While microscopes may open up dazzling possibilities for teachers to provide new understandings of the physical world, many science students often view microscopes with less enthusiasm. These youngsters have to set up slides, huddle around a limited number of microscopes, and take turns trying to see what was intended, fearing they may mistake air bubbles for single-cell organisms. Science lessons should foster curiosity and discussion, not worry.

The new Focus Microscope Camera addresses the limitations of microscopes by connecting to the iPad, making microscopy more social, collaborative, and hands-on. The product connects virtually any microscope to the iPad, keeping both the camera and the tablet charged while in use. The kit includes the camera, microscope lens, AC adaptor, lens adapters, calibration card (for precise measurement), and 30-pin connector (the latest iPads and iPod Touches will need a lightning adaptor as well).

With the Focus Microscope Camera, magnified images are viewable in real time by students gathered around a shared iPad or by the whole class when the iPad view is projected wirelessly to a large screen. The Focus app (available for free download) allows students to collectively manipulate and examine the microscopic material. Additionally, the measurement and annotation tools enable them to document their findings. Included lens adapters make the camera compatible with any compound or dissecting microscope.

The product is easy to use for both teachers and students. The app offers a live interactive viewport, allowing still photos, video, time-lapse capture, fingertip point-to-point measurements, and pinch-finger zoom. And using the capabilities of the iPad, students can efficiently capture their observations, analyze their data, and share their results within a single class period.

The Focus app has precise tools. For example, students can easily examine hundreds of cells to determine the mitotic index of a tissue (e.g., onion root tips) and label the cells as mitotic or non-mitotic or by specific mitotic phases. In addition, students can study C. elegans (soil nematodes used for studying human disease) by accurately measuring the lengths of the worms to determine their life stage. Measurements can be done in units of microns, millimeters, or centimeters.

With the Focus Camera, teachers of all experience levels and disciplines can make lessons accessible and exciting while igniting student curiosity and encouraging active participation. The camera system was developed by two engineers in the medical instruments industry who recognized its potential in science education. The creators may not have realized how enabling the product would be for students with physical and visual disabilities.

Various accessories have been developed for the Focus Camera. An optional quick-change variable-focus lens turns the camera into a stand-alone benchtop science camera, useful for dissections, geology, ecology, forensics, and more. You will find this arrangement very useful once you realize how much your students appreciate seeing key images on a large monitor or TV.

The Focus Microscope Camera is an affordable, rugged, revolutionary technology that brings microscopy out of the dark ages from an isolated, often frustrating experience, to a 21st-century experience with active engagement, sharing, and collaboration in classrooms for students of all ages. This makes the Focus Microscope Camera an attractive and must-have technology in any science classroom setting.

A previous question from a teacher related to using the peer-editing process in science class. Jaime Gratton follows up with a summary of her experiences:
I would love to share what I did. I also received some responses and helpful resources from members of the NSTA email lists. For example, Jani replied with “My favorite thing to do is to provide colored pencils and then assign a meaning for the color.  For example, anything underlined in red = facts or questions, blue = spelling, green=grammar. So I just have a quarter sheet of what the colors mean. Give them colors and they will edit. Just be careful with special needs kids and who edits their papers. It also makes you see really quickly if someone told the student prior to turning in their final paper they needed to fix things.”
What I ended up doing was taking pieces from each of the responses and resources. I made a peer edit sheet that I thought would work best with the research paper my students were working on.
One thing I did emphasize was the importance of using praise comments, but also making sure that there are suggestions/questions because their goal as a Peer Editor is to make the person’s paper they are editing the best paper they can. I had really good feedback from my students after we did the editing. They really liked using the colored pencils to mark the sections they were reading. They said it was a great visual to see exactly where their mistakes/topic sentences were, as well as other suggestions to improve.
Thanks to Jaime for sharing her Peer Edit sheet. Here are some additional resources:

• Peer Edit with Perfection (Focused on elementary but the suggestions could be adapted to other grade levels)
• Peer Review
• Peer Editing (Focused on secondary students)
• Writing Peer Review (Peer Critique) TOP 10 Mistakes (Students in grades 4-5 humorously demonstrate what not to do.)
• Peer Editing/Review
• Peer Editing That Works
• 5 Reasons Students Should Be Doing More Peer Editing
• Encouraging Peer Editing

I also compiled these links and Jaime’s Peer Editing Sheet into the NSTA Resource collection “Peer Editing.”
 

