Well, I decided it was time to migrate the geology stuff to another weblog…. so that I can put that feed into my course.
So I have started “Rock Blog“…
Though one of the entries has some crossover…
I think even Alan, who is usually amazed that I remember geology stuff.. (**grin**) will enjoy reading the linked article Rock Blog: Plain Geology (1921).
The author is talking about geologists, but I think his message of simplify language is a good one for us technically oriented folks…
Interesting post on greg.glidden.info, where he dives into the debate about using blog software for E-Portfolios.
David Tosh has written quite about this as well…
greg.glidden teases out some good points, and I’m of several minds on this.
Weblogs are awesome for the public social/community side of e-portfolios (commenting), but the robust database backend for handling artifacts is not a standard part of a blogging system.
I know, one can do anything if you are a CSS expert… but not all of us are.
The ideal software would complement the whole folio cycle – –
Collect – Reflect – Evaluate – Select – Present
A robust CMS does do many of these things, but one needs the social software side as well — community interactions support reflection and evaluation…
That’s what I like about Plone – the ability to have content management and use the various products community interactions in the same space (adding discussions to a page, mini-polls – alls sorts of products can be added in)
The learning cliff on Plone is pretty steep for the common human, however and therein is the issue.
–> Innovators and Early Adopters adapt, explore, tinker
–> mainstream users are less and less tolerant of software that does not work. They just do not have time.
I think the big struggle is that the functionality we are looking for is complex…
people have different definitions of an e-portfolio…
everyone’s context and purpose are not the same…
The combination of:
Collect – Reflect – Evaluate – Select – Present
has elements of:
[repository – social software – (course management+social software) – content management – web site]
Finding one technology/product is elusive.
That’s why there is so much activity in this space! There is no MATURE application that does all these things well, and fits into institutional infrastructure… at least for high ed applications at this point.
I think all the exploration is healthy — no one should be discouraging particularly pathways of exploration… we learn something from each of these forays…
Kudos to Helen Barrett and David Tosh for pushing the envelope and exploring possibilities….
Just some thoughts…
Excellent resource for people looking for more information about the geology of specific areas. USGS Geology in the Parks
It also has some really good reusable resources (what a concept! — for all the hype about plenty of available LO’s, boy are the tough to find in this field…
My cat, or shall I say, my husband’s cat — because as this photo shows.. she is a bit possessive… is often easily pleased. Of course, humans are not expected to move in this situation — because, as we know — it’s all about the cat…
We are expected to toe the line… (heh, heh, get it?)
Nice short article with excellent links: National Geographic Explorer (Student Magazine) – Hot Spots
Beautiful photos!
Learning Management Systems: Are We There Yet?: Syllabus
Interview with Ira Fuchs discussing learning (a.ka course or academic enterprise) management systems and the rationale behind the Sakai project.
Just bookmarking this one..
The site reviewed by the Christian Science Monitor in How to make your own natural disaster is of interest to me for my EOSC 311 course.
I like the National Geographic Site that they review; the resource is pretty good — but the more useful part is how the Christian Science Monitor reviews the site — good model!
The primary elements of the site are four parallel exhibits looking at Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Hurricanes and Tornadoes. Accessible through an animated matrix on the index page, as well as through a screen top navigation bar visible throughout the site, each exhibit supplements the basic facts with Forces’ most conspicuous visitor draw – the ability to create your own natural disasters. But in the interests of education, the individual sections only present these interactive phenomena after you’ve learned the basics behind the real things.
You know, I never knew that the term stromatolite is derived from the Greek for “Stoney Carpet”..
Rocking the Cradle of Life provides a brief explanation of stromatolites, and has an interesting interview with an Oxford Researcher… There are some good mineral deposit tie-ins with this article..
When did life begin? One evidential clue stems from the fossil records in Western Australia, although whether these layered sediments are biological or chemical has spawned a spirited debate. Oxford researcher, Nicola McLoughlin, describes some of the issues in contention.
Ran across this site during a search for something completely different… of course..
These are beautiful pictures!
From the PerkinElmer web site, a book on the principles of Atomic Absorption.
Link: Concepts, Instrumentation and Techniques in Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry by Richard D. Beaty and Jack D. Kerber — this is a PDF
Topics include:
Theoretical Concepts and Definitions
Atomic Absorption Instrumentation
Control of Analytical Interferences
High Sensitivity Sampling Systems
Introduction to Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption
Control of Graphite Furnace Interferences
Alternate Analytical Techniques
