Patents and the Deodar Cedar

Introduction:
For many cultures, the spiritual and the "real" world are closely connected, sometimes interchangeable. Great emphasis is placed on the natural world in connection to some culture's belief systems. In India, for example, the Hindu's call the deodar cedar the "wood of the gods." This mighty tree has been revered for centuries upon centuries. The ancient Hindu sages would go high up in the Himalayas into the deodar forests and practice complicated meditation rituals. The deodar cedar is certainly mentioned in many ancient Hindu legends. While the deodar cedar is valued for its deep-rooted religious significance, the tree has always had many practical uses. The deodar cedar has been used for centuries in ancient medicine, incense (which plays a large role in Indian culture and religion), and in construction materials from past times, even widely used today.

Task:
In this webquest, you will play the role of an aspiring inventor, contracted by the United States Agency, the NTCBF (New Technologies to Create a Better Future) organization, to come up with a new invention. They want you to use something that can be grown and cultivated in various regions of the United States, so new jobs can be created in the production of this new marketable product. What better way than to use the deodar cedar, which can grow in the mountain ranges of both the western and eastern part of the United States, to use as a base material for a new invention?! You will investigate several websites relating to the deodar cedar and answer questions about the tree, its cultural significance and diverse practical applications in the economic world. You will need to come up with a new and practical use for the deodar cedar in order to secure a patent from the United States' Patent Office. As a final product, you will need to create a short PowerPoint presentation (7-10 slides) outlining your new invention/use of the deodar cedar to present to your boss at the NTCBF National Summit meeting in just a few short weeks. The question guiding your work is, What can I learn from the deodar cedar's history as a religious icon along with its diverse practical uses to create a use for the deodar cedar in America that will create jobs and ultimately uplift our economy?

Process:
You will need to read materials on the web pages listed below. For each page, you should answer the supporting questions listed below the link to the web page. After you have read materials on all the web pages and answered all the questions, you should prepare your PowerPoint presentation to your bosses at the NTCBF. Your report should be a minimum of seven slides to act as a visual aid when presenting your 3-5 minute presentation to your bosses. The presentation should include the following elements:

1. Your name and the title of your presentation
2. A listing of all your sources
3. A summary of the information in each source. Use the answers to your questions to write your summaries.
4. A specific use for the deodar cedar in the creation and/or production of a marketable product. BE SPECIFIC. Remember, you are applying for a patent that will be used to create new jobs in our tough economy. A lot is depending on you! (And your job depends on it!) You should show how the deodar cedar has had and continues to have many diverse practical applications in the economic sense. You could also include how large of a role this product has played in other countries through its combined cultural, practical, and religious significance, in order to validate your future new use of the tree in the United States.

Webpage #1 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedrus_deodara

• Questions -
• Why is the deodar cedar called the "wood of the gods" in Hindu culture?
• Where has the deodar cedar already been cultivated in the United States?

Webpage #2 - http://jcmcgowan.blogspot.com/2008/03/blog-post.html

• Questions -
• How did the British use the deodar cedar when they colonized India?
• What properties make the deodar cedar such a widely used tree in building purposes?

Webpage #3 - http://www.fao.org/docrep/V5350e/V5350e12.htm

• Question -
• What are four products the deodar cedar is used to make?

Webpage #4 - http://www.toddcaldecott.com/index.php/herbs/learning-herbs/373-devadaru

• Questions -
• What are some of the medicinal uses of the deodar cedar?
• How is the deodar cedar used in medical research?

Evaluation:

RUBRIC	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4	Score
Content Accuracy	Content in the final presentation is mostly inaccurate and does not include information from all the web pages.	Content in the final presentation is mostly accurate but limited and/or does not include information from all the web pages.	Content in the final presentation is accurate, but does not include information from all the web pages.	Content in the final presentation is completely accurate and does include information from all the web pages.
Structure and Format	Presentation length and slides do not meet the outlined requirements.	Either presentation length OR # of slides do not meet the outlined requirements.	Presentation length and # of slides meets the outlined requirements.	Presentation length and # of slides goes above and beyond outlined requirements.
Quality	The presentation fails to engage the viewers and does not connect the information in a clear and concise manner.	The presentation connects the information but fails to engage the viewer in a clear and concise manner.	The presentation adequately connects the information and engages the viewer in a clear and concise manner.	The presentation connects the information and engages the viewer in an exceptional manner.
Creativity of Deodar Cedar Use	The use of the deodar cedar is not specific/or is not given.	The use of the deodar cedar is not a “new” use for patent purposes.	The use of the deodar cedar is a “new” use for patent purposes.	The use of the deodar cedar is highly creative and sparks the viewers’ interest.

