For the final project, my class is expected to do a project with the following specifications:
Just got word that the NATSCA2 field work for this term will be cancelled because of low turn-out. This means my class will meet on Monday Dec 20. This also means that we will be doing the metro-manila issues on air quality, water quality, plastic pollution and climate change for our finals.
It's field work time once again. This term, we will be going to Mt.Malarayat and Brgy Hugom, San Juan, Batangas. The estimated cost is PHP3050 inclusive of transportation,accommodations and food. As soon as the go signal for CSB VP Academics is given, payments will be accepted until Dec 15. Details will be posted in the dropbox location for Field work.
If you intend to go, sign up here:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dHZNZDJ4blNET043NWN0Q1pITHpQQVE6MQ
My students are required to watch The Cove on November 11. This will be at the 12th floor cinema of the CSB-SDA building. Screening times are as follows:
9-11am
1-3pm
4-6pm
7-9pm
An activity on this movie will be done on Nov 15.
As discussed in class today, the class is tasked to do the following items:
1.) Watch James Cameron's Avatar.
2.) Answer the questions here.
3.) Create a Pandoran marine creature. Submit in the dropbox shared folder in jpg format.
It's another term...I have a new batch of hatchlings under my wings waiting to soar into the heights of exploration. If you're one of my students, kindly fill out the registration form here.
For my NATSCA2 Students, I will be distributing course cards on Sept 11, 4-5pm at the SDA Faculty Lounge (14th Floor)
For the website component of the final project. It is acceptable to have a free host such as blogspot or wordpress. I do not want any of my students to spend just for this finals. I think I already mentioned this in class.
It's nearing the end of the term, so I'd like to remind my excellent students about the terms of the Final Project
1. The Final project is a campaign collateral package composed of 3 items:
i. a 5 min AVP
ii. a website
iii. a 1 page back to back brochure
2. The project is for groups of 3-5 members. (strictly enforced)
3. All components are to have a unifying message, specifically an action for the audience to do.
4. Those who went to the Batangas field work will do a topic taken from that activity. Those who did not go are to chose from a list previously given in class.
5. Submission will be as follows:
i. AVP will be posted on Youtube. Link will be posted as response to this post.
ii. Website link will also be posted as response to this post.
iii. Brochure will be uploaded into a dropbox location
6. DEADLINE is on Aug 30 1159pm.
For those who have not yet paid for the Field work. Final Grade will not be released.
My class will be going on a field work activity at Malarayat in Lipa, Batangas. Letters to parents are now in the dropbox location. I also put a copy of our letter to Benilde accounting requesting collection until Aug 13. Fee is P3100 all inclusive. Accommodations will be at the Mt. Malarayat Golf and Country Club.
Itinerary as follows:
Day 1
6:30 - 7:00am Assembly/Departure from CSB
8:30 - 9:00am Arrival at brgy Tagbakin, Lipa City
9:00 - 11:00 Orientation to Community Based Biodiversity Monitoring of
the Taal Volcano Protected Landscape (Pusod Inc.)
11:00 - 12:00 Biodiversity Monitoring System
Visioning
Field Journal/Photo Doc
Water Quality Sampling
12:00 - 13:00 Lunch
13:00 - 15:00 Discussion of BMS Results, sharing of experiences.
15:00 - 15:30 Enroute to MMGCC
15:30 - 16:00 Arrival at MMGCC/Snacks
15:30 - Orientation of House Rules and Tree Planting Activities.
18:30 - 19:30 Dinner
19:30 - 21:00 Group Meetings for conceptual design/project brief.
Presentation to faculty-in-charge.
Day 2
5:00 - 5:30 Breakfast
5:30 - 6:30 Hike to Mt. Malarayat
Bird Watching Brgy. Talisay/Brgy Sto.Nino
6:30 - 8:30 Tree Planting, Bird Watching
8:30 - 9:30 Back to MMGCC. Rest
11:30 - 13:00 Lunch/Check out
13:00 - 14:00 Continuation of Group work, photo/video shoot, consultation with faculty-in-charge.
14:00 - 16:00 Enroute to CSB.
To my NATSCA2 students,
In view of the fact that some of you do not yet have power in your homes. I am extending the deadline of our exams to Sun 18 Jul 12nn. I hope this works out for everyone.
