The Return of the Reganator

Do you ever think that you'll never forget to do something??? Well, I have just been too busy to do all the tihings I want to....like this blog for instance. So, to sum up...

2009 The year is done and new students have arrived.

Florida in the summer was a total blast.

So too was camping with the fam.

and now, for a picture....

This is one of those weird fungi you find on dead trees. It looks like someone threw butter on the tree and it went "splat!" Can you name it, or explain to me how it gets its food? Remember, extra credit is a good thing!

Everyone's Blue

Deep Sea Weirdness

So, I have been out of the blogging for a while. Here's something new.
WHAT ON EARTH, or under the sea, are these things?! I actually don't know. They look like some kind of polyp to me. That would imply they are cnidarian in origin. That means something like a jellyfish, anemone or a coral type organism. What do you think?

The Concept of Studying

OK, here's the idea: students are supposed to understand that they need to study new information they get in class. In middle school as teachers we had to tell our students to go home and study or to read over their class notes. Somehow that concept has not been fully in-grained into many students behavioral patterns. I am finding that it is not a common practise by high school students. No one seems to just study anymore!!!

I know I have told many a middle school class to go home and study their notes. I can even here other teachers saying to their students, your homework tonight is to study your notes!!

How do I know this is not happening? Well, I have asked them. So, my new mission to to try to get at least my students into the concept of studying! Wish me luck!

Mutant Frogs

Who says living near toxic waste is safe???!!! Check out the frogs in this picture. What on earth is wrong with their legs!?! Amphibians are easy species to study for mutations due to environmental changes. They reproduce quickly and with many offspring per mating. All they need is a little water (their eggs dry out without it) and they are good to go. Can you thing of any other creatures that might be good to study mutations due to changes in the environment?

Is This For Real?

This photograph is showing a man made island some where on our lovely planet. Do you think that this is for real or is it photo shop? Let me know what you think.

Any Guesses?

This specimen was found growing in the mulch on the side of my sister's yard in northern New Jersey. The only other thing near it were some pine trees. If you click on the photo it will pop up larger so it can be seen clearer. Anyone have a guess what it is? If you're specific, you get credit!!

A Place Called Earth

This photograph always makes me wish science fiction stories were real. I would love to be able to hop into my ship an go visit Jupiter's moons or another system half way across the galaxy! I wonder if it will ever happen? The imagination is about the things we just don't know enough to do....YET!

Too Cute

Optical Mania

Ok, this is enough to make anyone cross eyed! Just stare at it long enough and watch it move!

Loki's Castle

It is just amazing that people continue to find new things on our planet. Take Loki's Castle for instance. Deep in the Northern Atlantic Ocean scientists have discovered another set of black smokers. These are in an area on the mid Atlantic Ridge where vents release super heated chemicals into the ocean. The cool thing here is that they are in a relatively stable area, they are huge and they may be the oldest of such formations to be found. I wonder what kinds of creatures they will discover here and if this deep sea ecosystem will be any different from the others previously discovered. Only time will tell!

Thoughts

This was sent to me in one of those chain emails a while back... but I loved it so I kept it and now I need to share it. Its a poem Audrey Hepburn wrote when asked to share her "beauty tips." It was read at her funeral years later.
For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.

Class Posting

Last Class Blog

And thus I am done! I have transferred a copy of my lesson to the class wiki; I can’t wait to use it this year in class!!! I have also started a bunch of other lessons that I plan to finish during the next two weeks. There’s so much I want to do with everything I have learned from the Master (a.k.a. Barb)!
I did run into difficulty trying to load the lesson onto the wiki. Turns out all the cool things I do with word to make my lesson look good did not load correctly. I think I cut and pasted it nine times before it looked ok and flowed properly on the page. Two column layouts don’t seem to work… along with some other things. Anywho, it is done and definitely useable. I wonder if we will ever really be a computer a kid school?! I would love that! Just think of all we have learned and what we can do with it everyday in class! The kids would love it!!