Week Seven (Final Week)

I was throwing a ball to my dog and it hit our large pine tree

Week Six

I read an article this last week in the NY Times about the cuttlefish. A scientist named Roger Hanlon has been studying this species--which is part of the cephalopod family--for over thirty years. This extraordinary animal is so fascinating to him because it can camouflage itself against any background. He says that they are able to do this because of their advanced visual system and the versatile nature of their skin cells. They have huge eyes that take in very broad and detailed images of their surroundings. The part of their brain that processes this information is huge, and connected to many parts of their skin system. The article also said, "The animals use a number of strategies to alter appearances. The skin layers can swell and contract, changing the reflected colors. At the same time, the cuttlefish can also control millions of pigment-filled organs, causing them to flatten like pancakes to add patterns to their skin."
I think this fish is fascinating! I would love to see a live one.
After watching the video, I discovered that cuttlefish have three types of transformation: uniform, mottled, and disruptive. Dr. Hanlon believes that the cuttlefish has these three templates to use while it disguises itself. He also posits that other species who camouflage themselves also rely on a few basic patterns.

Jodi Hilton for The New York Times

A cuttlefish adopts checkerboard motif at Marine Biological Laboratory.

Week Four

This week I've been thinking a lot about my dog and the way he smells things. Anytime I take him on a walk, he buries his nose in the ground. He loves smelling things. I wonder why? Why is smelling so satisfying for him?
I have also noticed that he can track objects by smell very adeptly. I throw a tennis ball into thick weeds in the back half of my yard, and he smells around for it until he finds it. He uses his sight to find it, but I can tell he definitely relies on his nose more than any other sense.
I looked up "dogs" on Wikipedia and found this statement: "Dogs have nearly 220 million smell-sensitive cells over an area about the size of a pocket handkerchief (compared to 5 million over an area the size of a postage stamp for humans)." This tells me that a dog's sense of smell is incredibly stronger than a human's. This, at least, helps me understand how important this feature is to this animal. I think , in general, creatures rely on and use those sense that are strongest. I think this is called a featural-advantage.
I wasn't sure if dogs have any kind of satisfaction from smelling. This article said that no evidence has been found to prove this. It did say that dogs do smell two kinds of things: permanent smells and temporary smells.

Week Three

So, I have a new prediction about that "leafy" pod on my palm tree. I think it will eventually become part of the crownshaft. I totally overlooked the similarity it has with the crownshaft sheaths that are already on the tree. In a week it hasn't changed much. I think I'll just have to wait until it blossoms before I find out what it will really become.
I also read an interesting article in the NY Times about hummingbirds. In my first journal entry I mentioned that the hummingbirds in my backyard make a whizzing noise when they divebomb me. I assumed this sound was from their beak--like a bird call or something. But it is actually made by wind blowing over their tail-feathers. Since they are traveling so quickly, the wind creates a high-pitch sound that is similar to a person blowing on a piece of tightly stretched plastic. I think their divebomb does sound similar to the sound I make when I blow on a piece of candy wrapper.
I've spent more time this week looking at the stars. Ever since I visited the planetarium at Discover Science Center, I've been going outside finding constellations and stars I can actually name. It's pretty exciting to be able to do this. There's still alot in the sky, though, that I can't quite identify or find. For example, I couldn't even find the northern star. I can usually see the Big Dipper, but not the last few nights. I think this has to do with the brightness of the city lights drowning out the stars' light. I need to go to the desert or the mountains to get a better view of the stars.