I will be doing something new this term...My students will be having an online midterm exam. They have 48 hours to complete this test from 1745 12 July 2010 to 1745 14 July 2010. Link will be removed after test period. Time stamp will be checked. Test can be accessed here.
A talk on Aquatic species evolution will be done on Friday 16 July 2010. This will be held at the green room. 10 points bonus to the midterms will be given for those who submit a reaction paper by 1159 18 July 2010.
My NATSCA2 students are tasked to submit their rendition of a Pandoran marine ecosystem. The work must indicate producers, consumers and decomposers. It should also have variations of the design themes from the original Pandoran designs in Avatar. The jpg file must be in the designated dropbox folder by Sunday 7/27/2010 1159pm
For the next two weeks, we will be discussing ecology and biodiversity. Please view this video lecture of Prof. Penny Chisholm of MIT to help you prepare for our classes. This is courtesy of MIT open courseware.
FAILANA Students. Please accept my dropbox invites so you can access the share drive. All the presentations are already uploaded for your study.
Each student of my is tasked to create a Pandoran marine creature. The files should be in jpg format and uploaded in the appropriate folder in dropbox. This exercise is due on June 21 11:59pm. If you have not received an invite to dropbox please fill in your contact info here. If you have dropbox but don't see the shared folder please email me.
As discussed in class, the Avatar homework has been extended until Wed 11:59pm. For those who just joined the class, the task is to watch James Cameron's Avatar and answer essay questions. You will find the new and updated essay question form here.
As the first exercise for this term, I have assigned my students the task of watching Avatar (the James Cameron Movie). They are supposed to answer the essay questions here. This is due on June 7.
I will be sending out invitations to join dropbox.com in order for the class to make use of its facilities. 2 invites will be sent. The 1st will be to join dropbox, the 2nd will be to join the shared folder. Response to these invites need to be given asap.
STUDENT ASSESSMENT
Midterm Grade 50%
Quizzes 15%
Participation 15%
Exercises 35%
Midterm Exam 35%
Total 100%
Pre-Final Grade
Quizzes 15%
Participation 15%
Exercises 35%
Final Project 35%
Total 100%
Final Grade = Midterm Grade + Final Grade
TOPICS / SCHEDULE
TOPIC ACTIVITY / OBJECTIVES
Week 1 Introduction · Discuss course policies and requirements
· Group Activity:
1. Concept Mapping of 5 Environmental Issues
2. Art Diagnostic Test
Week 2 Elements of Design · Lecture discussion on the Elements of Design seen
in the natural environment
Week 3 Ecology · Discuss basic ecological concepts – Biotic & Abiotic
Components, Trophic Structures, Food Chains,
Food Webs, Energy Flow, chemical recycling/
nutrient cycling
Week 4 (Continuation) Ecology& Introduction to Biodiversity Loss &
Conservation
· Discuss Biomes, Community Ecology – Community
Interactions, Adaptations, Community Succession,
Population Ecology
· Discussion of various keystone species and their
impact on the ecosystem.
· Game: “Can it be real?”
· Discussion: Importance of Biodiversity and
Philippine Primer – description & importance of
Biodiversity, Threats & Causes of Biodiversity Loss
Week 5 Sustainable Development – Food & Agriculture
· Discussion on SD practices locally & internationally
· Discussion on case studies/readings
Week 6 Sustainable Development -Technology & Energy
Conservation
· Lecture on latest technology & energy conservation
efforts, discussion on practical applications on
energy conservation
· Sustainable Cities versus Megacities -Discussion on
how businesses adapt to achieve SD, Waste
Exchange Program, Toxic Substances and
Hazardous Waste Management, Solid Waste
Management
· Activity:
Week 7 Midterm Exam · Written Exam – Essay and Conceptualization Type
Week 8 Social Worldviews
Week 9 Social Worldviews, Social Marketing,
· Discussion on two dominant worldviews seen in the
movie
· Discussion on personal worldviews on resource
use, effects of worldviews on resource use
· Discussion on Social Marketing, applications of
Social Marketing, Environmental Education & other
environmental careers
Week 10 FIELDWORK
Week 11-13 Processing of Fieldwork data and Consultation
· Present fieldwork data and unedited trimedia
presentation
· Consultations
Week 14 Presentation & Submission of Final Projects
NATSCA2 is an Appreciation, Awareness, and Advocacy class for the natural
environment.
