The following link is for an article in the Sydney Morning Herald today about blogging. Some people make a living out of blogging.
Isn't it ironic?

Enjoy.

http://www.smh.com.au/small-business/managing/blogs/enterprise/turning-a-blog-into-a-business-20121018-27sk8.html?rand=1350600586224

Final Post (100 words)

Blogging may help develop students’ study skills and their research skills. Blogging is writing in the public domain. This can encourage networking, commitment to goals and development of confidence in writing. It facilitates critical and reflective thinking skills.

Blogs can also be a public platform for the synthesis of ideas. Blogging may support the development of study and research skills, such as time management, academic writing and communication. 

In a senior biology class, teachers need to make blogging a task the student can enjoy doing, and relate it to the outcomes. Commenting on other students’ posts may be of benefit.

http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/weblogs/

Final Blog

Blogging is a useful tool for self-motivated students. 

It may help develop their study skills and their research skills. I have noticed this from the research projects students undertake in stage 4. They blog about the project as they are doing it. I also observed value in blogging at the Young Scientist award . With the project was a diary, of what they are doing. A lot of schools are doing this in a blog format.  

Blogging is writing in the public domain. This can encourage networking,( by having to comment on each other's blogs), commitment to goals and development of confidence in writing. At the same time, blogging facilitates critical and reflective thinking skills.

A blog can be a store for resources and ideas, and over the semester, I have looked back at our ACU blogs at different times. 

Blogs can also be a public platform for the synthesis of ideas. What I liked was having an online community with the same academic interest. Resources can be shared (e.g. our Slowmations). 

Blogging can also support the development of key study and research skills, such as time management, academic writing and communication. 

 I need to stress that for blogging to be effective, the  students need to use the right tools, and in this case, blogger.com didn't let us down. I mean, who can forget March 29th, 2012? 

The memories of that night lingered for a while.

All our EDST543 science class at the same time on Leo's blogging system, trying to discuss teaching and ideas about topics that were still somewhat foreign, only to find that only one person can blog at any one time, and the rest of us had to wait. So we waited...  and waited...  and waited.... Rosie was first and then Siran , and they had a good night's sleep. Most of us didn't know what was even happening with the server, and we spent the night emailing each other back and forth. A few students just left . LEO failed us as a blogging system. It was not user friendly, was slow, and most of us  didn't know what to expect. The worst part was that if the person finished their blog, and went to make a cup of tea without closing LEO, we would have to wait, and wait and wait!

So, for a blog to be effective, the blogging site needs to be efficient, quick to access, user-friendly, reliable, and allows access to everyone. Having the right tools is essential, otherwise it would only end with frustration and anxiety. In a senior biology classroom, there is no room for error. Setting out a task like this, and students struggling with the IT aspect of it is not a good image. 

The other point to emphasise is that blogging is an expression of thoughts and ideas, and there is nothing worse than coming home late at night to 'blog'. Luckily for our biology class, Margaret is understanding and is more flexible than most (Thank you Margaret!) . 

But in a senior biology class, when students have to deal with the stress of the HSC and so many assessment tasks, rich and traditional, they may not be as enthusiastic about blogging. Therefore, teachers need to make blogging  a task the student can enjoy doing, and relate it to the outcomes. 

From a personal point of view,  blogging this semester has been a  good experience. I like that it can be less formal than a written report, and I love reading other blogs before mine. I learn a lot too.  Blogger.com is easy to use, and as it's clearly set up with all our addresses on Google Docs, students can begin to enjoy what it's about. 

By having to comment on each other's posts, we have learnt so much more about the entire syllabus, and also about each other.

I like it. 

As a link, I am adding the slowmation that Daniel did. It is a perfect example of what a blog is all about. He shared this amazing resource with me by posting it on my blog (in the comment section). Now I can find it and refer to it whenever I want. By sharing it online we can see that he has confidence in being online, in communicating and sharing ideas, and he is proud of his work. He has a presence. By watching the slowmation, you (the reader), might add a comment on how good it is. We may start a conversation about it, and it might lead to a debate about his use of colour, choice of music (ONE DIRECTION? ) and so on... 

