Opportunities for remote learning continued after COVID-19; many school districts are continuing the remote learning model for inclement weather days or have opted into hybrid systems where students attend in person for a few days a week and are remote for the other days. Temporary remote learning days are much different than complete courses developed by institutions to be used asynchronously by students. Teachers are given little time to pivot their instruction during emergency remote learning (ERL) days and need applications that can be easily implemented or used during in-person instruction.   
​
Interactivity and engagement are critical to the success of ERL days and learning in general.  Rucha & Markku (2022) explain that engagement takes two forms. The first is interactivity; students must interact with the content by thinking, talking, or performing. The second is a connection with the “behavioral, cognitive, and emotional aspects” of the learning environment (Rucha & Markku, 2022, p. 556). During ERL, students quickly lose interest, get distracted, or are generally dismissive of the ERL environment. As class numbers grow, students also suffer from disengagement and loss of a sense of community during in-person instruction and ERL. There are many interactions needed for successful lessons. Learners must engage with each other, the content, and the instructor. When interactions occur between learners and the instructor, it builds trust and community. Bakir & Phirangee  (2021) suggest incorporating interactive practices that would be used during in-person instruction but still can be accomplished through the virtual environment. Digital tools can be used for activities like think-pair-share, concept or mind mapping, polling, brainstorms, jigsaws, and minute papers. Many learning management and virtual learning systems have functionality built into their primary functions.

​The interactivity tools described below can be used in the classroom and during ERL. The use of interactive tools has several advantages and disadvantages. One advantage of interactive tools is that they can give learners immediate feedback. Feedback from interactive tools is often considered low-risk and decreases student anxiety (Ateequr et al., 2019). Another advantage is that interactive tools increase collaboration, connection, and involvement (Bonner et al., 2022). For this reason, many interactive tools feature game-based learning (GBL) features that allow students to collect rewards, level up, and compete with others in a low-risk manner. Another significant advantage of digital strategies is differentiation. Differentiated instruction allows the addition of real-life strategies that will help students in their 21st-century careers (Kilbane & Milman, 2023). Adaptive technologies ensure that students stretch their learning to a higher level.
The disadvantages of using interactivity tools are that most are built on a sliding fee scale. Depending on the app, instructors have initial free access for a specific period or with reduced functionality. Should educators desire pro-accounts on multiple platforms, this would become cost prohibitive. Schools and districts who know they will frequently use ERL or want to increase classroom engagement should research and purchase a few quality tools for their staff. Another disadvantage occurs if teachers use multiple platforms that cannot integrate with their current learning management system (LMS). Students can be overwhelmed by needing to log in and out of multiple platforms. Changing digital platforms can also cause longer transitions between classroom events, where students can easily be distracted and get off task. A final hurdle of interactive tools is teacher training. Teachers need time to integrate their curriculum with new tools and adapt them to their classroom needs.

Recommendation 1 – Slides with Friends

• Classroom Design – Slides with Friends uses a slide deck format to host quizzes, manage meetings, social events, and polls/surveys.  One distraction that students will love is, as students sign on they can add sounds.  If the students are trained to use their names, you can see who is using the sound comments. If this becomes inappropriate, teachers can mute the slideshow.  The lesson can be built around these slides.
• Support –  Templates are available to get started.  I used the Meeting Kickoff template to create a slide deck to welcome our staff back to school.  When you create a copy of their slide deck, bold pink conversations (see below) pop up to help walk you through the process.  Then you are given additionally messaging to guide your design process.  The slides themselves do not allow for a lot of design.  You can set background images, time slides, change background, and change font and colors. There is a link on the page to tutorials.
• Integration –With the Pro version you can import PowerPoint slides.  Participants are given a QR Code or link to participate.  Students will need a device to participate on.
• Cost – Slides with Friends is available on a sliding fee scale.  For free educators can host up to 10 people.    Starter and Pro plans are available either for one time events or for recurrent use.  Starter plans can host up to 50 people and begin at $72/year while pro plans that can host 100 people cost $132/year.  There is pricing to host larger groups as needed.  Slides are banded with the “Slides with Friends” logo unless you upgrade to Pro.

