Binary fission does not involve the exchange or recombination of genetic information, it is an asexual form of reproduction. Key Vocabulary Mitosis, meiosis, binary fission, cell cycle, interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase, cytokinesis, chromosome, chromatin, chromatid, centromere, haploid, diploid, homologous chromosome, surface area to volume Key Questions Resources The online edition of the biology (dragonfly) book or the textbook itself Lesson Ideas

Week 6

In order to get around the restrictions the school system imposes on YouTube, I am going to recommend students use Vimeo. Vimeo is a video sharing site much like YouTube, and fortunately is open to the students. It allows students to not only view a multitude of videos, but they can also upload their own, which is useful if an assignment requires a video to be made. Below is a short tutorial about uploading a new video.

Week 5

I plan to utilize DropBox to give students a place to store and share any work they do in class. This way, not only will they not lose work, but they will not be able to use excuses for lost work either. It will also enable me to review their work from a central location. Below is a little about DropBox

Week 4

When implementing something innovative such as a blended delivery course, it is important to inform parents beforehand in order to insure they understand instruction will differ from past practices. The most simple way to accomplish this is to send home a letter informing them of the changes and the ways in which their child will be taught. Dear parents: This year is going to prove to be exciting and innovative. Your child will participate in a new way of teaching and learning. In the past, the most common method of classroom instruction consisted of the teacher simply instructing the students, then expecting them to regurgitate the information back. With advancements in technology, the traditional style of teaching is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. Now, I am excited to inform you that your child will be participating in this new form of education. I want to make you aware that you should not expect your child to bring home worksheets or homework out of the book. This does not mean that we are not doing anything in class, but rather that the majority of our work and instruction will be computer-based. This is particularly exciting because it will allow students to work more at their own pace, as well as review and correct work on the fly. Some things to expect this year: --Little to no homework --Regular collaboration and work time during regular class --Minimal traditional teaching practices --Student-driven leaning experiences --A focus on using technology to deliver content I want to thank you in advance for your patience as we work to integrate these new practices. It is most certainly going to be a trial and error process, but I am confident that it will produce a much more fulfilling experience for your child. Sincerely, Wes Neal

Week 3

My blended delivery site is found at https://sites.google.com/site/mrnealscience/. I chose to use Google Sites to host my media because I am more familiar with it than other methods, and it seems to be the most ubiquitous option as far what the students use.