A triple-A course that will help empower students to use their talents and skills in the
conservation of their natural environment
COURSE PURPOSE OVERVIEW:
It is the goal of this course to generally inculcate in students a global environmental
understanding that will produce highly conscientious and empowered individuals who
sincerely respect and appreciate the natural environment. Being able to produce
effective advocacy and learning tools using different mediums of interest is just one
derivative of the
general goal. Likewise, it is necessary to equip the students with a foundational
understanding of the different benefits humans get from their natural environment and a
good grasp of various global environmental issues caused by the way humans utilize
their natural resources.
COURSE OBJECTIVES / VALUES:
By the end of this course, the students are generally expected to develop into
conscientious
individuals who sincerely respect and appreciate their natural environment, and are
empowered to create significant contributions to the conservation of the environment. At
the end of this course, the student is expected to manifest the following as per Blooms
Taxonomy:
1. Remembering - To know the various components of and inter-relationships within
the different ecosystems;
2. Understanding - To understand the relevance of ecosystems components
and inter-relationships in addressing local and/or global ecological problems;
3. Application - To apply knowledge of ecological systems in conceptualizing a
multimedia project that addresses a relevant local and/or global environmental
issue;
4. Analyzing - To map out the causes, effects, and stakeholders involved in different
environmental issues and formulate an effective plan to address a need reflected in
the issues;
5. Evaluating - To integrate knowledge and analysis of ecological systems with
multimedia technical skills to produce effective educational or advocacy materials;
6. Creating - To produce an advocacy or educational material for a specific target
To all my new students,
Welcome to my blog! Here, I will put critical information regarding your course. I will post key exercises, assignments and quizzes here so I can spend more time to make you understand fundamental concepts during class. This blog contains content for my 3 subjects: NATSCA2 (DLS-CSB) , FAILANA and LBYPH12 (DLSU) as well as my own personal insights on sustainability issues. I will be putting title indicators and tags if a blog entry is for a specific subject. If there are no tags, an entry is for everyone's consumption.
I firmly believe in asynchronous collaboration. I have seen this work well last term in my NATSCA2 class. I expect to work much better this term.
I look forward to the learning experiences we will have this term.
Welcome NATSCA2 students! Please fill out this form so I can contact you efficiently. You will also be getting your assignments from this blog so check this regularly
Just to remind my students of the Finals deadline, 4/30/10 11:59pm. I will need:
1.) A link to your 5 min AVP which should be posted in a group mates blog. This should be in a comment to the original blog entry in this site requesting for the final project.
2.) A link to your website. This should be in a comment to the original blog entry in this site requesting for the final project.
3.) A soft copy of your 1 leaf back to back brochure in pdf format. To be submitted in the dropbox finals folder.
Good luck!
Uploaded a list of attendees in the class dropbox location. Pls check if the info is correct. I also need an update on who has paid as well as who has had their waiver signed. Please do so ASAP.
So far these are the people who have indicated their intent to join. A total of 14 people all in all.
Adrao, Angelo
Barretto, Alana
Bitalac, Jane
Calapine, Quinn
Calayan, Justine Rae C.
Garcia, John Paolo C.
Hernandez, Donn
Juan, Beatrix Marguerita
Mendietta, Joaquin
Mercader, Princess Dawns
Ong, Carl Williamson
Reyes, Robert Michael
Tan, Hardy
Valeriano, Maria Beanca
For those going to the field work activity. You are required to secure a waiver form from Nitz of the MMA office. Have your parents or legal guardians sign these and bring them on Sat. Thanks.
Last Monday, we were not able to finish our class exercise. This Monday ,we will continue our work. The groups are expected to complete a layout of the city they are designing. They are then expected to do a webpage and brochure mock-up. All these outputs are expected to be in Manila paper.
I just got word from our coordinator that our Field work proposal has been approved by the VP-Academics. Letters to parents,itinerary details are now in the dropbox location or at this link. The cost is P3100, inclusive of transportation, speakers, venues and meals. This is for payment is on April 10 at the Accounting Office. ( Let me know ASAP if you can not meet this deadline). The field work will also replace the class meeting on April 19.