 
Recommendation 2 – Arduino Science Journal

• Classroom Design – The Arduino Science Journal app can be used both synchronously and asynchronously to give students the opportunity to collect and share data.  Geared to students ages 10+ it could be used for science, math, or technology discussions in English and social sciences. Arduino has prepared a series of science modules on light, sound, electricity, and motion. Students can collect and share data with other students.  Materials for the labs are either common household items or material that is available in most science labs.  Lab kits could be set up with materials for students to keep at home in the event of ERL or lab activities and collaboration could occur during class time.  Students could also share data with students who do not have material support available.
• Support -  Support is available online.  There are many pages of support material, a community page that links to Discord, and a blog.  Support is probably the weakest area of this application.  To answer a specific question you need to fill out a form and wait for a response.
• Integration  - Online application available for iPad, iPhone, and Chrome Integrates with most major LMSs (Google Classroom, Canvas, Schoology, Moodle, and Blackboard).            Online set up is similar to Google in that there is a waffle that links to each component. Sensors are device dependent.
• Cost – Free, open-source.  Additional sensors can be be purchased from Arduino.

Recommendation 3 – Explain Everything

• Classroom Design -  Explain Everything is an app that can be used to create and record lessons.  Items added to the whiteboard can be animated.  The tool can also be used collaboratively by multiple users.  Students could edit and take notes together, build presentations, and create interactive models.  For example, students could draw the sequence of events that occur in photosynthesis, edit, and then create a video.  Recording videos are helpful for students who are absent and need a better understanding of what happened in class.
• Support – Explain Everything offers an online help center and email support.  Schools and districts that want to integrate Explain Everything can also schedule custom onboarding and live professional development.
• Integration –Integrates with most major LMSs (Google Classroom, Canvas, Schoology, Moodle, and Blackboard).  Also works with Zoom and Google Meets and has recently merged with Promethean.         
• Cost – Explain Everything has a sliding fee structure depending on use.  Three projects can be completed for free and allows for collaboration with one other person.  Fees increase substantially to $34.99/year for a solo teacher, $129.99/year for a teacher and up to 100 students.

​Reckmeyer (2019) shared Gallup poll data demonstrating that growth and post-secondary readiness demonstrate that interactivity and engagement will increase learning as it increases the time learners spend working with the learning objective. For growth to occur, interactive tools must be linked to learning objectives. Digital interactive strategies can encourage students to create meaning for the learning objectives (Schrum & Sumerfield, 2018). Drost (2023) reminds educators that the elements of success rely first on having an instructional framework and then using technology with a clear pedagogical function to focus on formative assessment. As an educator, learning and cognitive function always come before technology.

Ateequr, R. Sahakian, Y., Kane, S., Abel, M., & Deshmukh, R. (2019). Life-feed use in the classroom as an engagement tool. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 11(12), 1303-1308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2019.09.010

Bakir, N., & Phirangee, K. (2021). ZOOMing into a Community: Exploring Various Teaching Practices to Help Foster Sense of Community and Engagement in Emergency Remote Teaching. Journal of Teaching and Learning with Technology, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.14434/jotlt.v9i2.31226

Bonner, R., Desa, G., Petkova, A. P., & Baack, S. (2022). Teaching With Conceptboard: A Professional Online Tool for Student Engagement and Collaboration. Management Teaching Review, 7(3), 263–275. https://doi.org/10.1177/23792981221098382

Drost, R. (2023). Pedagogy before Technology. Educational Leadership, 80(9), 26-30.

Kilbane, C., & Milman, N.B. (2023).  Differentiated learning and technology:  A powerful combination.  Educational Leadership, 80(9), 20-25.

