Andrew Erickson

March 14, 2019

Audio Recorder

I took out an audio recording device from the UVic library. Unfortunately I didn’t take a photo of the device but above is a photo of a similar device. My plan was to take this to a Rocky Point Bird Observatory meet up. There is a group at Rocky Point that are researching Anna’s Hummingbirds. They are taking stool and urine samples to identify the diet of an Anna’s Hummingbird but primarily checking to see the amount of insecticide and pesticide in their system. Unfortunately, it was a rather windy day and the audio won’t be usable for the podcast but I will summarize what was said. Nick has booked a space for us to record the podcast and I’m excited about that. We’ll be using the radio equipment in the Student Union Building.

March 14, 2019March 21, 2019

Minecraft Reflection

I was very thankful for Heidi and especially her students to come and help us learn how to use Minecraft in the classroom. I enjoyed video games as a child but didn’t continue into adulthood except on a rare occasion. However, I’ve heard of Minecraft and the creative freedom it provides so I’m thankful for the experience as it will help me connect better with kids and provide exciting and engaing lessons. I thought it was interesting for using it to understand ancient civilizations. I also see the value of having the kids work together in multiplayer. It could be a great way to have the kids develop their core competencies.

March 14, 2019

Podcast Episode

Nick Henry and I will be recording a podcast and the schedule is set. The podcast name will be The Amateur Naturalist. We will be starting the podcast discussing the 13 moons. Nick will be our expert in that area and I’ll be asking questions, as I’m genuinely interested, and adding a few fun facts. The second half will be a deep dive into a bird. We’ll be discussing the Anna’s Hummingbird and it will start with a bird call that was taken from a Creative Commons source. I had a recording of an expert that I took from the field but the audio was of poor quality due to being outdoors and in the wind. So I’ll be summarizing and adding my own knowledge to the subject.

March 7, 2019March 14, 2019

Creative Commons

Among the topics we’ve covered, creative commons has been one of my favourites. I often find myself concerned about what I am allowed to use or not. I explored https://www.oercommons.org/ and https://www.curriki.org/

They both provide excellent resources. I will definitely be using these sites for my future practicum in grade 8. I always want to contribute back if I can and I’ll be posting some of my unit plans I created this semester. I’ll see if anyone uses them.

March 7, 2019

Lichen Walk

I attended a lichen walk that was organised by the Natural History Society. Unlike most other events this one required pre-registration to ensure that the group was manageable for teaching. It was held at Thetis Lake and after attended a moss walk a month previous I purchased a new piece of technology. Well new for me and it is my new favourite piece of technology. It’s a hand lens.

The hand lens opens up extremely clear images of very small organisms. A lot of the lichens, mushrooms, and mosses that can’t be seen clearly without a lens. It is very helpful for identifying different species but it can also lead to seeing some remarkably beautiful things. Mine cost me 60$ at the Rockhound Shop on Cloverdale. You can get much cheaper hand lenses online but the quality of the image will suffer. Mine may be a bit overboard for image quality but I adore it.

The lichen walk was very enlightening. Lichens are incredibly interesting as lichens can be composed of symbiotic relationships between up to five different kingdoms. A “typical” lichen is composed of a fungi, an algae and a yeast. Lichens is an area of study that is in desperate need of researchers. There’s still a lot we don’t know about them. Juliet Pendray led this walk and she teaches a class on lichens at Royal Roads University. If you are interested I recommend it highly. https://secure.royalroads.ca/cscourses/enlichenment-level-one-introduction-to-lichens

February 14, 2019March 14, 2019

Podcast Audio Files

I want to create an Ornothology component to the podcast, which has a tentative name of “The Amateur Naturalist”. I want to make a a “Deep Dive” into a bird. In order to do that I want to start it with the bird’s call and song. Ian Cruickshank, a Victoria native, has recorded a lot of those calls and they are online here: http://www.xeno-canto.org/contributor/XEIROMUDEB?pg=3

I’m not sure if they are open source but I’m in the process of contacting him to use it for the podcast. They are great quality recordings so they are worth a listen for those who are interested.

February 14, 2019

Learning About Birds

I went to the library to get more information about birds as I have found the more I’m involved in the local natural history community the more I understand that birds are often the focus. I’m trying to learn more about them and creating a bird section to the podcast I want to make.

I’m also trying to learn more about bird anatomy by learning to draw them with limited drawing ability.

February 14, 2019

Storyjumper

This is not associated with my open or my tech inquiry but I did a unit plan for my reading course and I tried to icorporate tech into the unit. The unit was about “The Adventures of Beekle The Unimaginary Friend” by Dan Santat.

My unit plan ended with creating a story on Storyjumper. However, you can use it in a number of ways. I used Storyjumper with children in the after school care I work at and it was great. You can import art made by the students or pictures of them and their friends. It’s a great way to bring a child’s words to life and it’s free to use and create on online story that you can keep as a PDF. The only thing that costs money is if you want to buy a physical copy of the book that you or the children made.

https://www.storyjumper.com/

February 14, 2019

February 24th Lichen Walk

A bone lichen I took a photo of during the moss walk last month.

Juliet Pendray will be leading a lichen walk on February 24th for those interested in the local lichen species. You have to pre-register with Agnes Lynn if you’d like to participate. The number of spots are limited. It’s with the Natural History Society where you can pay a 25$ fee for a year membership but you are welcome to come to four events for free before becoming a member. Information to register: https://www.vicnhs.bc.ca/?page_id=1518

Juliet Pendray is a naturalist who is offering courses at Royal Roads University. https://secure.royalroads.ca/cscourses/juliet-pendray

January 31, 2019

iMovie editing

I don’t have a Mac but I did find the iMovie software intuitive and I think this is a useful skill to have for my future teaching. This would be an easy to use software to allow kids to create video assignments.