I finally got to watch Slumdog Millionaire last Friday. Wow! It was a very interesting movie. It was also very sobering because you know there is some truth to it. My wife watched it with a heavy heart as she remembered the short time she was in India. The scene where Aravind was blinded by the syndicate leader, in order to increase their revenue, was of particular interest to her. She remembered the beggars in Calcutta who would cut off their hands in order to earn money.
On my end, I felt the injustice to the poor while the wealth was with the rich. A lot of it is really caused by selfishness in our society. I was thinking that without Jesus, these folks really had no hope. True transformation comes from actions rooted in the liberating faith coming from Jesus. Actions are always the fruit of one's faith. If the actions are faulty, then there must be something wrong with one's belief system or worldview. If there is oppression, then the individuals of a culture must espouse a world view contrary to the justice of Jesus. If, as a result of examining yourself, you find that you have an anti-Christian world view, you can always ask Jesus to take over the throne of your life. Then you will see a transformation of your thoughts and actions.
To end this entry, I embedded a video of a choreography of Jai Ho performened in Season 5 of So You Think You Can Dance. May you be victorious!
For all my students and other earth lovers. You can now follow me on twitter or facebook. Look for Rean Tirol.
I have an exciting simulation in mind for the Monday after Easter. To prepare for this, students are encouraged to read about sustainable communities and settlements. The video on CELL in a previous post may also prove useful as wells as readings on Biosphere2 and Earthship. The activity will also build on the lessons learned in the Social Marketing session. Students will need to bring manila paper, cartolina, cardboard, paper, paints, pens, glue, tape, cutting and measuring instruments. I expect the simulation to take about 2.5h.
I have created a shared dropbox folder for the presentations of Father Sean McDonaugh. He is a Columban Missionary priest who was stationed in Mindanao in the 1970's - 1980's. His work with the T'boli in Southern Mindanao exposed him to the impact of rainforest degradation to the socio-economic life of indigenous people. He has authored books on the environment and is a strong advocate for more eco-centric policies within the Catholic Church. He is an advocate of the New Creation Story proposed by Thomas Berry. While I do not fully agree with the evolutionary mechanism proposed by this theology, I do think that it is worth musing about. I do agree that nature seem to have anticipated the arrival of living creatures.
I put this folder because I am very much inspired by this man's work pushing us towards a more integrated view of creation rather than being anthropocentric. A lot of the stuff I used in my Worldviews presentation were taken from him. Here is an interview of him during a lobby of religious people to stop climate change in the UK.
As writing, this term's field trip will be in Cavite. We will be going to the Center for Ecozoic Living and Learning, CELL. Quite excited about this because CELL has a reputation for providing a model for eco-living as well as integrating eco-consciousness with Christian spirituality. At the end of the day, we will be going to Tagaytay to stay overnight in a Convention center (DAP?). The following day we will have a talk with a resource person on sustainable agriculture. Still have to clarify if we will visit another farm.
I have embedded a video I found on you tube. It think this was done by students as seen in the quality of the work. However, it has a good explaination of what CELL is.
Cost is about P3000 inclusive of transportation, board and lodging, fee's related to places and resource people. The cost may change according to the number of attendees. Interested students need to fill up the new survey.
This is to remind my students that blog entry homework items are exercises. These comprise 35% of the final grade. Last week's homework was done by only one person. It is time for you to be savvy at blogging. Welcome to the Internet age!
This coming Monday, I will be discussing social marketing. My NATSCA2 students are encouraged to read about social marketing. They are expected to answer the following questions (DUE 3/29/10):
1.) How is Social Marketing different from traditional Marketing?
2.) In your opinion is Social Marketing easier of more difficult compared to traditional Marketing?
3.) Cite any examples of Social Marketing you are aware of.
These questions are expected to be in blog sites of each students. It should follow the following format:
( Link to this blog entry at www.earthwatching.tk )
Answer 1 (60 words)
Answer 2 (60 words)
Answer 3 (60 words)
For the class activites, students are to bring Manila paper, painting materials, colored pens, tape. These materials will be shared among members of the new groupings that will be formed in the class. This activity will build on the results of the last simulation. Students are expected to reflect on the critique that was done last week.