Reckmeyer, M. (2019, October 30).  Focus on student engagement for better academic outcomes.  Education.  Gallup.  https://www.gallup.com/education/267521/focus-student-engagement-better-academic-outcomes.aspx

Rucha, T., & Markku, T. (2022). What students want? Experiences, challenges, and engagement during Emergency Remote Learning amidst COVID-19 crisis. Education and Information Technologies, 27(1), 551-587. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10747-1

​Schrum, L. & Sumerfield, S. (2018). Learning supercharged. International Society for Technology in Education.

So often I miss the cues of people around me.  I am driven by a "to do list" in my brain or set about accomplishing the task in front of me.  Being driven isn't necessarily a bad thing but this year I want to focus on the here and now, so my word for the year is "presence."  As teachers, we often have this mindset when helping students.  When they walk in to our rooms or come to us for assistance, we drop what we are doing and focus on their needs.  I feel like I need to extend this idea outside of my classroom to my interactions with other adults and activities.  Practicing stopping the perpetual "to do" list when my spouse or children are talking and devoting some direct attention to them.  Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with "me time" but it isn't always about me.

I took a chance and applied for a tuition scholarship to attend an AP Chemistry Workshop to examine some new changes to the curriculum.  After looking through all the options I couldn't find one that meshed with a running race so I decided to find one where I knew at least the weather would be nice and I had heard of the instructor.  I decided to attend Marin By the Bay for its location at Dominican University of California and to take the opportunity to meet ChemmyBear - Paul Groves.  I had been using his resources since I started teaching chemistry.  He has since retired and spends his time traveling, grading AP Chemistry tests, and conducting workshops through the College Board.  The resources were extremely useful and there is nothing that compares with being in a classroom field with teachers who are excited about their content and reaching their students.  This was also much more relaxing and rejuvenating than the last APSI I attended where I spent each night up late doing chemistry homework.

The location and dining was great.  There are summer camps happening for students but the overlap only seemed to occur in the dining hall and at the bookstore. I did manage to get in a hike a couple of evenings.  The hikes started out surrounded by eucalyptus trees and I reflected on the time we lived in Monterey, CA, as the fragrant trees is not something you easily forget.  It was also weird because I had to remind myself that the sun does set and it's a little toasty compared to Alaska.  The hikes were dry and dusty despite the green foliage.  Elevation game was similar to our butte hike back home.  This was a hike up to a former Nike missile site.  It was very breezy at the top but you don't break out of the trees when you hit a ridge line like you would if you were in Alaska.

There were many demos and lessons that I look forward to using in my classroom next year.  I regret that I didn't blog daily while I was there.  I will remember to do that the next time that I travel for PD.

There was also a Persian art exhibit at the library, so I took the opportunity to go see it.  The art reminded me a lot of our trip to Europe last year.   I met a lot of art teachers on this trip too.  We shared our Uber rides to and from the campus.  Overall this was a great break and a wonderful opportunity.

So yesterday was gorgeous and sunny (65 deg) and  I wore my sandals for the first time this trip.  Today its 34 degrees and has been snowing all morning.  Say what?  

We spent some time packing up our lab space and catching up on emails.  I went back outside after the snow stopped and tried to capture some more pictures.  Most of the snow at our altitude melted, but just a little higher than us the snow persists.

Big change in population tonight.  A group of artists arrived on a tour.  Campus population has swollen and will reach 100 tomorrow.

Living in a remote field station where an encounter with a large game animal that may have a bad attitude is a possibility, safety is important.  For any expeditions that are off the pad (main campus) you must sign out on a board with the time of departure, expected return time, and a latest possible return time.  Researchers also have their pictures taken upon arrival so that everyone can determine who to look for.  Bear spray is also available for check out.  For other health needs, there is an EMT on staff and a stock of over the counter medicine in the main office.

Located more than 350 miles or 9.5 hours by car north of the nearest major town of Fairbanks, AK (pop. 32 000).  Supplies, energy, water and waste disposal are a concern.  Trash is sorted for basic recycling, burn, and no burn.  Materials that can be burnt are incinerated.  Other trash must be shipped off site.  Water management costs the facility 75 cents a gallon (there are signs to remind you posted by the sinks).  

