Hydrothermal Vents/ Alvin

Hydrothermal vents are cracks in the ocean floor that send out jets of hot water. Instead of sunlight many underwater creatures get their energy from these vents. Along with the water minerals and bacteria are carried into the ocean water. The sizes can range from one inch to six feet. Several dozen vents have been discovered. My student teacher is apart of a program called an Alvin. An Alvin is a three person submarine that goes under water and searches for hydrothermal vents and experiments to find out more about them. During the French's Project FAMOUS in 1997 they noticed the first sighting of vents and unknown creatures using Alvin. Since 1977, other hot springs and creatures have been found at many sites along the East Pacific Rise.

I got my information from: http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/exploring.html

Smart Students, even SMARTer Technology.

Earlier this week my science class recieved a SMART Board. You use a projector to project onto the SMART Board your computer. This includes, the internet, Word documents and coloring pages. The board is touch screen. Using special pens you can write on any document you choose. So far we have used the SMART Board to watch vidoes on ecology and label organizers using the pens. The SMART Board was created in 1991 and was the first interactive whiteboard. Ever since, it has been the leading interactive whiteboard, "Combining the simplicity of a whiteboard with the power of a computer." Two new things i learned about the SMART Board is that it was the first interactive whiteboard, and that the SMART Board is used by astronauts. I think the SMART Borad is one of the best inventions in modern day. With this board students around the world can have a fun, easy way to learn. I believe the SMART Board will be a great success for years to come. My students and I are very fortunate to be able to have one of these pieces of history in our classroom.

I got my information from:
http://education.smarttech.com/ste/en-US/News+and+research/Research/International/
http://www2.smarttech.com/st/en-US/Products/SMART+Boards/
and go to
http://www.smarttech.com for more.