Earlier this evening, I watched an Episode of Convergence on Net25. They highlighted the current work done at IRRI Los Banos where they are trying to improve the yield of rice. With respect to carbon fixation, or the ability to take CO2 and convert it to carbohydrates, rice (C3 crop) is said to be less efficient compared to Corn or Sorghum (C4 crops). This is because of the physical structure of the leaves of C4 crops that allow more sunlight into the process. The scientists at IRRI, funded by leading charities like the Bill and Melinda Gates foundations, are working on how to modify the genetic properties of rice so it will enable C4 photosynthesis. In other words, this is a GMO project. The question is whether the genetic engineering will trigger malevolent side effects in the physiology of man and other organisms that consume the rice. Will the benefits of higher rice yields outweigh the costs resulting from genetic manipulation? Have we reached the limits of developing our agricultural technology and engineering such that we have to resort to genetic engineering? Interesting questions that require convincing answers.
This website can also be accessed through www.earthwatching.tk. You may want to use .tk as a domain name because it is free and Tokelau, a remote island country in the south pacific.
To date, only 5 people have answered the field trip survey. Booking and costing will be dependent on the number of participants. The latest update is that the trip will be in a sustainable coffee farm south of Manila. Please complete our survey asap.
Online quiz results have been uploaded in dropbox.com
My class just concluded our online quiz on technology and ecology. The scores will be posted on the class dropbox.com location. The answers are as follows:
1.) Which is not an output of a process? Materials
2.) Which has the lowest greenhouse gas emissions? Its the cheesecake from Sugarhouse in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. Why? The one purchased from Mark's and Spencer, Greenbelt was flown in from London. The one from the Cheesecake Factory and Davao was the same thing. Sugarhouse likely baked their cake in Metro Manila thus making it the only cheese cake not to have flown in an airplane.
3.) How many grams Pb in tertiary consumer? 7500g because of biomagnification. 75g x 10 primary consumers per secondary x 10 secondary consumers per tertiary = 7500g
4.) Lowest energy consumption (in Manufacturing)? Plastic packaging. Bottles require higher energy because of the shaping process involved. Glass requires higher heat than plastic.
5.) Lowest waste? Glass bottles because they can be recycled
As discussed in my NATSCA2 class, you will find my exam here. The link will only be available until 3/23/2010 11:59pm. This is an open book, open notes exam. No bonus questions.
Midterm grades are now posted in the class dropbox location. Consistent with the syllabus, grades are computed as follows:
35% - Exercises
35% - Midterm Exam
15% - Quizzes
15% - Participation
Note that the midterm grade is half the final grade!
The exercises considered were the Avatar Rxn Paper and the Marine Ecosystem. Bonus exercises were the diagnostic of environmental issues during the 1st meeting and the Pandoran Marine life exercise. The 1st 3 quizzes and participation during the mentioned dates were also considered for the computation. Other quizzes and exercises will be considered for the pre-final grade.
Like any class, I have special cases who were given 0.0 or R for their midterm grades. I have divided them into the following categories:
1.) No shows:
10878432 - Never attended a single class
10760520 - Never attended a single class
10875336 - So far, has attended only 2 sessions. The first was 2 sessions midterms and the 2nd was during midterms. This person appeared in a hurry to leave during his first session with me. Claimed to be a late enrollee.
Students of this category will be endorsed to their respective academic advisers for proper action.
2.) Incomplete requirments:
10775854 - Lacking an exercise. The grade may be revised upon completion of the requirement with some deductions.
10662111 - Absent during midterms. Student claims to have been afflicted with diarrhea. Asked for a medical certificate or a letter from a parent or guardian ( with a photo copy of their offcial ID) as objective evidence to corroborate the claim. When this has been satisfied, I will give a special exam for the student.
10658874 - A late enrollee who was absent for the first three sessions. Consideration was given to him and to another student of a similar situation. However, this student has not submitted any of the exercises considered for midterms. The grade may be revised upon completion of the requirement with some deductions.
