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Institute Concerns

Today's first day of class for EDCI 6346 - Environmental Education Methods and of the TQ Water Quality Institute was a long and information packed class/institute. Several concerns came up during the class/institute that I wanted to address.

Project Organization and Time Commitments

This e-mail is being sent out to TRC Master of Education, Non-Graduate TRC, and TQ Grant Participants. Since some of you were in both TRC and TQ grants we combined the class and institute. These were the only participants that are required to participate in the summer program. 

If you were a non-graduate TRC participant you did not have to attend. 

TRC graduate students who were not able to enroll in the summer course (EDCI 6346) should be attending. You will be registered for the Fall 2013 semester and receive credit at the end of the fall semester. Any days missed will be made up during the fall. The same is true if you are enrolled in the summer course and miss days.

Everyone in the TRC grant is expected to attend the Boca Chica and General Land Office South Bay Field Trips. These field trips are only offered once a year and will count toward the 50 hours required for the remainder of the grant period. 

The TRC Summer Institute consisted of 50 hours. The remaining 50 hours to meet the TRC commitment will be spread out during late summer, fall, and spring. If you missed days during the TRC Summer Institute you can make up the hours by attending the Summer Field Trips. They are noted in the instructional calendar for the EDCI 6346 class (edci6346.blogspot.com).

Technology Issues

Every time technology is used in a class it seems that there are always glitches. Today was no different.

It's great that we have plenty of laptops to go around, but unfortunately they are not updated. I want to thank Tony Balboa for pointing out that the problem may be the lack of updates were causing pictures to not load properly. Magali will be trying to update the laptops before the next "high-use" day coming up on Thursday. Tomorrow will be working on the C-map assessment.

The "Guacamole Video" stopped at the same place it did during class when I tried it at home a bit ago. Hopefully, the short "Energy Source" presentation and short practice session helped to clarify some of skills needed to complete the C-map assessment tomorrow.

The wireless system seemed to slow down quite a bit with all of us on at the same time. If you are using other wireless devices that are hooked on to "Libertad", please use your carrier's service during that time. This will hopefully help to speed things up a bit.

Aside from technology issues, some of you are unfamiliar with these programs and skills. I'm very proud of all of you today. You were real troopers and I want to encourage you to challenge yourself to learn these applications.

Field Trip Preparation

Tomorrow I am planning on spending a little bit of time to help you prepare for the Roma Bluffs Field Trip. Making travel arrangements is a priority. Being safe and comfortable will allow to enjoy the outdoors and make it likely that you return and visit some of these sites on your own.

Travel for long trips such as Roma Bluffs, Sal del Rey, and Arroyo will be reimbursed. Students are expected to car pool with a minimum of 4 people per vehicle. The driver will be reimbursed for vehicle use. Magali will need to know the vehicle's occupants.

The posted meeting time is 7:00 a.m. at the UTB Parking lot. Those students who can meet in Brownsville will gather toward the back EDBC parking lot. I'll park my jeep there and everyone should gather. 

Participants who would rather meet in Harlingen can do so at our meeting place, Texas Visitor's Center (Map). We should arrive in Harlingen by 7:30 a.m. Participants will sign-in when we reach Sullivan City (map). The group should gather at this site by 8:15 a.m.

Consider that it is hotter and drier toward the western part of the RGV, so dress appropriately. Clothing that wicks up sweat and is breathable is advisable. A cap or hat is a must.

Also, bring a couple of bottles of water, if not more. Snacks are also recommended, especially those that are salty since they help you retain water. 

A good sunblock should applied to any exposed skin. Check the label on your sunblock. Old sunblock loses it's ability to block the sun's UVA and UVB rays. Visit this site for more information (click).

Bring a camera! Of course, I use my cell phone, but it's battery will drain quickly. Be sure to charge it well before the trip. Putting it on Airplane Mode will help to conserve battery life.

Constructing Concept Maps

The Concept Map Toolkit is available for download at  http://cmap.ihmc.us/download/. This toolkit has already been downloaded to the computer that you'll be using.

Key Points to Remember:

1)   Naming Protocol

• six-digit-participant#_preconceptmap2

• no dash required between participant number

2)   Guacamole video

• To aide with CMap mechanics guacamole video is to be viewed by every participants.

•  http://www.tqmap.com/video/trouble_shooting_video

3)   Practice with the CMap program by developing a concept map on "Energy Sources" by using the following propositions:

Renewable

Non-renewable

Inexhaustible

Sun

Water 

Fossil Fuels

Use the linking words:

could be

could be

could be

example

example

example

4)   Go to the link sent to your Gmail account.

Reflection #9

This assessment is to be completed ONLY by participants of the Teacher Quality - Studying Water Quality through Problem Based Learning grant. If you are a new participant, please indicate that in your reflection.

Reflection #9 must be completed prior to any 2013-2014 grant project activities. Look for an e-mail sent by the TRC Grant office. The link to the site will be posted.

The URL for your reflection 9 is   www.tinyurl.com/TQE514-R9

Reflection #10 will be made available after the last day of the summer institute activities. on August 15, 2013.

Thank you.

Dr. Ramirez