Ramble #14

I don't know if anyone else is aware of Mr. Andersen on YouTube but this guy is truly amazing. He has hundreds of videos on various topics (mostly science) and it is all educational content. He explains things so well. He is a tremendous resource for not only students, but also teachers looking to brush up on their content knowledge. I will be teaching Bio 40S in the Spring and therefore I have been brushing up on my knowledge of DNA and protein synthesis. Here is a video from Mr. Andersen that I watched in the process.

This week in class we had a synchronous class from the comfort of our own homes facilitated by the application known as "Zoom". It was a great learning experience because I was not previously aware of "Zoom" and all of its potential. I especially loved the screen sharing feature. That allows for so much more when meeting online. Furthermore, the remote control feature on the screen sharing is amazing! As a teacher we could go in and guide our students in the right direction on their computer from our computer, that is crazy! The whiteboard feature would allow for collective brainstorming and the splitting of people into sub-groups also allows for collaboration and shraring. The program is free to use, and frankly that seems like a steal. 

When we were in our sub-groups discussing Kyle brought up an interesting use of "Zoom" that we as teachers could use it for. Kyle mentioned setting up "office hours" in which you would be on "Zoom" for a predetermined amount of time, students could pop in at their discretion if they needed help. 

If I was ever to teach a class on-line I would highly consider using "Zoom" as a tool.

Until next week!

Justin