tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781401.post7398295730075530398..comments2009-03-28T18:58:08.694-07:00The Science Goddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846516022505481326noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781401.post-74916313901432831702009-03-28T18:15:00.000-07:002009-03-28T18:15:00.000-07:00Perhaps because we have written records for such a short period, we don't realize how much "nature is change."<BR/><BR/>For one thing, "solid ground" is constantly moving, causing climate to constantly change. We owe our very existence to it. If east Africa hadn't became drier and forest turned into savanna, there would have been no new niche for an ape to come out of the trees and eventually become homo sapiens.<BR/><BR/>The most destructive recent episode of invasive species occurred when plate tectonics caused North America's peninsula of Panama to join with South America and become the isthmus of Panama. Animals and plants from the South crossed over to the North. Animals and plants from the North did the same to the south. Many native species went extinct and there was major disruption of ecosystems.<BR/><BR/>We parochially pick a point in time and say, "If the ecosystem doesn't function like it did then, it is unhealthy." But this is usually an aesthetic or moral judgment, not a scientific one.Roger Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12734128265493099062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781401.post-41874878636609518392009-03-27T16:33:00.000-07:002009-03-27T16:33:00.000-07:00Clix---the Acer was $275 at Office Depot. It is just like a regular laptop (only tiny). So, it runs all MS programs, Adobe, etc. No special software is needed. It doesn't have a CD/DVD drive, but there is very little these days which can't be downloaded. So far, I am very very happy.<BR/><BR/>Jenny---I think your idea sounds great. Do you have a system in mind? I'd like to hear more. Last year, when I was still in the classroom, I was very much in paper/pencil mode for collecting evidence. I can imagine that your notes are more voluminous because you have more time with your kids and teach more subjects. My only other thought would be to have some sort of system (color coding?) such that you're not tracking notes on everyone...perhaps just keeping an eye on the kiddos you're most worried about for a given lesson.<BR/><BR/>Roger---You always have such intriguing observations. Seems like nearly any species could be destructive, given the right conditions. Invasive species are often seen as unwanted, but perhaps they're just another evolutionary pressure. Perhaps humans will "force" the next round of mass extinction/Darwinian explosion of new types?The Science Goddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846516022505481326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781401.post-9158255129374556332009-03-27T13:35:00.000-07:002009-03-27T13:35:00.000-07:00<I>To be a healthy earth, all your elements must be in equilibrium.</I><BR/><BR/>Except that, like economies, no ecosystem is ever in perfect equilibrium. Perhaps the video's author has heard of ice ages. Or a man named Darwin...<BR/><BR/>As a species, we are in the minor leagues when it comes to destruction. The first place award goes to the bacteria who discovered how to use sunlight to split water and carbon dioxide. As a byproduct, they freed oxygen, which poisoned 99.999% of everything that was living on earth at the time, turned iron into rust, and created a new danger: fire.Roger Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12734128265493099062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781401.post-30884703643444753662009-03-27T09:21:00.000-07:002009-03-27T09:21:00.000-07:00Grading goddess,<BR/>Your post hit a nerve with me (in a way that you probably didn't intend) and I'm curious to get your thoughts. I take a ton of anecdotal notes with my first graders and then rarely have a chance to look at them again, much less use them well to guide instruction. So, I've been thinking about getting a netbook and setting up some various google docs to keep my records in. I'm hoping to create something that I can use on the fly and will be sortable/searchable as I plan further. What are your thoughts?Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04725549451973770515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781401.post-20716505481988062112009-03-27T07:49:00.000-07:002009-03-27T07:49:00.000-07:00How much was your Acer? also, what programs do you use for word processing? internet? does it have image or pdf editing software available?Clixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04460380696875928585noreply@blogger.com