10899170 - This student is an odd case because he lacks only 1% to be given a 1.0. The reason is that he lacks one required exercise and a quiz. The grade may be revised upon submission of the exercise with some deductions.
Students are encouraged to enter a comment to this blog should they have questions on their standing. All comments are moderated and will assumed private (not to be published) unless otherwise stated.
Our class field trip will be on April 17-18 in Batangas. The exact details are still to be finalized. Past field trips have cost about P3000-P4000. The cost is dependent on the number of participants. Please fill out our class survey form. This will help settle this item asap.
For this coming week, the discussion will center on world views. Last week was a simulation on manufacturing and technology so I'll likely do a quick summary on technology before going to the main topic. Our discussion on worldviews will be in preparation for the discussion on social marketing.
Prior to class, I'd like my students to answer the following questions:
1.) Give an example of each of the following and explain.
a.) An economic worldview
b.) A social worldview
c.) An ecological worldview
2.) Compare Genesis 1:28 and Genesis 2:15. Are this passages in conflict or in agreement? What is the ecological worldview promoted by the Bible?
3.) Read Romans 3:10-18 and 1 John 2:16. How does this relate to the ecological, social and economic problems of the world? Site examples.
While I still expect 60 word min essays for each item. Submission will NOT be in the dropbox.com location for this assignment. Instead, I'd like to see this in my students personal blogsites (blogspot, wordpress, etc.). The format of the blog entry will be as follows:
Our NATSCA2 class will be discussing worldviews. We were tasked to answer questions ( you can embed a link to this blog entry, in the word "questions" or paste the link after it)
(Answer 1)
(Answer 2)
(Answer 3)
After completing the entry, a comment must be made to this blog entry I am now writing.( Yes, this very entry that spells out the homework to be done.) The comment will indicate the link to the answer. This will look something like this:
Sir, you will find my homework here (embed a link to this blog entry, in the word "here" or paste it after the word)
The blog entries are due on Mar 22 2:45 pm
I encourage my students to read a lot about this assignment. The next two sessions will also have interesting simulations on the latter part of the class.
For this Monday, my class will be having a simulation on manufacturing and technology. The objective is to experience how industry affects the environment. Each student is requested to bring at least 10 recycled ( previously used) sheets of bond paper. A pair of scissors (a box cutter if available), glue, tape, staplers and rulers. I dare not say more lest I ruin the surprise.
On other matters, I have students who have received 0.0's because they have not submitted exercises. If you have any homework lacking, please complete it asap. Please uploaded it soonest to our dropbox location.
My NATSCA2 students will be having their midterm exams on Mar 8, 2010. They will be answering as many questions as they need to complete 100 points. I have listed below possible questions that may come out in the exam. Unless indicated otherwise, each question is 20 points. I recommend to my students to answer as many as they can to ensure they have AT LEAST 100 points. Answers shall be written on a large CSB exam booklet.
1.) Sketch a picture of an ecosystem showing elements of design.
2.) Draw and Explain the Carbon Cycle.
3.) Give an example of a food web and highlight any keystone species.
4.) What is sustainability?
5.) Give some challenges to sustainability in the area of food and agriculture?
6.) Draw and Explain the NitrogenCycle
7.) What is a keystone species? Give examples
8.) Draw and Explain the food chain
9.) In your opinion, does the current Philippine Administration follow the principles of sustainability
10.) What environmental NGO was your teacher part of? ( 10 pts )
11.) Show the levels of classification of organisms. Give an example.
12.) Explain how color is used in Nature.
13.) Draw a coral polyp.
14.) State how you felt during the three party discussion on the colonization of Pandora. State specific parts that were very relevant to you.
This is a bonus exercise. The task is to read Darwin's Origin of the Species and its 50 page Introduction by Ray Comfort (uploaded as a single document in the class' dropbox location). A reaction paper is required by answering the following questions with a 60 word essay:
1. )Based on Darwin's "Origin", what is the Theory of Evolution? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this theory?
2. ) Based on Comfort's Introduction to "Origin", what is Intelligent Design? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this theory?
3. ) In your opinion, are any of these theories truly scientific? What makes any theory truly scientific?
4. ) What is your personal position? Evolution or Intelligent Design?