Question 10:

You need to watch the following slowmation before answering the question below:

Multiple Sclerosis is a medical condition that affects the nervous system. It was first described by the French neurologist Charcot in 1868. This disease can, to varying degrees, interfere with the transmission of nerve impulses throughout the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves.

Patients with multiple sclerosis face many difficulties, ranging from moving about and communicating, to pain and digestive issues.
By referring to the slowmation above, and with reference to the transission of nerve signals,  explain why a patient with multiple sclerosis may have difficulty with one of the following: walking, digesting food, or speaking.  
(3 marks).


Sample Answer: 

Human beings have neurons and these neurons are what transmits signals and messages to other parts of the body, to move, talk and digest. 
Multiple sclerosis affects the myelin sheath of the neuron, so the signal cannot travel down the neuron effectively. 

a) For walking, the neuron would normally send the message to a skeletal muscle, as shown in the slowmation. The muscle contracts. In MS, the signal is not transmitted as efficiently, because the nodes of Ranvier of the neuron are affected. Therefore, the person would experience difficulty walking.

b) For digesting food, the neuron would normally send the signal to a salivary gland, as shown in the slowmation. The salivary gland will secrete an enzyme to break down the food. Therefore, in a MS patient, the neuron cannot transmit the signal effectively, and the patient can't digest the food as well. 

c) For speaking, the neuron would need to send the signal to another neuron, as shown in the slowmation. The neuron will then transmit the signal to the mucles in the mouth allowing the person to talk. It is a complicated process, where one neuron communicates with the next. Therefore, in MS,  as the patient's neurons are affected and aren't able to transmit messages as well as normal, the speech becomes slurry and hard to understand. 


The transmission of signals involves neurotransmitter released from the pre-synaptic to the post-synaptic membrane. Therefore, in MS, neurotransmitter release is expected to be delayed, as neurons can't transmit signals as efficiently and quickly as they should in a healthy individual. 

Teacher comment:

This question is a band 6 question. The students needs to extrapolate the answer to an unfamiliar situation, and use cause and effect to explain. Those students who have an extensive understanding of the  transmission of messages across neurons would be able to answer this question easily. I would not  deduct marks if the student  doesn't mention the words in italic, such as Nodes of Ranvier , myelin sheath, and salivary gland. 
They just  need to show me that they understand the process, and how MS affects walking, digesting OR talking. They need need to link the neuron damage to the effect (difficulty walking etc...).

They only need to comment on one of the points above (a, b or c). 

Marking Guidelines:

3 marks: 

Student shows extensive knowledge of how a neuron transmits signals to parts of the body.
Student explains (cause and effect) that a fault in a neuron will lead to a significant outcome, eg difficulty walking, eating  and digesting food.
Student shows understanding of what happens after the signal reaches the synaptic membrane. 
An understanding of the implication of MS on a person's life.


2 marks 

Student demonstrates a sound knowledge of how a neurons transmit signals to parts of the body, with or without reference to the synapse. 
Student   is able to explain how a fault in a neuron can lead to a significant outcome. (cause and effect).

1 mark:
Student demonstrates a sound knowledge that neurons transmit signals to parts of the body, with no reference to how they do so, and, with no reference to any of the points above (a, b, or c).

Further reading 
I have found this link on the BOS ARC website. It is worth reading as it answers a lot of those questions we don't get to ask in class, such as what happens when a student is away for a long time, or a teacher is away on assessment day , and the big questions on grading and behind the scenes at the BOS, and so much more. It is titled 'HSC Assessment in a Standards-Referenced Framework - A Guide to Best Practice.' You can print it out and have a read, or access it online.
http://arc.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/go/hsc/

MS is a disease that can affect people we work with, people we look up to, and even family.
How can we help? Check the links below:

http://www.msaustralia.org.au/
http://www.mssociety.org.au/supportus.asp

I've been thinking about this blog for a couple of days. Assessing mapping skills and outcomes in summative assessments?

