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=Welcome to Lab Methods in Teaching Science: BSC 231 @ Illinois State University=

=Thursday December 2= It has been great working with you all this semester. We will NOT be meeting Dec 9th nor on Dec 16th. However, you do need to accomplish the following tasks. The due dates are posted with each deadline! :)

Lab Safety QUIZ

 * Here is a list of what you need to know for the Lab Safety Quiz.
 * [[file:LabSafetyStudyGuide.doc]]
 * Access the BSC 231 Blackboard course HERE
 * Please contact me ASAP if you do not have access to our BB course!
 * Everything you need is inside the "Laboratory Safety" folder
 * Review the PowerPoints, articles and Web Links
 * Take the Quiz...up to 5 times. You must get at least an 80% in order to pass the class, but it must be completed by Thursday Dec. 16th @ 3:00 pm.
 * The Lab Safety grade for this class will be a completion grade. Meaning, everyone who reaches a minimum of 80% receives all the points for this assignment.

Research Paper-Pick Up
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 * Starting December 13th, your research papers are available for pick up at CeMaST (210 W. Mulberry St; across from Manchester Hall)
 * You must pick up your paper! Do not leave them with me until spring semester! I want you to see the feeback I have written as things are still fresh in your mind!
 * Feel free to schedule a time to come talk to me about any feedback I gave you on this large project
 * Have a great Break and good luck student teaching.

= =

Wednesday Dec.1--Blackboard Course
In order to fulfill our lab safety requirement for the course, I have had to create a Blackboard course for BSC 231. You should each be enrolled, and have access HERE. You should also see it in your list of BB courses in iCampus. Please check to be sure that you can get into the course, and that you can view the learning modules and assessment. I will talk more about this in class on Thursday Dec. 2.

Thursday Nov. 4--STEM Kit
I know I said you don't have to do anything for the STEM kit, but I do need a "little" something. The 307 students will be accessing the STEM kit page soon and will be in charge of writing the student lab handout for the kit. Please clarify the lesson ideas you had for the kit materials for which you have budgeted. Either provide links to lesson plans online, similar to what you want the kit to include, or describe the lesson you thought would go with this kit. Place this on your STEM Kit wiki page, or create a Google Document so that the group can discuss lesson plan ideas. Our 307 students will be constructing the student lab handout and need guidance from you! ~Thanks, Dr. Harland

Thursday Nov. 4--Don't need to do Personal Reflection section for next week!
As you know you need to have a paper copy of your paper for next week (or two copies if you're a group). You do NOT have to have the personal reflection written, as that will not be peer edited. And if you are working in groups, each individual should write their OWN personal reflection. Therefore, groups will have two personal reflections in their paper! Also, if you have not already done so, remember that you are to peer edit 2 people's graphs by next Tuesday. Use the feedback you've gotten from those to help you write your analysis and conclusion! Good luck as you write your paper this week. :)

Thursday Oct. 28
Due date for uploading graphs to the document sharing page is TUES NOV 2. [Note: If your experiment is not completed by then, wait until you have all your data...but please email ME and you peer editors to let us know when you post it!]

Due date for having Peer Editing Complete is TUES NOV 9. [I'm trying to be flexible here, if the group posted their graphs late, --they are supposed to email me--this date may have to change]

Friday Oct. 22: Gradesheets & posting photos!
You should have each received an updated grade sheet from me. FYI: from now on, grades are entered as zeros, not as empty slots so that you can see how that actually effects your grade. If the particular item is DUA, take heart that the grade will be changed once the assignment has been approved. It seems there has been a mis-communication about posting photos. That was to be posted yesterday. We talked about how you would do that the previous week, and it was on your list of things to do for the 21st. However it was not on the "master" list. Therefore, if you can get a sampling of photos up here in the next few days, I'll change those grades. Also, be sure that you label the photos with what is in them (group names, dates etc...). And remember you'll need to have photos of you collecting data/taking measurements. SHOW us how you measured that leaf, or took the circumference of the leaf etc... Don't forget about the MACRO setting on your photos. Some of the photos I've seen are very blurry.

Thursday Oct. 21: Next week's class session
Thursday October 28th we are meeting in the **Degarmo computer lab, room 307.** Please bring with you electronic versions of all available raw data from your experiment. Either on a flash drive, or if you can get it from online. We will be determining how to make sense of raw data, how to make graphs show the changes that occurred within your experiment.

Tuesday Oct. 19: STEM Kit Ideas
I notice 2 groups don't have STEM kit ideas listed...I just ran into some cool products you might be able to use as part of your kit. See if these don't spark an interest for some of you. Timelapse Plant Camera Audubon Bird Camera Soil Test Kits

Thursday Oct. 7: I sent out "current" grades
You should have all received an email with your "current" grade. The reason I've put "current" in parenthesis is because I set it up so that even if you don't have your proposal approved (which you should have....) its not marking it as a zero, its just not included in your total. If you didn't get approved by today, the best grade you can get is a 11/12 (still an A). If there are any problems with your grade please feel free to email me! Good luck as you begin your research project! :)

Saturday Oct 2: Working with Groups during the proposal approval process
All proposals have been reviewed at least once! I also wanted each of you to be aware that to monitor a group's ability to work together, I like to look at the revision history (under file). It is easy to see which members are contributing what. You may need to have a discussion with your lab partner as to who will do what. Like from now on, maybe trade off who makes the corrections to the proposal, so that each individual has a chance to do that. The key is communicate. You must agree to share the responsibility, divide up the tasks, and do what you've committed to do. After discussing the project together f2f (face-to-face) if one person is good at writing the first draft, and the other person is great at editing, that's fine. Remain a bit flexible as people have different levels of "stress" with which they are comfortable. For example one person may want to make changes within hours of receiving the email, and the other might need time to process the comments before making changes. Teamwork is a give and take process. Please TALK about this with your lab partner, and get these things out in the open!

