Jump to content

Tanks for Teachers??


180Bob

Recommended Posts

Another point is that reef ecosystems are closely related to the global warming debate. Any teacher who covers this topic in curriculum can justify studying a reef tank in the classroom.

So many basic concepts on the Oregon Benchmarks can be covered when caring for a reef tank. Cycles galore! Of course the classic bio course is an easy fit. Still, do not rule out middle school and elementary teachers that need to meet science benchmarks too. Middle school teachers are often willing to design curriculum around an integrated theme like "The Sea." I know that Sean F.'s daughter has a 30 g in their classroom. I am sure her teacher could not have done it without Sean's help. Store owners and experienced reefers are the key to this project. If they can share their knowledge with classroom teachers then many will succeed at showing children parts of an ocean many have never seen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 86
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

I agree Joel--several of my students are doing a research project on carbon sequestration via iron enrichment. To give them some concrete evidence of the effect of nutrients on algae growth, we just used tap water (dechlorinated, of course) for a few days. The effect was immediate and inspired several wandering discussions about food chains, succession and gas exchange.

 

dsoz--Yes, we are absolutely facing a very common misperception--that SW tanks are so much more difficult than fresh. Really, they are just more expensive :) Speaking from a biodiversity standpoint, they should actually be more stable since the food webs are so much more complex.

 

It would be fantastic if we could get a network of educators with tanks (I can see it now..."Tanked Teachers") that could help each other out when the inevitable disaster strikes. Perhaps we could even have a forum specifically for this?

 

Ryan Lenz

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

It would be fantastic if we could get a network of educators with tanks (I can see it now..."Tanked Teachers") that could help each other out when the inevitable disaster strikes. Perhaps we could even have a forum specifically for this?

 

Ryan Lenz

 

We have the Education Section. It does not get a lot of action from educators anymore. What would be cool is like a little teacher icon to put near our avatar.

 

Maybe we should do a poll to create a list of possible educators to refer to. Say " Are you involved in education at the k-12 level?

not at all

parent

kid

teacher

student teacher

volunteer

involved store owner

 

This would bunch us together on one thread if we were at all interested.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

Looks like I'm a little late in adding a voice, and it also looks like most everything was covered. I think I read all the comments, but may not, so forgive me if I re-state something I missed.

 

As DSOZ mentioned, teachers change classrooms and subjects frequently. Who ever gets the tank needs to be fairly committed to the project regardless of whether or not it "fits" their subject that year. I think the Library is a great place for tanks because that is one room that doesn't get moved from year to year, and one that the WHOLE school uses and can appreciate. So, I vote to find an interested Librarian.

 

I also think that it shouldn't be one tank, but two. Summer vacation is too long to leave a tank unattended and breaking it down and setting it back up is just one more thing for a teacher to do at the end of the year. If they already had a tank at home that was set up and all they had to do was bag and transport the life forms, they'd be less stressed about it.

 

The less work for the teacher, the more successful it is apt to be.

 

Thanks,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Rally this thing together!!! Have anyone interested or would like to be a part of this great project set up a time and a place to either chat online or meet somewhere and figure out who can do what.... Form a committee..... Also have Jay set up a Tanks for Teachers blog. Then there needs to be a application process written up for teachers who would like to take part in this. Things that need to be figured out are things like who is going to pay for this? Is the club? Do we take donations? A list is needed for what is needed.

Example:

20-30 gallon tank

lights

live rock

salt

live stock simple things like hermit crabs, snails, fish or two, zena, sand

pumps

skimmer

plumbing stuff

tools

figure out how they can do water changes if needed

 

 

 

Have the teacher do a monthly update on the tank in their own pod cast or blog. There could be a tanks for teachers section on the website. So they can interact with other teachers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As an incoming science teacher, I would be interested in participating. I have bits and pieces I could donate, but would need help getting the other stuff. Let me know what I can do to help, I think this would be a great thing for schools and teachers!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...

×
×
  • Create New...