Then I went to work in the pharmacy as usual for a long day ahead....

Being a pharmacist is hard work. We need to talk to customers, drink coffee, test perfumes and make-up and work with much younger people. It's a hard job but someone's got to do it...

Today I worked with a pharmacy trainee, Jason. He is sitting for his written test next week. It is part of his assessment to get accredited. He would need to show the preceptor (me), that he can do numerous tasks (about 100 or so over a period of a week).

For the purpose of this blog, let's look at the following tasks he had to show me today:

• his intervention due to a drug-drug interaction
• counselling pregnant and/or breastfeeding mothers
• Methadone dosing
• ordering new stock.

So when the first methadone patient arrived, I quickly asked Jason to do it and he did. I applauded his effort and thought :'This assessment is easy. I will finish this list today'.

Then we got busier and busier and busier. 

A pregnant lady came and left, and I remembered Jason after she left. He needed to show me how he would have handled it. what would he have said? Does he understand the implications of medications and pregnancy?  Another one would come in again I thought (and hoped).

A breastfeeding mother called about her infant and another staff member assisted her and again Jason missed the opportunity. How did I miss that one?? That's ok, another one will call. ( but no one did).

I asked him to do the order before closing and as he was doing it, a patient came in asking for Panadol for his headache as well as  Codral for his runny nose, a combination which could lead to overdose. This is a  classic mistake that patients can make which could lead to overdose! Jason could use this example to show me his intervention skills due to drug-drug interaction.  

And guess what???

He didn't miss it! He stopped what he was doing and counselled that patient . And the patient lives again... 

Was it enough? 

Well, for Jason, Yes! 

And luckily for Jason, a pregnant lady will come in tomorrow, or the day after, or as a worst case scenario, we can make her up and get a shop assistant to pretend to be pregnant and ask for advice. 

Alas for the stage 6 biology students, we can't pretend. 

We can't pretend that the students were assessed. 

We can't pretend that we are assessing 'analysing'  results when the students were gathering data...

We can't pretend that the skills were covered. 

We can't pretend that we have covered what is in the syllabus. 

If only we could. But NO, we can't. 

The syllabus has been designed so carefully and outcomes need to be assessed, but these opportunities only present themselves at specific times. A teacher needs to know which skill and which outcome is to be assessed when. Mapping grids are a very valuable tool. They provide the teachers with a visual of which skills have been covered and how well they have been covered.

Mapping skills and outcomes is imperative in terms of  summative assessment. There are many times that an opportunity only presents itself once or twice. If missed, it's too late. As Joanne explained in her blog, the teacher has a responsibility towards her students and can't always remember everything. And setting the right task gives a clear picture of the student's performance in regards to pre-determined criteria eg band description.

Jason can do his test the following day, but the students can't. 

SO where do we go from here? 

http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/biology-assessment-schedule.html 

 http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/pdf_doc/senior_science_support_part_2.pdf

The above two links are very useful. I recommend printing them out and adding them to our portfolios. 

Thank you for reading my blog. 

PS I commented on Katie's .  

Discuss how you could use STANSW Young Scientist Awards or a similar award system (e.g. CREST or BHP Awards) to assist teachers and students with open-ended investigations and apply holistic marking criteria. (May draw relationships to your MyScience project)'.


Our role as teachers has changed. There is a wealth of information available online, and gone are the days when we had to visit the library to check an Encyclopedia, and envy the kids whose  parents had one at home and were paying it off one month at a time. 

As a teacher, I would have to both challenge and inspire students.

Both of these are not easy. The capable kids may need more of the former, and the unmotivated ones need the latter. 

