tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99305042012-02-16T19:48:43.692-08:00Brad Williamsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16160465402058215000noreply@blogger.comBlogger191100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9930504.post-1159147016699317152006-09-24T18:15:00.000-07:002006-09-24T18:16:56.710-07:00

KABT folksWe had a great time at the KABT Fall meeting at Cowley County College.Thanks to Michelle, the presenters and others. During the field trip out at Chaplin Nature center a group of us came across large numbers of caterpillars defoliating catalpa saplings. The trees themselves were difficult to identify (since they were defoliated and small saplings) and we weren't sure about the

Brad Williamsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16160465402058215000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9930504.post-1143940574870314742006-04-01T16:59:00.000-08:002006-04-01T17:16:14.903-08:00

The public television station in Oklahoma recently carried part of the floor debate for HB 2107, the Academic Freedom bill in the Oklahoma Legislature. A thinly disguised intelligent design bill, the floor debate was repleat with Wedge spin and some really horrible definitions of scientific theory and evolution. One legislator claimed that evolution theory stated that a giraffe's neck would

Todd Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11501193161996320573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9930504.post-1142910333341674712006-03-20T18:39:00.000-08:002006-03-20T19:05:33.353-08:00

I am very encouraged by the comments and postings on Teaching Biology blog. So much so that I am proposing that the organization for the KABT fieldtrip be conducted on this site. If commitments are made in fullview of fellow teachers and supporters the chances of success will be increased greatly. I would like to thank Sandy and Brad for their postings and direct others to the great comments made

Randyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15918636112545287323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9930504.post-1141575722625741332006-03-05T08:01:00.000-08:002006-03-05T08:22:02.646-08:00

I decided to create an additional post rather than just reply to Randy's original--comments can sometimes get a bit hidden.The BioBlitz has a lot of potential for KABT members as a field trip theme--it's a chance to learn about KS biodiversity, become familiar with KS natural history, see neat places, meet great people, provide an important service for the state, have a lot of fun, and do a

Brad Williamsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16160465402058215000noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9930504.post-1141407465424399602006-03-03T09:16:00.000-08:002006-03-03T09:37:45.443-08:00

Nanotechnology is a vibriant research area and biological applications are surfacing regularly. A nano sensor has been developed that can detect individual cells in apoptosis. The sensor has been tested in the laboratory on leukemia cells. Further testing will include sensors that contain an iron-oxide particle that is easily detected by an MRI allowing doctors to monitor the impact of the

Todd Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11501193161996320573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9930504.post-1139599128087677072006-02-10T10:48:00.000-08:002006-02-10T11:18:48.103-08:00

As a KABT board member, I am pleased to accept Brads invitation to join the blog. I have no experience with this blogging process and hope to not make any major mistakes in this posting. To that end, I will keep it short and sweet and to the point. The spring fieldtrip for Kansas biology teachers is baby bioblitz of Kanapolis lake area. We are wanting to survey the biodiversity of VENANGO

Randyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15918636112545287323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9930504.post-1139325267575375582006-02-07T07:09:00.000-08:002006-02-07T07:14:27.623-08:00

I apologize to anyone checking on this blog....the posts have been few and far between. In an attempt to revitalized this blog for the biology teaching community, I'm going to expand the official posters--much like Panda's Thumb. To this end I've invited the board members of the Kansas Association of Biology Teachers to become bloggers here at Teaching Biology. Hopefully, they will add more

Brad Williamsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16160465402058215000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9930504.post-1127689191650006512005-09-25T15:59:00.000-07:002005-09-25T15:59:51.660-07:00

What good is an old dead tree? As a biology teacher of 33 years I know the answer to this question, but none the less I need to be reminded from time to time. I spent a wonderful September Saturday afternoon at home recently. I'm afraid most people would think that a day at home, Saturday or otherwise is a wasted day. But when you have an opportunity to experience the wonders of nature and

Rich Benzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657911433062866199noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9930504.post-1127073237879132962005-09-18T12:39:00.000-07:002005-09-18T13:04:03.946-07:00

Autumn is a season with a distinct feel and smell. The combination of generally comfortable temperatures, the low angle sunlight, and the odors of the newly decomposing summer accumulation of vegetation create a unique atmosphere that is uniquely stimulating. The activity of the natural world is intensified as organisms react to the changing season—reproductively and energetically. And it is

Brad Williamsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16160465402058215000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9930504.post-1118673053842392402005-06-13T07:30:00.000-07:002005-09-18T13:07:42.476-07:00

