Thursday, May 16, 2013

Leaf Snap App Review


Leafsnap


Leaf Snap App       




Ms. A's Review of App- “Leaf Snap”

Leaf Snap is a free app that is available for the iPhone or iPad. This app is an “electronic field guide” used to aid in the identification of flowers and trees. This app is a collaboration of data compiled by Columbia University, the University of Maryland and the Smithsonian Institution.  Leaf Snap contains beautiful high-resolution images of leaves, flowers, fruit, petiole, seeds, and bark.”

The target audience for this app is anyone learning about plants or trees.

The purpose of this software is to aid in the identification of trees and plants while in the field, eliminating the need for a paperback guidebook.  The app makes plant identification easier than with just a traditional guidebook, since students are able to “snap” a picture of any leaf and Leaf Snap will identify it using its “visual recognition software.”

The Leaf Snap app is very easy to use and navigate.  It is pretty self explanatory and straight forward.  I have also used this app without using the camera feature to identify plants, and it was still helpful as a comprehensive field guide.  

This app works on the iPhone and iPad.  It is free to install and does not require more memory than the average app.

The strengths of this app are that it allows students to identify plants in the field by simply “snapping” a picture of a plant or tree they are trying to identify.  This is a very useful feature, since many plants are often identified erroneously in the field.

Weaknesses are that the student needs an iPhone or iPad to use the app.  Another weakness is that the app’s plant database is currently limited to species found in the Northeastern region of the United States. The creators are trying to expand the database to include species across the entire United States.

I would use this guide perhaps on a field trip with my students as a tool to get them interested in plant biology. 
This app is useful in helping students memorize scientific vs. common names of various plant species; it can be used to aid in studying in place of flashcards.
This app is also useful as a way to keep track of previously identified plants and to keep a “life list” of plants seen.
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Science teachers should use this app as a way to get students interested in learning plant biology.  Students will like exploring new plants by taking pictures with their cell phones or iPad.  This app is a great way to incorporate technology on field trips!

Recent Study: Bluefin Tuna Carriers of Radiation As a Result of Japan's Massive Earthquake of 2011

Interesting study- Bluefin tuna tested and found to be carriers of radiation as a result of Japan's massive earthquake of 2011.  I think more organisms in the waters off Japan as well as land dwelling animals (and probably people too) will test positive for radiation for many years to come.  Also, the fact that these fish are not just swimming in the waters off Japan, but are freely swimming about, is a cause for concern since they could potentially contaminate other fish. Scary stuff!

Bluefin Tuna Contaminated with Radiation

 news graphics 2005  607819a FDA Refuses to Test Fish for Radioactivity ... Government Pretends Radioactive Fish Is Safe

Thursday, May 9, 2013

The Bronx Zoo- Fun For Everyone!


Spring time is the best time to visit The Bronx Zoo (especially if you want to see the newest additions to the zoo's animal families)!

A favorite exhibit of mine is the Butterfly Garden!
http://www.bronxzoo.com/






Thursday, May 2, 2013

Genetically Modified Seeds- Good or Evil?

Monsanto is a large corporation that manufactures genetically modified seeds for major crops in the US.  These seeds have been modified to prevent crops from being eaten by insects, resulting in a larger yield of crops for farmers.  There is a big debate as to whether these seeds will have detrimental effects in the future.  What do you think?

http://www.newfrontier.com/asheville/bad_seed.htm

Thursday, April 18, 2013

World Wildlife Fund- Helping Endangered Species Around the World

This is a great organization committed to the preservation of endangered species around the world.  Check out this link to see some of the species that WWF is currently helping to survive.

http://worldwildlife.org/species

 Adopt an Animal

Thursday, April 4, 2013

American Museum of Natural History- Love This Place!

 This is probably my favorite museum in New York City.  Check out the special whale exhibit- "Whales: Giants of the Deep" (running from March 23rd 2013 until January 5th, 2014) and also "Frogs: A Chorus of Colors", also through January 5th, 2014.  The frog exhibit features live frogs from around the world in a rainbow of colors!

http://www.amnh.org/

Frogs homepage slide

Whales of the Deep- Video


Thursday, March 21, 2013

Birds!

Spring time is a great time to be outdoors enjoying the new life that is coming into the world.  Here are some great resources for anyone who is interested in "birding" this time of year or any time of the year!

http://www.audubon.org/
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Page.aspx?pid=1478

I highly recommend The Peterson Field Guide to Birds, which is available in paperback or as an app for your iPhone or iPad- it is super handy!

http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/peterson/

Hummingbirds at Home

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Genetically Modified Foods in a "Nutshell"


This paper has some useful information about genetically modified foods/organisms (GMO's).  Do you think our foods should be labeled if they contain GMO's?

http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/review.pdf


prgrsvimghttp://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4633596428092643&w=207&h=207&c=8&pid=3.1&qlt=90

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Fish Farming Effects on Ocean Ecosystems

Fish farming (aquaculture) practices are extremely harmful to our ocean's ecosystem.  Many people are unaware just how devastating this industry could be to our marine environments and the various organisms that live within them.  This is a great blog which explains how aquaculture is detrimental not only to the fish that are being "farmed," but to the organisms living outside the nets, in close proximity to these "farms."  My research on aquaculture has opened my eyes to the aquaculture industry and inspired me to consume "wild" caught fish whenever possible.

 
http://www.speakupforblue.com/ocean-solutions/predator-resistant-aquaculture

 http://www.speakupforblue.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Aquaculture-effects.jpg