Marking the Yong Scientist Awards has been a great experience. It has opened my eyes to what students these days are capable of doing. I was amazed at some of the projects, and spent a couple of hours at home arguing with my husband about a physics investigation that didn't support the hypothesis. (My husband doesn't yet know that I am always right. )

Competitions like this have always existed, but unless they are presented to the students, students can miss out on great opportunities. These are golden opportunities to accomplish something that they can be proud of. It is not about getting the right result, but conducting a fair test, as Joanne Shalala pointed out in her blog. 

So to assist students and teachers in open-ended investigations, I would introduce the Young Scientist competition to the school I am working at. The students will most likely feel intimidated by what they see at the beginning, but as I have taught my kids at home to say when they see something difficult at face value: "BRING IT ON". 

Some students may remain unmotivated and unchallenged, but I believe the majority will find something to 'like and relate to'. The competition caters for physics, chemistry and biology, so it's great for all science students. 
One of the difficulties I have seen the students experience is 'where do I begin?', and ' how do I come up with an idea like that? It's too hard', and again, this is where the support of the teacher and the parents too can be valuable. 
The holistic marking criteria was new to me. It's not easy to bypass a speling mistace. I hate speling mistaces. and ignoring punctuation and structure of reports etc... but I see why now. Holistic marking is about testing a hypothesis as a fair test. It's not about writing reports, but about scientific investigation. Sharing this with the students will most likely make a difference to their attitude and work. SOme science students may need help with literacy. It's comforting to know they will not be penalised.


I would also like to point out the euphoric feeling students feel when they are recognised. Please take a minute to watch the following link. It gives me goosebumps. 

I saw a plane model at the 2012 YS assessments. What will we see next year? 

http://www.stansw.asn.au/ys/

Week 7 Assessing a website

Week 7 Assessing a website

 

'Assess one useful web site that you would use for a practical activity for your Syllabus point.' 

Gone are the days of endless hours in a library. Nowadays, it's all about the web. As a teacher, it's very important to be able to assess websites. 

In this blog I will focus on dot point 8.4.7 which states

Students learn to 'process and analyse information from secondary sources to evaluate the effectiveness of quarantine in preventing the spread of plant and animal disease into Australia or across regions of Australia'. 


I have chosen the above website to assess
http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/about/public-awareness/education


Quarantine is something we think about when we are coming home from an overseas trip, grinning at the thought of our friends' reaction when they see 'what we brought with us'. It's also something we think about when we watch Border Security, and shake our heads in utter disbelief , when we see what other people bring in the country.
When it is 'us' bringing in products, it's upsetting and frustrating when QUARANTINE come to say hello and investigate.
When it's others, we shake our heads in revolt. Why? Because often, we (me included before ACU), didn't understand the implication of what we are bringing into the country.

It's not because others smuggle in drugs and bird eggs, but the ignorance of what can be on the same goods that we are binging in from overseas.

I think including quarantine in the biology syllabus is  very relevant as Australians are a nation who loves to travel. It is important to protect our country from invading armies- armies of bacteria, viruses, parasites and even animals that can affect our environment. Who can forget the devastating effect of the Cane toad, brought into Australia in 1935 to control sugar cane pests?

During my prac, I walked into a biology lesson and was surprised that weeks before the HSC the students were watching border patrol. I now realise that this is actually part of the syllabus. It is important to understand why the government spends millions of dollars to quarantine what comes into the country (If only they could manage all funds well, like not cutting millions of dollars out of the education system, but that's a different debate). 

The above website is valid, reliable and robust. 

It is from a reputable source (.gov.au). It is not sponsored by a company, nor is it written by a person. It is the work of a body of professionals, who need to adhere to strict guidelines.

It is rich in information. It outlines the work the officers do at the airport, what one can or can't bring into the country, and provides valuable advice (to plan ahead). It lists goods that can't be brought into the country. 

There is a link to download the full document with the relevant details. 

It also has some Australian history and trivia, to make it more interesting. I think the website will be better appreciated if it's looked at with another website about the effect of the cane toad in Australia. Students need to read about the devastating effect of introducing species to better appreciate what quarantine is about. 

Thank you.

Silvana Gittani.

Please note I will comment on Joanne Shalala.