With fresh water and grey water removal both being a concern showers are limited to twice a week, for two minutes each.  The shower room contains sinks, cubbies, and shower stalls.  There's a bin of shampoo and various other toiletries that guest may use.  These are often left by previous guests and come in handy when you forget your contact solution or lotion.  Other options for cleanliness include using the sauna which is open at least three days a week.  Water in the sauna can be used to take a shower or if you are brave you can take a dip in the lake.

There are two flushing toilets on campus, but everyone is encouraged to use the towers.  Outhouses that sit up a flight of stairs.  Toilet paper and personal hygiene products may not be flushed and are placed in a waste receptacle in each bathroom.  The staff does a great job of keeping the area clean and the bathroom trashcans generally had very little need of the paper pusher.

Upon arrival to Toolik you will be assigned a weatherport or one of the dorms.  The weatherports have small portable heaters and 2-6 beds with a mattress and possibly a small dresser.  (I'll post indoor photos of the weather port later)  The staff and dorms are more like trailers.  The kitchen staff is great and it's nice to see they have a waterfront residence to themselves on the pad.

There's a 3 mile gravel hike that goes out to an old landing strip, that looks nothing like a landing strip that you can take to stretch your legs and get some exercise.  I didn't figure out how to balance running and the lack of shower, but that is just me.  Others have this down to a science and get their regular exercise in.  There is also a workout room with mats, treadmills, etc but I prefer the outdoors for exercise.

A common question people often ask about the light in Alaska is what is it like to live with 24 hours of sunlight.  Your body loses track of time easily and its easy to push yourself into working from the time you get up until the time you go to bed (11pm- midnight).  You can get up in the middle of the night to use the restroom without turning a light on.  It helps tremendously if you can make the place you sleep dark so that you can get those important hours of sleep!

1. Reading Scientific Papers - Reading scientific papers is often a struggle for undergraduate and graduate students.  In STEM Biology this year, I'd like to spend part of the year having students learn to analyze scientific journal articles to support their research and classroom activities.  I feel this will be an invaluable skill for the students to have as they pursue higher education.
Possible Resources:  

• Science in School:  Exploring Scientific Research in the Classroom.
• Science Buddies:  How to Read a Scientific Paper

​2.  Stomatal Investigations -  see yesterday's post.
3.  Soil Biodiversity Studies - 

• ​Nematodes - University of Nebraska
• Springtails in the Classroom
• Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative
• Globe Pedosphere

4. Investigate Eureka Labs - Bethany Brookshire
5. Examine Green Up and Green Down with potential use of courtyards and 

• Budburst.org
• GLOBE phenology
• Planting Science

​6. Explore International Tree of Life - phylogeny studies

While the direct counts continued, Mary and I helped Charlie with the preparation of leaves for leaf mass analysis and stomata density counts.  For leaf mass area (LMA) we punched holes in 15 leaves of each species.  These samples will be dried and then weighed to determine the dry weight per given area (hole punch) of each leaf.  We then took five eaves from each species and painted a thin coat of nail polish on the left upper quadrant of the leaves.  Tape is then used to lift the nail polish off the leaf and a slide was made.  The slides can then be used to calculate the size and density of the stomata in a square millimeter.  

Stomata are openings on the underside of a leaf that control gas exchange.  Plants take in carbon dioxide through this opening and water may be lost through the opening.  Stomata densities are important because it is thought that plants with a high stomatal density will be favored in times of low carbon dioxide atmospheric concentrations while low stomatal density will be favored in times of high carbon dioxide concentrations.  Images below are from  University of California Museum of Paleontology's Understanding Evolution (http://evolution.berkeley.edu).  These images and website may be helpful when teaching students about stomatal density.

To complete direct counts of arthropods, 4-5 g of soil are covered in water inside a petri dish with a 1/cm grid.  The soil samples then need to sit for 20 min before the search begins for ciliates, nematodes, copepods, mites, rotifers (big, inchworm, glider), tardigrades, insects, and collembola.  Large pieces/sticks could be picked out.  Read John Moore's article on how to use springtails in the classroom.

