Another source for interactive net-based learning.

We are admonished as teachers in the 21st century to have our students "utilize technology" in their learning. Normally, this means to have the students learn by doing work using computers and the Internet. Sometimes this seems to complicate the learning process unnecessarily by bringing into the process an additional variable. I'm feeling more and more, tho, that our kids are so much more comfortable online than they are offline. As a result, they may be easier to reach if they are engaged online during the learning process. That's one reason I like Webassign. It is non-threatening and (to a degree) non-judgemental (at least emotionally).

In a similar manner we can make use of SciLinks to engage the students in safe, vetted webquests or searches that enable them to search out information in a protected environment. We all need to worry about our students wandering around the web at our behest and visiting sites with spurious information posted by some "12 year old with an agenda" or ending at some sites that are "X-rated."

By employing SciLinks, we are guaranteed of sending the kids to safe places with good information. If your textbook doesn't have links to SciLinks and your school district hasn't provided the science teachers with a subscription, you can try out using my link.

Go to my textbook homepage <http://my.hrw.com/ > and enter "koronti" as the username and "p3r5" as the password. (This is the info for Kolade Oronti froma couple of years ago. he won't be needing it, but it still works.) Then choose the first textbook. When the book comes up, click on the "Weblinks" tab at the top of the page. Then pick one of the topics that looks interesting and explore one or 2 of the sites that are listed. You will find all kinds of safe and interesting places -- even ones that will offer the students online practice quizzes, a very non-threatening way for them to self-test before your "real" test on the material.

For our assignment today, I'd like you to find the incident that inspired Alfred Hitchcock to make the movie The Birds and to find how this relates to the material in the first chapter of the book.

HINT: It relates to an incident that caused similar reactions in humans 3000 miles away, which led researchers to use a series of separation techniques on a suspected toxin. Name 6 types of separation criteria you could develop to enable you to separate mixtures of chemicals.

HINT 2: All these questions can be answered using the second SciLink in the first chapter:   chemical and physical properties.