Visit to the Discovery Science Center

I went to an open-house, teacher –night at Discovery Science Center on February 7, 2008. I stayed a total of two hours. There were a mountain of resources available at this gathering. Some were relatively cheap; others were quite expensive.
The programs that come from the Discovery Center seem to be the most organized and promising programs. They include the FSEA (Future Scientists and Engineers of America), field-trips, water programs, after-school programs, teachers’ programs, Science-to-go (lab experiences covering a variety of topics), and assemblies. These programs, however, can be expensive. They range from $9 a student to $1,500 for a whole program. I like the range of activities they have. I may not be in a position to get the FSEA to come to my school, but I could at least set up another one of these fun, educational activities.
Community organizations also presented many interesting programs. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department offers a Drug-Free Program and the Irvine Ranch Conservancy takes students on hikes to fossil sites. OCTA (Orange County Transportation Authority) also has a program that familiarizes students with our County’ s public transportation system.
Another invaluable resource I stumbled across is the Orange County CREEC. This Internet-based program tracks hundreds of science-related events and programs throughout the county, then sends links and information to its web-page. As a teacher, I can access this site and find new events and programs that I otherwise would not have discovered on my own.
Wow! This event featured some great programs—many of which I would use in my classroom. I would, at least, want to have a science lab brought to my school. And I would push for a program like FSEA if I knew there would be a large student turnout and enthusiasm. The Internet resource CREEC also has many great events. I have subscribed to their newsletter, and I hopefully will find events and programs that could benefit my classroom.

Visit To Fisler

I was really impressed by what I saw in Cynthia's classroom. I have seen a SmartBoard, but never a Promethean Board. Very exciting possibilities! I was most impressed with the way she managed the classroom with the board. She could be anywhere in the room, and still use the white board as a focusing point for students' attention. This is an amazing teacher tool. I would make a lot of use out of this feature because I really enjoy walking around while I'm teaching. I think it would also be helpful for the students because they don't have the teacher in the way of the board. What's important to see is visible for all students.
I also think that this board gives students a greater responsibility in their learning. Usually the front board is seen as the teacher's writing space--but not in this classroom. That board is the teacher's and the student's writing space. I think this will create pride and a deeper sense of thoughtfulness in student learning. They will want everyone to see their great thoughts and they will be less inclined to put something goofy or nothing at all on the board.
The Proscopes were also a favorite. I think that they wouldn't be that helpful if they were just microscopes, but they allow storage and manipulation of real-life microscopic images on students' personal laptop space. This is incredible! A student can go home and review the image he took of a cell at home. I also think that the proscope is amazing because it is mobile and can be placed over any object, at any angle. Normal microscopes can only be placed over a small slide. This feature will allow students to see almost anything at a microscopic level.
I had such a great time at this school. I definitely want to do everything I can to get some of this technology into my future classroom.

Week Two Entry

Monday 2/4
I have a Palm tree in my backyard. I've seen it a thousand times, yet I've never noticed something like this leaf-like, frond-thing coming out of the trunk. I am curious about what it will become. It could be a new branch, but it's too low on the tree to be a branch.
I grabbed this "thing" and it had definite volume. The leaf's material was soft, and it was covering some kind of seed or branch. It felt similar to a pea pod. To know what exactly what this leaf is I'll need to do some research on the internet. I also want to find out what kind of Palm tree this is.

Tuesday 2/5
Morning
I researched this Palm tree on the Internet and could not find any picture or name for this plant. I'm not sure that this is a Palm tree??
Night. I looked at a few more sites, and I think that this tree is definitely a Palm tree. There are so many species of this plant, though, so it's hard to tell which one it is. I'm going to talk to my dad to find out what species it belongs to. I did find some useful terms for describing the Palm family, however, that gave me a better understanding of this type of plant. The branches that spread out from the top like an umbrella are called the crown. The branches come out of a smooth part of the trunk, which is called the crownshaft. The woody part of the trunk below the crownshaft is simply called the trunk. There are three kinds of leaves--the palmate, the costapalmate, and the pinnate. The pinnate is the type of leaf that most people see on Palm trees. The flowers or blooms that come out of the trunk-crownshaft intersection are called the inflorescence. So, I've figured out that this pink leaf-type object is actually an inflorescence. This means "flower stalk." Eventually, it will bloom into a flower or fruit. Once this happens, I'll have a better idea what kind of Palm tree this is.
This information was taken from: The Palm Shop. 2007. http://www.thepalmshop.com/anat.html. >Accessed 2008, February 5.