Furthering my knowledge on Lupus

My question last week on http://www.askascientist.org/ was whether or not there is a geneti marker which would indicate a predisposition to the disease lupus. I know a bit about Lupus due to the fact that two of my sisters, are fighting and have fought this disease for quite some time (one of them is now recently deceased but not from the disease). I am interested to know about genetic influences on acquiring Lupus and whether or not myself, my children or any of my other siblings will develop the disease anytime in the near future. While the disease has no cure, care can be taken to minimize the flares that occur and even lessen them to a certain extent. However, there is so much more to learn about this disease and how it even begins. As for my question to ask a scientist, I have yet to receive a response. I expect that there will be some sort of response forthcoming but as with anyting worth knowing it may take some time to get an answer. What I do ferverently hope is that the answer is not "sorry but we do not have an answer for you at this time".

http://www.askascientist.org/ seems like a great site to use in my classroom for those questions that the students sometimes ask to which I have no ready answer. I usually have them write them down under the items to be researched on my whiteboard, but this is a way for them to independently try to get answers to some of their questions. Who knows this may even trigger more questions in their minds as they scroll through the site. There is one thing that is certain about middle school students in a science class, and that is that they usually have a ton of questions on every subject, and often it is not on the on you are currently teaching:) This way they can feel like a part of a greater scientific community and if they do receive an answer from a bonafide scientist this may spark their interest in the field of science even more.

21st Century Tools for Classroom Scientists

The list of technology tools available to Science teachers is heartening. There are tools available for every comfort level and stated purpose. These tools provide teachers with the ability to engage students in ways beyond the usual PowerPoint slides and static presentations. While it is adviseable to take some time while not in school to test run these sites there is the value of learning on the go, utilizing the concept of inquiry to guide the installation of one or more of these sites as part of the classroom culture.

One of the sites that I like and would consider using frequently is Web Poster Wizard. This site enables teachers to create assignments for students who complete them entirely online. The site is easily navigated and allows teachers to set up class assignments online and have students login using their class codes. Different codes are created for each class so that it is easy to pull the assignments for each class and grade accordingly. Students will like using this tool as it allows them to use the technology with which they are familiar and allows them to be infinitely more creative than if they had to use the standard poster board to present their work. It also allows students to be able to make adjustments to work posted by typing in their unique poster id code. This is preferable to having to redo an assignment due to changes indicated by the teacher.

Format Pixel is another tool that has what students would call the cool factor. It could be used to create student term projects or a classroom magazine that can be published by students. It offers the students some customizable options and can be tailored to create multiple page projects. Students would be able to upload their own pictures to make the magazine more personal. However, one thing bears mentioning. There is a limit on the storage size of the account created. There is a free account that allows one to save up to 512K of material. Anything above that would require a fee.

If using PowerPoint slides is more in line with your taste then there is a way to give them a boost by using Prezi. Prezi is to PowerPoint slides what turbo charging is to cars. The transistions in Prezi are smooth and look like movie effects (which your students will love). It also allows you to share your presentation on facebook and twitter. This allows students to be able to follow their classmates presentations online and even make comments and like or dislike it using a social media outlet that they currently have in their arsenal. Presentations can be customized and set to autoplay so that salient points can be re-stated when necessary without having to toggle back through previous slides. It is also key to note that one of the special effects of Prezi allows for the zooming in on specific objects/words during play. It creates a very strong impact and leaves a lasting impression on those viewing the presentation.

While this is not an all encompassing list of all the tools that are available for use with the technology that is available to us currently, hopefully it provides an impetus for you to check out what else there is that could be useful to you for your own specific needs.