My students are working on research papers about inventions or chemical processes set mostly during the Industrial Revolution. I was wondering if you had any suggestions about peer editing.
—Jaime, Goffstown, New Hampshire
Examining and commenting on each other’s writing can be a meaningful learning experience for students. By looking at others’ writing, students can get insights into their own work. I’m sure we’ve all experienced writing something we thought was very clear only to have someone else raise questions or point out errors and inconsistencies. For those who struggle to write well, this is an intermediate step (formative) before the teacher’s evaluation and feedback (summative).
Peer editing is not about students correcting assignments or giving “grades” to each other. It can and should go beyond the simple process of proofreading. Peer editing (sometimes referred to as peer review, but not in the same context as a scholarly journal) is part of a formative process in which students provide feedback and suggestions on written work (and the process can be used for other types of projects or displays). Students have an opportunity to read each other’s work to see other ways of writing and communicating and then reflect on and revise their own, using the feedback they receive. Having one’s work reviewed by someone other than the teacher provides a wider audience for the work.
This is not a timesaver for teachers! The teacher has to introduce the project, use class time for the review process, monitor the students, and provide an opportunity for students to revise their work. And the teacher still has to read the final versions. But I found that this authentic type of collaboration worthwhile.
This could be a challenge if your students have not done this before or did so in a superficial manner (“I liked it. You did a good job.”). Some students may hesitate to offer suggestions to peers. And some students may have never received specific feedback from their teachers—just a letter grade and a generic “good job” or “needs work.”

You’ll need a rubric emphasizing the science content and processes rather than a focus on neatness or formatting (not that these are unimportant!). Keep it simple to start; I used a simple checklist rather than a four-level analytic rubric. This also removes any temptation for students to grade one another.
Before students try this, display several examples of writing (these can be from previous years, other classes, or your own writing). One example should be well written and others should need some revisions. Have the students read the writing first before commenting. Model with the class how to respond and ask for their suggestions. Provide examples of words to avoid, such as boring, bad, or stupid. The ReadWriteThink website (see below) suggests three components to guide the editing process along with ideas for feedback. It helps to have some “sentence starters”:

• Commendations (compliments)—“The way you organized the data is effective because…” “The labels on the diagrams are….” “Here’s how your evidence supports your argument or conclusion:…”
• Suggestions (recommendations)—”Have you thought of…?” “Could you explain why you said this?” “Instead of the word ____, you could use ____ to be more accurate.”
• Corrections—Here’s where the reviewer points out errors in spelling, punctuation, or usage.

It may take a while for students to become comfortable with the process. Monitor the class to determine what works best: pairs or groups of three or four, having students put their comments directly on the documents or use a separate form. I suggested student-reviewers read the work out loud to uncover awkward sentences or incomplete thoughts. On hearing their work, the writers often would say, “That’s not what I meant.”
After the editing session, model how to revise with the examples you used in the introduction and provide students with time to make revisions. On the final version, you could ask students how their peer(s) helped them revise their work. (This would be an interesting action research project).
If you have students who struggle with writing or are English language learners, choose students who understand their situation as their partners, sit in on the discussions to assist the students, or use the time to provide extra guidance for them.
 