Conclusion:

This webquest focuses on the deodar cedar and the diverse practical applications of the tree in the economic sense.  Not only does this tree have great economic value, the tree has held great significance in the culture and religion of the Hindu's.  For centuries, this tree has played a pivotal role in various facets of societies throughout the world.  One can use the knowledge gained from the many wide ranging uses of the deodar cedar to perhaps think creatively about how we can use our natural resources to create new and revolutionary products.  However, we must also be aware that many cultivated and natural resources are over-processed and risk becoming extinct.  So, as inventors, naturalists, economists, or whatever you want to be, keep in mind that our natural resources only exist as long as we take care of them!  We have a dual responsibility to our future generations: one, to secure a better future by creating new technologies and products that uplift society; two, to manage these precious resources so they can still be enjoyed by all in the decades and centuries to come!

Mobile Learning and Teaching Place-based education

Introduction

This week's readings in my methods class differed in their content, yet I always try to tie in something about one to connect with the other.  Essentially, this process is exactly what we want our students to do when they engage in reading abstract text, primary sources; all in the process of historical inquiry and analysis. The first article delved into the new and interesting topic of teaching placed-based education (Resor, 2010), while the other  gave a deeply analytic and research-based delineation of mobile based learning, e-learning, and ubiquitous learning and how breaking down these types of technology-based learning into a pedagogical framework can help any teacher implement such technologies in the classroom (Park, 2011). 

Why Place-Based Education???

The concept of place-based education is very new to me, and the article by Resor (2010) entitled "Place-Based Education: What is Its Place in the Social Studies Classroom?" gave a great critique and interpretive analysis of the benefits and drawbacks of using such a pedagogical framework within the classroom.  The author expressed the benefits of using such a learning system based on the local sphere.  Place-based education gives the students what I like to call "skin the game."  They use their local context as a base and research field to learn, research, explore, and apply knowledge and service-based projects.  This type of learning enhances student achievement because students have a direct cognitive and tangible connection to learning.

Reinforcing the Majority or Carving New Paths???

One of the main points that I took from this intuitive article was how many teachers use such an educational framework within their curriculum, but in the end, the results show that students (in their exploration and subsequent work) merely reinforce the stereotypes or history written by the majority.  For example, when students in a social studies class "mapped out" a visitor guide for a certain township, they worked with realtors and town officials, and the final product only included the upper echelons and attractive areas of town.  The authors points out that this may not be everyone's history and we as teachers, if using such a place-based curricula, must think outside the box and get students to finding avenues never explored or never written in the town's history because those who wrote the history were obviously the majority and hegemonic group in power.

Breaking Down Technology-Based Learning

The research-driven article entitled "A pedagogical framework for mobile learning: categorizing educational applications of mobile technologies into four types" by Park (2011) broke down three different types of tech-based and/or distance learning into further categories based on transactional distance theory.  The author introduced a totally new breakdown of mobile learning into a pedagogical framework that teachers can use as a guideline and learning tool when creating courses, curricula, projects, and even lessons.  I think Park's breakdown of mobile learning into four distinct categories:  1)high transactional distance socialized m-learning, 2) high transactional distance individualized m-learning, 3) low transactional distance socialized m-learning, and 4) low transactional distance individualized m-learning.  I'm not going to go into the specifics, yet, one can see a scripted breakdown of the different types of mobile learning in a clear and concise manner.  For example, the fourth category was used in a science class as students took their mobile devices and recorded bird-watching activities.  The use of the mobile device within this context allowed students to not have to take a notebook and dually try to take notes while watching a bird.  Students used their phone to take pictures, make voice comments, which also allows students to post their findings to the a class web page or forum.  This process of using mobile technology instead of the traditional method has a dual function.  Students can look back on their work with relative ease because their work is saved on their mobile device, and they can upload their work to a Web 2.0 app to create a presentation or simply upload to a class website to allow peer and instructor comments.  Basically, this is a great way to promote group learning as well as individualized learning.  I think students could use this type of mobile learning in the context of the social studies classroom with relative ease!

