Research from Nations of Visitors and Thank you's for Visiting

Visitors to this blog are from all over the world. I found a site that can help me say thank you in many languages and linked it here:

Thank you in many languages! Thank you

These are the current visitors flags and some international links:

Germany

A botany position in Germany: http://www.academicjobseu.com/content/categories/GERMANY_science-Botany.asp

Portugal

Spain

Butterflies and Birds in Spain and Portugal:
http://www.wildaway.com/

Finland

History of Botany in Finland:
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-1753%28196622%2957%3A2%3C286%3ATHOBIF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-D

Ireland

Science Education in Ireland:
http://www.science.ie/

Serbia and Montenegro

Learning through research: A Serbian Tradition:
http://www.scienceinschool.org/2007/issue7/petnica/

Canada

Corporate Support for Science Education in Canada
http://www.merckfrosst.ca/mfcl/en/corporate/newsroom/press_releases/expo_sciences_pancan_eng_2006.html

Netherlands

Marine biology in the Netherlands

1. www.rug.nl/biologie/onderzoek/onderzoekgroepen/marienebiologie/onderwijs/index - 40k -
2. http://www.iode.org/oceanportal/detail.php?id=5288

Mexico

Nanotechnology in Mexican Schools...comparison to US schools
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/18/AR2006121800905.html
.

Japan

A Japanese View of Science Education in the USA:
http://sciencelinks.jp/j-east/article/199913/000019991399A0325759.php

United Kingdom

Science Learning Centres:
http://www.sciencelearningcentres.org.uk/WebPortal.aspx?page=1


India (Flag to come soon)

Environmental Issues/Ecology in India

France

Engineering Schools in France:
http://www.learn4good.com/great_technical_colleges/france_engineering_science_school_degree_courses.htm

Australia

For those interested in Australian plants:
http://www.anbg.gov.au/education/index.html

Brazil

United States

.
More links to come.... Also, add interesting links that you find in the comments below.

Gifted and Talented Connections:

1. Talent Search
   
2. Center for Talented Youth
   
3. Connections Academy
   
4. Graduate Certifications
   
5. No Child Left Behind
6. Verbally Gifted Youth

Things to think about...
All children, including gifted and talented, deserve education at their level. Please encourage legislators to treat all children equally. Gifted children need study skills and other skills, as do children of all abilities.

For example, a gifted fifth grader in math, should not have to wait to do fifth grade (or higher) math until classmates learn to count to 500. (This and similar events happened frequently in this (and many)students case(s).)

A gifted child shouldn't have to perpetually teach other children in his/her class that are behind, rather than being taught...parents' taxes are being paid to have teachers teach. On occasion gifted children can teach others. But, all children can have that experience. Each child has some talent. Why then do these tutorials happen in one direction, so often?

(c)2007 JSS used by read-about-it.blogspot.com with permission of the author.

Recreation and Stress Reduction over the Holidays

Stress sometimes builds up with exams and holiday shopping coming before the holidays and financial woes afterward, however, there are ways to reduce stress. And, remember, holidays are not about spending away too much money, rather, they are about having fun with your friends and family and celebrating values you share, religious or otherwise.

Recreation is an important part of holiday time, too. One aunt may take the children for paintball or spyder vs3 while another bakes cookies with the smaller children. The main point is to get along and have fun, and...relax. Relaxation helps to reduce stress: http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/relaxation-technique/

So, go for paintball (Ultimate Paintball: Tippmann, Spyder, Smart Parts, Dye, Empire, Draxxus paintball gear Tippmann A-5, Tippmann 98 Custom, Smart Parts Ion, Spyder Pilot ACS plus many more brands- See http://www.pntball.com for Ultimate Paintball: best prices with free shipping.) or go make cookies...or, read a book, or sit down and talk with Mom and Dad. What ever you do, have fun and keep your stress to a minimum.

###

Edits-Jan 2, 2008:

There appears to be a lot of interest in this particular post so I have taken the liberty of adding more stress reducing sites:
http://www.coping.org/growth/stress.htm
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/success/stress.html
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/stress.html

How can you use science to help you make decisions?

