NATSCA2 Avatar Homework

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.

NATSCA2 Grading

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

NATSCA2 Schedule of Activities Term 1 2010-2011

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: Course Objectives

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

Term 1 2010-2011

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.

NATSCA2 term 1 2010-2011

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

FAILANA

Welcome FAILANA students. Please fill out this form so I can contact you efficiently.

Final Grades

I have just completed the final grades of my NATSCA2 class. I considered the scores of the final project components as bonus exercises. This means that on top of the scores I gave for the final project, I treated the AVP, brochure and website as 3 separate bonus exercises. This was done in appreciation for all the hard work my students have done during this term.

Inspite of this, I regret the fact that two active students have failed. 10775854 was active during the first half of the term but seemed to have dropped out during the latter part. He got only 43% for his final grade. 10662111 tried to do the work during the latter half of the term but was handicapped by his absence during the midterm exam. He was asked to present a document to prove his sickness during the exam so a special exam could be given. He never did so. In the end, he only garnered a final grade of 56.5%, 13.5% short of the passing grade. Too bad because this student did very well in his finals.

Grades can be viewed in the grades folder of the class dropbox location.