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimmiehomeschoolmom/6260676953

When I was in elementary/middle school, the earth and space sciences were largely ignored in the curriculum. We looked at some rocks and learned the names of the planets and a few constellations, but that was about it. In high school, earth and space science was not offered, even as an elective! Even though this time was the beginning of space exploration, we students were largely unaware of this incredible branch of science, unless we were independent learners.
In college as a science major (chemistry), I had to take some earth science electives for my teaching certificate. My eyes were opened in the geology, meteorology, and paleontology classes I took. It was a little late then to change my major, but I’ve made the earth and spaces science a lifelong avocation. I attend NSTA sessions on the topics, visit museums and planetariums, participate in professional development activities in the subject, joined the earth science teacher’s association in my state, and subscribe to newsfeeds, blogs, tweets, and Facebook sites from NASA and other organizations.
I also really enjoy reading the Scope on the Skies column in NSTA’s Science Scope middle school journal. In each issue, Bob Riddle writes on seasonal astronomy topics, using graphics, a user-friendly writing style, and suggestions for further study. These articles could be shared with students, too. Bob also has a website Qué tal in the Current Skies (What’s up).  And I just discovered that he also has a blog- Bob’s Spaces -which he updates several times a week. I’ve  added these to my “must-reads.”
As an NSTA member, you have online access to his columns even if you subscribe to the elementary, high school, or college journal. Just go to the Science Scope page and click on “Full table of contents” to get to his article each month. You can read the article there as a PDF file or download it to your NSTA library.
Bob also participates in listserve discussions, sharing his expertise and experiences. Thank you!
 
 
 
 

This month we are looking for comments and recommendations on what you are most looking forward to at the upcoming conference on science education in Boston! Help our fellow educators by highlighting your “must do” session along with the reason why you put it in the “must do” category.
So, what is my “must do?” Well, that is NOT an easy question in my book! I look forward to the NSTA Conference on Science Education each and every year. I have often been heard to state the phrase “I just need to go be with my own kind for a while.” Being with fellow science educators at this annual conference is a way to rejuvenate my spirit and continue to engage in professional development. So, I offer a few of the following items that I try to never miss at a conference.
As a person who works with children’s trade books in the science classroom, I make it a point to always find something related to children’s literature. This has become more important in recent years with the use of nonfiction texts as part of the ELA Common Core Standards. So, I always try and find sessions given by friends (and co-authors) Karen Ansberry and Emily Morgan. One of their sessions “Picture-Perfect Science Lessons: Using Picture Books to Guide Inquiry” will be held Friday at the conference. Another “must do” on my list involves seeing the newly released list and hearing about the Outstanding Science Trade Books which are always featured in the exhibit hall.
An organization that I am involved with – NSELA – has several workshops and sessions that help to build professional development tools for science leaders. Download a schedule of events (pdf) so you don’t miss out on one of these sessions. NSELA and NSTA will also be co-presenting an extended session on NSTA/NSELA Leadership Standards Forum: NGSS: Using Standards as Leverage to Build Science and Language Literacy which is Friday afternoon.
The exhibit hall is absolutely somewhere that needs to be scheduled in to your time at the conference. If you are interested in seeing who will be there and where they will be, you can plan your visit to the exhibit hall by previewing volume four of the program which includes exhibitor information. A new aspect to this year’s conference that is going to be a “must see since its new” item is visiting the NSTA Expo which is part of the exhibit hall. The announcements indicate giveaways, live presentations and more.
There are so many things that I can add to my “must do” list of recommendations –
• attending an NSTA Press session with featured authors such as Page Keeley, Brenda Wojnowski and Susan Koba, Steve Rich, and many more
• searching by content information in one of the program books to find sessions on a particular subject such as physics, chemistry, etc.
• picking out a short course or field trip to participate in as a half or full day experience.
These are just to name a few. I guess what makes the most sense is to add something as a “must do” to your list that will help meet your professional development goals!
So, if someone new to the conference asked you “what should I do?” – what would you recommend to them and suggest that they add to their “must do” list?