In the United States, and elsewhere, many people are often concerned about their weight, how can you use science to evaluate whether you want a macrobiotic diet, a lap-band ventura or anything in-between?
lap-band ventura

Evaluating any decision regarding your health and lifestyle requires sound scientific principles. People are often aware of processes of scientific method(s). Some students, and grown-ups, too, will think of these methods in science class, but forget to use them in every day life. Making sound decisions leads to better health and improved longevity.

Across grades K-12, researchers have focused on ways that students investigate, model, discuss, and understand increasingly sophisticated mathematics and science concepts. Source: http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/ncisla/research/. Accessed December 28, 2007.

Because of global warming, alternative energy, water use and other complicated social and environmental issues, people need to rely on basic science skills like evaluating data.
As a result of the societal and personal needs, decision making is being increasingly included in school curricula, for example, http://earthsys.ag.ohio-state.edu/Decision/aboutdm.htm, Ohio Sea Grant's education project for development of electronic curricula for decision making using Great Lakes data.
But, it takes more than "book-learning" or even internet-learning to make decisions. Higher order thinking skills are essential. Let's look at a sample set of educational standards on this topic:

National Educational Technology Standards (NETS)

# Standard 6: Technology Problem-solving and Decision-making Tools
* Students use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions.
* Students employ technology in the development of strategies for solving problems in the real world.
Source: http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/weatherproj/teacher_curriculumstandards.html. Accessed December 28, 2007. The standards, like the ones shown above, often suggest the end result for students. But how do they get there? How do we, adults, get there when we make decisions? Whether picking shampoo, or choosing the best presidential candidate, whether selecting a diet, exercise routine or surgery, we (students and mentors alike) need good decision making skills. We need to think deeply.

I have found that encouraging high school students to use the HOT Skills wheel has helped them to develop the skills necessary to be able to make decisions well. What are HOT Skills?

Let's look at HOT skills related to making a decision on the lap band.

Knowledge

Comprehension

Analysis

Application

Synthesis

Evaluation

1. Knowledge
2. Comprehension
3. Analysis
4. Application
5. Synthesis
6. Evaluation

Source: http://www.youngstown.k12.oh.us/pyett/thinking/index.htm. Accessed December 28, 2007.

Knowledge: Do you know what a lap band is? Journey Lite specializes in Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding which is also known as LAGB or the LAP BAND System procedure. The LAPBAND Adjustable Gastric Band is designed to help you lose excess body weight, improve weight-related health conditions and enhance quality of life. It reduces the stomach capacity and restricts the amount of food that can be consumed at one time.

There's a quote from some of the LAPBAND advertising . It tells some information about the LAPBAND. This information falls in the "knowledge" category of thinking.

Another "knowledge" skill is to "list." Can you list products or lifestyle changes that compete with the LAPBAND? If you used the internet, or pamphlets at your doctor's office or from a medical or nursing text to list products and lifestyle changes that could acheive the same goals of the LAPBAND, you would still be in the knowledge category.

Comprehension: Do you understand the ideas gathered so far? The types of thinking you can do if you understand are:

• interpretation of facts, compare, contrast
• order, group, and infer causes
• predict consequences
• understanding information
• translation of knowledge into new context
• grasping meaning

How would you interpret the facts? Could you make a chart comparing the LAPBAND to competitors products? Could you talk to people who had the procedure and to people that made other life style choices and compare their answers?

Analysis: Do you see patterns? How are parts organized? DO you recognize any hidden meanings? Can you identify components?
Application: You can apply the data when you use information, methods, concepts,and theories in new situations. Solving problems by using required skills or knowledge is also, "application." For example, did you apply math skills that you already have to analyze the data.
Synthesis: Can you generalize from given facts, relate knowledge from several areas, predict, draw conclusions and use old ideas to create new ones? assess value of theories, make choices based on reasoned arguments, verify value of evidence, recognize subjectivity, compare and discriminate between/among ideas.

(c)2007 J S Shipman. Used by Read-about-it.blogspot.com with the author's permission.

A Rose by any Other Name...

A rose by any other name is still a rose...