Last Saturday, my wife, Carol and I crashed a party. Mind you, this is not something we normally would do but I just had to see the surprise retirement party for John Wachholz put on by his wife and his former students. We weren’t invited because we were not former students--but we are—everyone who knows John has learned from John. You see, John has taught biology for 43 years with passion and

Brad Williamsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16160465402058215000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9930504.post-1118507491222015272005-06-11T09:30:00.000-07:002005-06-11T10:28:01.116-07:00

Blog Revival: I can’t really believe how long it has been since we last posted to this blog. I knew that as biology teachers trying to maintain a blog would be difficult so I thought I’d share the load—still too big of job while class is in session. However, it is summer and I’m on a leave of absence so I’ll try to revive this blog…. Kansas Association of Biology Teacher Spring

Brad Williamsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16160465402058215000noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9930504.post-1107843881986164932005-02-07T22:18:00.000-08:002005-02-07T22:24:41.986-08:00

This is just a note to get me started - also a few questions and such like: If you had to teach four one hour lessons called "The Big Stories of Biology" what stories would you tell? (I've tried this for the first time this year as a way to introduce Biology to Senior students) What kind of students study Biology in your schools? Do your "Best and Brighest" do Physics/ Chemistry and lots of

Stewart Moncktonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17965969685416199984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9930504.post-1107712498814427832005-02-06T09:52:00.000-08:002005-02-06T09:54:58.816-08:00

Specifics for Chris Willems question: In “Finding Answers to Questions” I indicated that my own frustration with trying develop fly fishing skills had led to a greater empathy for my student’s frustrations with learning biology. Here, I will lay out a few of the changes that I have implemented in my classes over the past 3 years to create an environment that helps students to

Brad Williamsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16160465402058215000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9930504.post-1106762293973870162005-01-26T09:51:00.000-08:002005-01-30T16:16:07.510-08:00

Sometimes I wish I lived a bit closer to school. As it is, I have a 25 minute drive to school and a 30 minute drive home. Why the difference? Well, going to school I take a pretty direct route via Interstate and main roads (except the day it was really snowing hard and I didn't make one of the turns because it was difficult to see the road and realized I was lost about ten minutes into the

Rich Benzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657911433062866199noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9930504.post-1104894371379072482005-01-04T19:05:00.000-08:002005-01-04T19:06:11.380-08:00

We were in Boulder, Colorado over the holidays staying with our son, his wife and our little granddaughter. They have a pastel calico cat named Tuolumne – you know - a cat that used to be the “child” before a human one came along. They keep their cat indoors, protected from the bears and cougars which have been seen in Boulder. But the cat is determined to get out so they will let her into

Judy Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05789573150588688317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9930504.post-1104883677507485732005-01-04T16:02:00.000-08:002005-01-04T16:07:57.506-08:00

Magical Wanderings. In science we tend to discount the concept of magic. Magic means that things are happening without cause. Things cannot be explained because they are “Magic.” It seems to be counter to everything we teach, everything we attempt to explain. Over the years I have tried to stay away from “science magic.” I want my students to know that things happen because of scientific

Rich Benzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657911433062866199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9930504.post-1104870245871397682005-01-04T13:21:00.000-08:002005-01-04T12:24:05.873-08:00

Just a little observation I made last June--- What a day I had last Sunday. It was Father’s Day and the weather in Northeast Ohio was magnificent. I took the opportunity of a lazy afternoon to sit on my back porch and while listening to the music of WKSU (my local Public Radio station,) to read a new history of evolutionary thought that I had recently purchased. Evolution, the Remarkable History

Rich Benzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01657911433062866199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9930504.post-1104794992543360492005-01-03T15:27:00.000-08:002005-01-03T15:29:52.543-08:00

Last spring, I made a life-changing decision—I decided to become a fly fisherman. I have been fly fishing off and on for about five years but I had been fighting making a commitment to this new avocation. I was afraid of the time and resources that I’d have to commit in order to fulfill this passion. I’m not sure of the exact moment but I’m sure that it was in the spring along an Ozark trout

Brad Williamsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16160465402058215000noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9930504.post-1104794804081049662005-01-03T15:24:00.000-08:002005-01-03T18:41:55.576-08:00

Welcome to the "Teaching Biology" blog. While it is difficult to predict how this blog will evolve, at this beginning, the vision is to provide a repository of shared experiences and reflections for the biology teaching community. Biology teachers face more controversey than probably any other field of secondary education. Biology teachers face the additional challenge that no other content area

Brad Williamsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16160465402058215000noreply@blogger.com5