We’ve moved!!

Blog with Og has now become the Classroom Blog Board. Please make a visit to http://classroomblogboard.com

Which of your genes came from Neanderthals?

Livescience have an informative blog on Neanderthals. Create your own post using information from Livescience and other information sources. Be sure that your post is in your own words so that you do not plagiarise . Also make sure you acknowledge the places that you get information from.

Add a picture. Use Flickr to find and download your photo as Fickr allows you to find photos that are not restricted by copyright but are available as creative commons.

Click through to gathabiotens here or in the sidebar to follow the work of Year 10 students on this topic.

Genetic testing for predisposition to deep vein thrombosis.

This post was posted to the gathbiotens blog. Student responses are accessible by clicking through to the gathabiotens blog using the link in the sidebar.

When Emma asked if she could go on this new pill for her skin, the doctor took a blood sample “just for some routine tests”.

As the doctor was aware that there is a family history of DVT on Mrs Brown’s side of the family, she ordered a gene test for the Factor V Leiden gene alteration, as another risk factor associated with thrombosis is the oral contraceptive pill.

Women who take this pill have a 4 times greater risk of DVT. However, if they also have the Factor V Leiden gene change, their risk jumps even higher, maybe even up to 20 or 30 times.

Neither Emma nor her parents were aware that this gene test was being done. Discuss this scenario and thefollowing questions.

1. Should the doctor have obtained informed consent from Emma before ordering this gene test? (Emma is only 15, a minor in the eyes of the law)
2. Should the doctor have obtained informed consent from Emma’s mother (Gayle) before ordering the gene test?
3. What consequences might this gene test have for Emma and/or her mother in terms of potential discrimination in life insurance and employment?
4. If Emma wishes to become a pilot or airline steward, should she be obliged to tell her employer by law?

Consider all these questions in terms of the four principles of biomedical ethics: Benefits, harms, individual rights and justice.

Acids Attacks

Answer these questions when you ‘Leave a comment’

1. What did you see in the videos?
2. What do you think about that?
3. What does it make you wonder?

Voki For Web

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Voki For Web, posted with vodpod

Leading Digital Schools Conference

Attention was drawn to he eSmart framework for cyber safety in schools.

Simon Crook gave a presentation on implementing a one on one laptop program at his school.

Martin Levens hosted many thought provoking discussions. He as posted some of his recent papers on his website.

Controlling Inheritance

Priorities for this week

1.    On our class blog leave at least two comments on another class members post.
https://gathabiotens.wordpress.com

•    The class blog is developing really well and starting to reflect the skills and knowledge of our group.
•    To develop as a learning community we need to learn how to make sensible and informative comments that build on other people’s blogs.
•    There are now guidelines to leaving comments at the top of the class blog. They are also on the back of this sheet.
•    You may leave a comment on someone else’s comment as long as it follows the guide lines
•    Leaving at least two comments is the number one priority this week.

2.    Listen to lesson 4.4 Controlling Inheritance on the screencast at the bottom of this post.
Using your earplugs (or headphones from  desk in the Science  Office) listen to the lesson introduction.

3.    Complete questions on Unit 4.4 up to 22 (you may do this as a word document pasted into your workbook or hand written)

4.    Update your previous blogs so that they include an image, some text and a phlog.

5.    Select two questions from 4.4. Develop your answers in more detail and post them on the class blog. Include an image, some text and a phlog.

This work should keep you busy if you are working effectively and thoroughly. If you are unsure about how to proceed with blogging, ask one of the people in the class who know!!

Watch the lesson introduction here. Please don’t be too harsh on me. I’m a learner too!

Grass Roots Leadership – Leading Digital Schools Conference

Martin Levins recently posted a comment ‘Leaders or Followers?’ on the ning of the Leading Digital Schools Conference. In that comment Martin reflects on the phenomena of leadership arising from ‘the bottom’, as opposed to that leadership that arises from those in formally designated executive, administrative or bureaucratic positions.

Martin is seeking examples of such leadership that have utilized digital technologies in education and this post attempts to list a few such examples.

At Mirboo North Secondary College a Wikispace, http://mnsc2009-tpl-middleschoolcurric.wikispaces.com/ was set up by teachers to facilitate major review of their middle school curriculum.

Grade 2KM at Leopold Primary School have a dynamic blog (2KM @ Leopold Primary School!) facilitating dialogue between students and parents.

Many Victorian teachers and students are aware of the work of Douchy in creating a digital learning community around VCE Biology.

Bozeman has utilised screencasting to build a virtual classroom for his students undertaking their AP Biology course in America.

Students at Immaculata High School in Somerville New Jersey maintain a class portal on Child Slave Labour that registers as the top hit under that search phrase in Google.

Year 10 students at Leongatha Secondary College have begun a Year 10 Biology Class Blog that aims to document and reflect their learning through development of blogging skills.

A more comprehensive list would be most useful and I will keep an eye out during the Leading Digital Schools Conference and continue to add to this list. Any suggestions would be most appreciated and could be left through the comments tab.

What matters to you?

What really matters to students at our school?

How can we tell? How do we  know?

What issues do students at our school feel so passionate about that they would find out? Speak up? Post an opinion?

This blog was begun on April 21 2010 motivated by Tom March and his Look to Learn approach to developing greater cognitive sophistication in students.  This approach forms the basis of a more comprehensive framework for engaging students in a manner that will “bring the transformative powers of technology to the essential and critical challenge that is the education of out children”. Tom coined the phrase The Edge-ucators Way.

Tom March - The Edge-ucators Way

Even accomplishing the foundation of The Edge-ucators Way has taken considerable effort with the ‘digital natives’ in our area found to be needing plenty of direction and encouragement to sign up to blogs, link web 2.0 applications, check school webmail regularly, and manage user names and passwords. Much consolidation work remains to be done. However a start has been made at gathabiotens and lsc9osciblog.

In planning the move to the second rung of the pyramid the question arises as to how we can ensure that focus around which a ‘Class Portal’ can be created is one that is deeply intrinsic to these students. Surfing class portal type blogs quickly reveals numbers of blogs where the teachers voice is readily audible while the student voice is less so.

What issues will determine that our ‘Class Portals’ are truly owned by students and reflective of conversations important to them?

Student Survey

A survey was conducted asking students in my Year 10 Biology class their opinions on using their new ‘netbook’ computers in this class.

You can have a look at the results by clicking through to the class blog at gathabiotens.wordpress.com