From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, 1594:

JULIET:
'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.

Source: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/305250.html
Accessed December 28, 2007

...but, a weed by any other name, some may call noxious, invasive, or, still others may call it medicine...

Many so-called weeds are medicinal plants. Still, noxious weeds are a major problem...http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/bmnri/weeds.htm
It becomes an ethical problem to balance the different needs together with the use/abuse of weed-killers. Did you know many "weed-killers" also kill trees?

If you are interested in weed science, you might want to check out the following link:
http://www.wsweedscience.org/

Other resources:

http://www.fws.gov/invasives/volunteersTrainingModule/outreach/players.html

Traditional medicines
Contact information:

Dr Xiaorui Zhang
Traditional Medicine, Essential Drugs and Medicines Policy (EDM)
WHO/Geneva
Fax: +41 22 791 4730
E-mail: trm@who.int

Clayton College of Natural Health

Some books you might enjoy:

• National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers : Eastern Region
• Complete Guide to Medicinal Herbs by Penelope Ody
• The Herbal Handbook : A User's Guide to Medical Herbalism by David Hoffman
• Principles of Medicine in Africa by Eldryd Parry (Editor), Richard Godfrey (Editor), David Mabey (Editor), Geoffrey Gill (Editor)
• Planetary Herbology (Paperback)by Michael Tierra (Author) "Healing herbs are everywhere..."

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/052180616X/ref=s9_asin_title_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=02XDZTVW11PQW7M0ZZEC&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=320448701&pf_rd_i=507846

,

Welcome to Society of Practical Education in Biology

Please click the link to visit the Society of Practical Education in Biology:
http://www004.upp.so-net.ne.jp/jissen/english.htm

THE CROW AND THE SEA GULL

Dr-J'S FABLES

THE CROW AND THE SEA GULL

by Dr-J

In the nearly empty lot of a McDonald's not far from the coast one stormy summer's day a Sea Gull was trying to open his lunch sack. It had been conveniently left there by the previous guest, Mr. Litterbug. A Crow passed by, then alighted on the nearby macadem, pausing to say, "Hello," to Sea Gull and then watching him.

The Sea Gull picked up his lunch bag and flew up in the air. When he was high enough, he dropped the bag. Then, quickly flew down to look at it. Again and again Sea Gull flew up in the air, dropped his lunch sack and flew down again. Ever so patiently Sea Gull tried again and again. Finally he gave up, said Goodbye," to Crow and decided to fly farther in-land since the clouds over the sea looked ominous.

"Do you want help with your lunch," asked the Crow before the Sea Gull left?

"No, I'm going to find something else to eat," and the Sea Gull flew away.

"Why bother to look elsewhere?" said the Crow; "We have plenty of food right here." But the Sea Gull was already too far away to hear. The Crow walked over to the lunch sack and using the long toes as a hand, gently unfolded the top of the bag and then tipped the bag over and ate the lunch. Then the Crow knew:

It is better to wait patiently than to give up before reaching your goal.

THE END

This is a true story, except for the anthropomorphism at the end (And of course, the talking.) The actual incident, which the author watched, took place around 1999. Of course there are many other morals that could be drawn by the reader, such as...

• "Then the reader knew:
  • 'Littering is frustrating to wildlife and drastically alters their diet," or,
  • "Sea Gulls eat shell fish that they drop from the air, smash on the rocks and then, nibble on the pieces, while Crows use there feet and their minds to help them get their food," or,
  • "Old technologies need to be updated as situations change, or,
  • "Science education helps us preserve our environment, save our wildlife and sustain the Earth."
• Related articles
  • Smashing clams on rocks and Theseus...
  • Sea Gulls being fed our food and now...
  • Seagull plays golf...
  • Here's another story about a Crow watching a Seagull that I found after writing my story independently. My story is based on my own observations of an actual incident
  • Seagulls become flying "fatties"...
  • The Crow Society
  • One more Gull in a World of Gulls
  • More on crows and songbirds, too...
    

(c)2007 J S Shipman
used by Read-about-it.blogspot.com TIBU with the permission of the author.