Monday Sept 27: Post your proposal
Thank-you to the two groups who have posted their proposal on the document sharing page! Everyone should do this ASAP. Your first draft of the proposal is due Thursday, but you should post it before then and be working from it in the days prior. While I won't comment on proposals until I get an invitation to do so, I want to be able to check in on how its going! Please post proposals ASAP. Even if it is just a template to get started!

September 21: Friendly reminder that a MAJOR note check is on for Thursday
You don't have to be DONE taking notes, but you must have most of the resources you already have in your notes. You should also make an attempt at having each research question addressed. Another friendly reminder. If something will end up in your paper, it must first be in your notes. When you turn in your paper, you will also be turning in your notes, and I will be checking to make sure that is the case. You should NOT write in complete sentences, and you should be well organized.

September 17: Changing the name of the "Hands-On Lab Activity" to "Cookbook to Inquiry Lab Activity."
I want to reiterate that all hands-on activities are NOT inquiry. Many of the labs easily accessible (in published lab books and online) are actually cookbook labs. The goal of these types of labs is to demonstrate content students have just learned by leading students through procedures that have known outcomes. They are not addressing any sort of "question." They may be hands-on, but they are not inquiry. Which means, they are not even ON our inquiry table. I am officially changing the name of our "Hands-On Activity" to "Cookbook to Inquiry Activity" in order to stress that the labs must be some level of inquiry. Nothing is changing regarding the assessment of the assignment or the rubric, just the name. You may get ideas from cookbook labs, but you must find a way to pose a question that students work to answer. Or you may modify an already inquiry lab to be a higher level inquiry. I apologize if I have not been clear in explaining the difference between inquiry and non-inquiry. I've posted a new table on the Inquiry Table page that will help further explain the differences.

September 16
I have to admit, I'm a bit nervous that some research groups haven't posted their names/ideas. AND that most of you haven't posted your library research questions. I know I didn't specify exactly when today those had to be posted, but in the future, when I ask for things to be posted to the wiki in order to get feedback, it will be due 8:00 on Thursday. That way, I have time to make comments in the wiki and we hit the ground running for class time. Posting your library research questions right before class today will slow you down in what you can accomplish. See you 6th floor Milner at noon!

September 14
I posted some free online journals that may have resources that you can use for gathering answers to your research questions. You'll find those on the research project, links page.

Class for September 16
Will be held in Milner Library on the SIXTH Floor in the South West corner.

Friday Sept. 10
I use a REALLY COOL gradebook that allows me to organize my grades. I've organized all our grades into three categories. 1) participation & collaboration, 2) Assignments (Hands-On-Inquiry Lab, safety quiz) and 3) all research project grades. The best part of the program is that I can email you your grades. I'll do this every once in a while so you know where you stand in the course. Please check your ilstu email for an email from me. If you use the webmail system here at ISU, you may get an error message, that tells you to contact me. If this happens, look for a link within the email...it will take you to an html version that will allow you to read the tables. If you have any questions regarding your grade, please let me know as soon as possible.

Thursday Sept. 9
If you haven't already, please post your research partner & topic on the rp_documents sharing page here in the wiki.

Friday September 3: Equipment?
I've had several people ask about equipment check out and lab space to conduct the experiment. Remember you will be collecting data for three weeks in October. So here is my conclusions and suggestions regarding this.

1. It is best to design an experiment you can complete at home. You'll have the best access to collect data, and have the most control of the experiment as well. 2. Basic glassware and other simple equipment will be available for you to check out for the month of October (when you will collect data). 3. Use of microscopes (and similar equipment) would be available periodically if you work that out with me ahead of time.

I also want to remind you to have access to a **digital camera** to collect photographic data of your experimental set up and specimens.

Thursday September 2: Presentation Schedule Set!
I've posted the presentation schedule Hands-On activity. Remember to click on the date, to access the wiki page I made for each group to work together.

Also, only 9 of you are members of the wiki. Remember, even if you can see the text within the wiki, you don't have editing privileges, which you need. Please follow the directions on the Wiki Tips Page if you are not a member of the wiki.

Wednesday September 1
I just wanted to bring to your attention that I posted the long-term deadlines for your semester research project. The good news is that everything for this particular project is due before you leave for Thanksgiving. The bad news is that this means that we will be very busy in the weeks prior to vacation.

Friday August 27
It was nice to meet all of you yesterday. I've posted the class list with ulids in Week 1. You can also access that via the weekly schedule. The list of what you need to do before class next week is also there. I also was able to get my hands on some great lab resources that I will bring to class next week. We will be doing an activity with them next week, but they are also a great source of ideas for your hands-on lesson as well as for getting research project ideas. I will be at our room early next week, and will have the books on a cart if you want to come take a look.

August 24
Below is the syllabus for our course. Additional information can be found here in our wiki. Please take a few moments to look around and orient yourself to our course web page. Please go to the Wiki Tips page to learn about the power of wikis and to get information on how to make an account, and then how to "join" this course.

When you signed up for this course, you may have been told there is a required text, that is not the case. Feel free to return any books you may have purchased. However, there is a PIP packet for you to purchase over in the Bone Student Center. It is packet #84. The PIP office will be open until 6:00 pm every night this week as well as from Noon-3:00 Sat. and Sunday. If it is at all possible to purchase the packet before class on Thursday, that would be helpful, but not a requirement.