This exercise is due on Mar 15, 245pm
My NATSCA2 class is tasked to create a Pandoran desert ecosystem. Each group is to do a round robin among its members to create the desired product. For example member 1 starts off by generating a file. This is then followed by member 2, who edits file 1 and saves it as file 2. This goes on until the last member completes his/her version. The group may start again with member 1 editing the last member's file. They can do this until the deadline on Mar 1, 245 pm. Folders have been created on the dropbox location of the class.
Since the design challenge is to develop an ecosystem. This will require the groups to create producers, consumer levels as well as non-biological components. They will also be judged by how they develop their concepts from the original Pandoran design themes (i.e. bio-links, etc.)
I just posted the grades to date for my NATSCA2 class. Quite interesting that I have 5 students who have not submitted any of the last 3 exercises I have prescribed. Anyway, I created a grades folder at the usual dropbox location. Grades are in an excel file but a pdf version has also been upload. Graphs have been made to show their percentile scores and their standing with respect to the rest of the class.
My students have submitted their rendering of Pandoran marine life. Interesting concepts. One drawing was a Pandoran Dory with the matching hose for hook-ups. Another was a Pandoran seahorse. I'd like to take this further. I'd like to see a Pandoran Marine ecosystem. It has to include communities of producers, consumers (primary, secondary, tertiary). These components have to be properly labeled (i.e. I need to know what the role of the organism is in the ecosystem). This homework will be due on Feb 8, before 245pm, in my dropbox folder. Some students have installed dropbox but their work is not visible to me because they have not joined my shared folder.
I'd like my students to draw their concepts of marine life in Pandora. (Scanned drawings to be submitted in Dropbox). They have to consider the existing themes shown in the movie. This will be equivalent to 1 exercise. I am just curious as to what Pandoran marine life would be. Would the Navi be able to bond with them as well?
Watched Avatar in 3D last night. This is the 2nd time I've watched this , the first time was not in 3D. Interesting to see how the details came alive in this viewing experience. Just wondering what the thought process was in creating the creatures. I'd like to say more but perhaps I'll wait until my students turn in their homework due on 01 Feb 2010. The task is for them to view avatar and answer the following questions by means of 60-100 word essays:
1.) Briefly state the philosophy of RDA ( Resource Development Authority, Earth) and critique its strengths and weaknesses.
2.) Briefly state the philosophy of the Navi and critique its strengths and weaknesses.
3.) Are the two worldviews reconcilable? Discuss any possible ways of reconciling the 2 worldviews.
4.) Critique the Wildlife and Foliage of Pandora? What do you think are the inspirations for creating these creatures, in our world.
5.) Discuss your own ideas for creatures that should be there. Any ideas on Pandoran, aquatic life?
My NATSCA2 students are expected to submit this at the above mentioned date, before 245pm at the dropbox location sent previously.
The College of Saint Benilde School of Design and Arts and the Alliance Francaise de Manille will be hosting Seminars on Sustainable Development. These will be on 11 Feb 2010 1:30-5:30 at the Museum for Contemporary Art and Design, DLS-CSB School of Design and Arts Bldg, P.Ocampo St (Vito Cruz), Malate, Manila. Seminars will be as follows:
Sustainable Development and Community Planning
Speaker: Hon. Ma. Lourdes C. Fernando, Mayor, City of Marikina
Green is in the details - Sustainable Development in the 21st Century
Speaker: Arch't Liza Morales-Crespo, AIA, LEED AP
Benilde MMA students taking NATSCA2 are required to attend. Each seminar will be one seminar point. Students in my section DMA2 will be required to write a 1 page reaction paper for each topic. This should be uploaded on the DMA2 Dropbox folder not later than Feb 15, 245pm.
Its been a while since I last wrote in this blog. I was so focused in energy in the past that my entries were mostly in my Reanergy blog. With my move back to the academe 6 months ago as well as some email problems with my Benilde students last term, I decided to update this blog. I intend to use this as a vehicle to document my ramblings in Art and Science, as well as, communicate to my NATSCA2 and Physics Lab students in Benildge and DLSU respectively. Here I put videos or articles of interest to support a more dynamic model for learning. On this page, you will get the most informative articles on the Earth, Sustainability, Physics and the fusion of Art and Science. Happy Reading!
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