Take a look at the winning image - or in this case, video - of the 2012 Olympus Bioscapes Digital Imaging competition, an annual microscopic photography contest now in its tenth year. Although there were a number of stunning photos captured via several imaging and microscopy techniques, Ralph Grimm's video of colonial rotifers - microscopic beings that sustain themselves on dead bacteria and the like, for those of you who aren't too biology savvy - stole the top prize. Though you might suspect him to be, Grimm isn't a professional videographer nor a research scientist able to get his hands on the latest and greatest imaging equipment. Instead, he's a 45-year-old high school teacher from Australia that thought the lilypads growing in his pond looked much cooler at 200X magnification than they did just sitting in the water. Check out Grimm's video at the top of this post and view the other top images here.
The Vandalia Drummer News ran a great story this morning on how microscope cameras are impacting the learning atmosphere of Butler High School - one biology experiment at a time. The cameras fit over the eyepiece of the school's existing microscopes and are linked via USB to a computer monitor at each lab station. While the students still mount their slides like normal, they manipulate them using the computer. Since students don't have to pass the microscope back and forth, collaboration is encouraged and ample time is saved - two things every teacher values. Butler High School biology teacher Kelly Stevens is quoted in the story as saying, "One of the downfalls of working with just one microscope is that only one student can see what's on the slide at a time. Now everyone sees the same thing in real time, and I can get around the classroom faster." Coupled with Motic software, which allows students to capture video of their slides, make time-lapse photos and do side-by-side comparisons of their specimens, these cameras are generating a buzz at Butler. With the software, teachers can even "push" electronic documents from their computer to each lab station. Students then complete the assignment and "push" it back to their teacher, making for completely paperless labs. Stevens insists in the article that while the new technology is great, it doesn't do the learning for the students. He told Vandalia Drummer News that, "students still have to learn how to use the microscopes; the technology doesn't do the work for them. We are doing the same things we have done in the past, this just takes it to a new level." Can there really be a down side to this story? Unfortunately, yes. Just one classroom at Butler is hooked up with the new technology. This means that Stevens and the high school's other biology teachers must all share the space so all students benefit from the technology. As Stevens put it, "The cameras have made us so much more efficient in the classroom. It would be nice if we could equip all of our biology classrooms with this technology." Read the Vandalia Drummer News story.
An Advanced Placement Biology class in Virginia was recently standing-room-only as 27 students crowded around lab tables. Sound like a lot of students? That very same class had 30 students in it the next period. Woodside, the school where so many eager students are enrolling in more science AP classes, is among a group of schools nationwide that are pushing to expand access to AP match and science courses. With STEM jobs on the rise more than ever before, the push for more AP math and science courses is coming at the right time. Just last year, the U.S. Commerce Department predicted that STEM jobs will grow by 17 percent between 2008 and 2018, compared with just under 10 percent for others. Recent studies point out the pitfalls in STEM classrooms It's been suggested that U.S. students' match and science skills are slowly growing: in 2011, just 35 percent of eighth-graders were proficient in math and 32 percent in science, according to the U.S. Education Department's National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Another downer: last year, Achieve, made up of business and government officials, found that a mere 20 states (yes, not even half of them) and the District of Columbia required students to complete a "college-and-career-ready" curriculum to earn a diploma. More schools need to make Woodside their example. With AP courses open to all students regardless of grade-point average, students recruited heavily and trained after school, Woodside treats AP like a sports team. Since many students don't know what AP is or think it's for the valedictorians of the class, this approach can be very effective. Woodside also picks up the cost of the annual exams, making it hard for students to drop the AP courses once they're enrolled. If a student persists, both teachers' and parents' signatures are required for the drop, allowed only after a student attends three tutoring classes. Even then, parents have to meet with a counselor to approve the withdrawal. As you can imagine, it rarely gets that far. So here's the proof, people. The result of this approach is a 75 percent rise since 2006 in the number of students taking advanced math and science. Higher percentages of students in AP classes can only lead to one good thing: student success (even if your students don't score the highest on the AP exams). Read more about Woodside's AP approach.
It was way back in 1665 that Samuel Pepys recalled in his diary that he stayed up till 2 a.m. reading an enthralling page-turner and best-seller. He called this text, "the most ingenious book I read in my life." I know, you're on the edge of your seat. What in the world could have kept Pepys up so late and led him to believe he read the best book he'd ever read in his life? If you're thinking it was a book about history, a play or the arts, you're wrong. It was none other than the world's first popular book about microscopic images! With the short title Micographia: Or Some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies Made With Magnifying Glasses With Observations and Inquiries Thereupon - catchy, I know - the book was authored by famed scientist Robert Hooke. Want to get your hands on it?! Well, good news. The book is now available on Google Books for you to read for free. As you flip (or scroll) through the book, you'll find wonderful drawings of everything from fleas through bark to the edges of razors. For all you microscope and science junkies out there, it's exciting to see what constituted cutting-edge scientific understanding in 1665! If you're interested, read Carl Zimmer's review to learn more.
Say hello to the flagship model of the Swift educational line. The M3600 series continues Swift's tradition for innovation, quality and student-proof features while updating the well-known M3500 classic model series with a brand new design at the same time. If you're a high school teacher or advanced grade professor, this is the scope you want your students working with. The M3600 series includes cored and cordless versions, a built-in carrying handle and variable LED illumination. The M3602 models even have a built-in mechanical stage. The "student-proof" design of the scopes mean energy-efficient LED illumination, "one-touch" spring loaded stage clips and proper handling for you. If you haven't already considered adding a Swift microscope to your classroom, start with one from the M3600 series. Get more information here.
MoticNet represents the next step in science classroom management. Designed for and inspired by the success of digital microscopes, MoticNet is a software program that allows digital microscopes to be linked together in a network so that one teacher can have full and instant access to any student at any time. Having a live image transmitted at high-speed directly from the microscope to the computer means that students no longer have to fight over who gets to look through the eyepiece. With MoticNet, teachers can promote team work and group thinking easily. Just imagine the possibilities in the classroom! Each student has the opportunity to explore and present findings to other students with keystroke guidance from the teacher. Teachers are able to broadcast from their computer workstation to the entire class through the simple click of a mouse, making this a truly interactive experience. With digital microscopy at its core, this integrated software includes other teaching tools and is the core of classroom networking. This must-have expands its usefulness outside of teaching with microscopes and becomes even more versatile in the classroom.
You've figured out what microscope is best for you and you're ready to dish out the money for one that'll be worth it. Here's the top ten features to think about as you make this purchase. Remember, in many instances, you're investing in the future!
Student-Proof Features: Things like locked-on eyepiece(s), one-piece head, retractable objective lenses and locked on stage clips can make a world of difference in the classroom.
All-Metal Construction
Built-In Cord Holder
Unique Features like retractable sealed objectives, built-in carrying handle and Pointmaster eyepieces can make your microscope even better!
Warranty: Make sure you're familiar with the warranty of the microscope you're looking to purchase.
After-Sales Supports: This can be crucial when you excitingly unpack your microscope, think you're ready to go and then something doesn't work right. Technical and digital support can get you back up and running.