C. Knight continued his work on leaf mass per unit area (LMA) and used the acetate method to continue to examine stomata in local flora 40x with 10x eyepiece is used to view stomata.  I would like to develop a lesson plan for students around this technique for when they study photosynthesis.  I am posting a couple of background articles and labs here for me to come back to as I develop this lesson plan.  Article for my STEM biology students to read prior to development of stomatal inquiry.  Potential lab procedure to modify for students and another lab with better background information.

Little Miss Muffet, fell over a tussock, researching the arctic way......Today we went out in search of the original Tussock plots to begin the quest to see how the data has changed over the last 30+ years.  The morning began in some fairly thick fog.  We were equipped with the original plot site descriptions and a GPS.  Our goal, to harvest 8 tussocks from 7 plots between Toolik and Coldfoot, AK a 111 mile transect.  The tussocks will be plucked throughout the weekend. My apologies, today's post is a lot of pictures!

Today would  not go without challenges.  Walking on the tundra is extremely difficult.  The tussocks form mounds above the tundra floor, stepping on these can result on a role to the side.  If you choose to walk in the valleys you have to pick up your feet each step so as not to trip on a tussock.  It was tricky and hard work but fun and rewarding to travel with people so in tune to the world around them.  So many genus species names were rattled off today!  Traveling the Dalton Highway (Haul Rd) is always an adventure.  We had to pull over for a 21 foot wide generator building to pass us.  I seem to be missing photos from plot 3:  Atagin Pass.

Coldfoot was our final research plot.  At this plot we collected additional data and did additional work.  We measured grass growth and death length, depth to permafrost, tagged a transplant garden, worked in a shade garden, and took fluorescent data.  Afterwards we pulled into the Coldfoot truck stop and had a quick break before driving north again.  Round trip research experience took 11 hours.  I'd write more but I am so tired!

Staining is a long process with multiple long wait times due to complete multiple rinses.    The bacteria were stained with a yellow DTAF stain (5-(4,6 dichlorotriazin-2-yl) aminofluorescein).  This process involved flooding the bacteria slides with 10-20uL of DTAF and then storing them in a cool damp cooler to prevent drying for 30 minutes.  The slides were then rinsed in PBS (Phosphate Buffered in Saline) three times 30 minutes each.  One final rinse was completed using fdiH2O.  The slides were then allowed to dry.  The fungi were stained using 15-20ul Calcoflour stain.  The fungal slides were stored in a dark container for 2 hours.  They then were washed with fdiH2O three times for 30 minutes each. They were also allowed to dry.  After drying both sets of slides were covered with immersion oil and a large cover slip.  Cover slips were then secured with Diamond Strength nail polish. This is a messy process and we were warned not to touch our faces with immersion oil.  NOTE:  Do not use Quick dry polish

V0While Yamina was busy running the staining and waiting process we learned that we will be taking a trip to Coldfoot tomorrow to collect tussock samples.  Of course, we were very excited about the opportunity to do field research.  We spent some time today working with Gus Shaver, Marine Biological Laboratory and Ned Fetcher, Wilkes University learning about their research on Tussocks - Eriophorum vaginatom.  We learned how to complete Tiller Counts (bundles of sedges) counts and about their ongoing research of more than 30 years.  They have a transect of plots from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay and examine tiller biomass by creating a ratio of V0 and V1 plants to 20 mature plants.  We learned how to identify the three life stages of tiller plants.  V0 plants have no green and are cloned daughters.  Plants that have one green leaf are V1.  Plants that have lived through one growing season are mature.  It's important to note that many stems are both growing and dieing in the same year.  The sorting of the bundles is kind of relaxing:  almost like sitting on the porch shelling peas.

We also got to check in today with Charles Knight and the Toolik Herbarium.  He is working on a protocol to use leaf impressions made in nail polish to count stomata.  He also spent some time today researching similar species in the Arctic and Wyoming.  32% of the arctic species are also found in Wyoming.  This amounts to 75 species.  Look for future studies on what makes this physiologically possible.