Conclusion

These articles differed greatly in their content, scope of research, and breadth; however, I believe Park's breakdown of distance and technology-based learning through e-learning, mobile, and ubiquitous learning can certainly be used in the classroom of a teacher who implements a place-based educational framework.  Teachers can used the advice and differentiation techniques outlined by Park in how to effectively use for example, mobile devices, while students are out in the field in their own locale, of how to effectively use and manage such technology to promote learning.

References

Park, Y. (2011). A pedagogical framework for mobile learning: categorizing educational applications of mobile technologies into four types. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 12(2). Retrieved from http://www.doaj.org/doaj?func=abstract&id=698756&recNo=4&toc=1&uiLanguage=en

Resor, C. W. (2010). Place-Based Education: What is Its Place in the Social Studies Classroom? The Social Studies, 101, 185-188. doi:10.1080/00377990903493853

21st Century Skills and Twitter

Technology is Best

21st century skills are certainly critical and necessary for teachers to practice and preach, and yes, to teach.  However, while Hogue (2011) cites statistics that 99% of schools have a 5:1 computer to student ratio, I find these facts hard to believe due to my short-lived experience in the classroom.  However, it is the hope that schools, districts, states, and hopefully our national system will issue proclamations and ultimately funding to provide every student the opportunity to use a computer/IPad/Tablet for everyday use in their classrooms. 

A Lens into the Future (hopefully)

Hogue (2011) argues for the importance of using technology within the classroom framework.  Using computers allows for differentiation and a diverse approach to teaching.  Students can engage technology and the software that is out there for just about every type of learning and creating.  Students can utilize inquiry skills to access the Internet to find digital histories, perform research, and easily make connections to find new and invaluable information with the click of a button.  However, as a future middle grades social studies teacher, I realize that I will have to teach my students the process of research as well.  Just throwing students into the abyss of the Internet can quickly turn into a downspiral of confusion and misleading avenues.  One must teach students the proper investigative and analytical skills necessary to filter through topics with ease.  Yet, once the basics are ingrained into our students, the possibilities are endless.  Hogue (2011) gave one example of a class that utilized technology to harness the creative power of the students themselves, all the while developing students who excelled at teamwork, cohesion, collaboration, and created a finished product critqued by their peers.  Students "In a government class students were assigned a groupproject that required them to create an election campaign for a presidential candidate. They used a MacBook application called Pages to design a brochure for their candidate. They used iMovie to edit and produce an election campaign advertisement. Students in other classes read their materials, viewed the videos, and cast the deciding votes" (p. 4469).  Like I said, the possibilities are endless.  Plus, unlike using traditional formats of construction paper and pencil (students can create these if they want to), the electronic creations can be digitized and made public through blogs, class wikis, or another form of web-based group functions and structures.  I envy some of the schools that have a 1:1 computing initiative; yet, I know wherever I get my first job, I will implement using technology in the classroom, even if that means hogging the Media Center for as long as possibly allowed!

Technology and Rubrics

Another article that linked technology in the classroom to assessment, was a piece by Quinlan (2011).  While technology is being used in colleges and schools throughout the country, many teachers do not know or have little experience creating grading schemas to assess their student's products.  The article referenced blogs, forums, online classes, and products created through technology and how to properly assess them.  It gave some great information on how some students categorize performance, quality, style, and content within the technology-in-the-classroom domain.  Hopefully, teachers (many already have) will begin to catch up and realize the full potential of rubrics.  Rubrics provide a great outline and reference for the teacher as well as the student.  Teachers can grade with relative ease and far less subjectivity when using rubrics, while students can use the rubrics and models of excellence to know exactly what they are supposed to do or what criterion needs to be fulfilled in order to get the grade or achieve the quality of a finished product that is to their liking.

To Tweet or Not to Tweet?

Finally, I was introduced to the art of Twittering this week.  My professor assigned my class the task of creating a Twitter account this week.  We had to post every day until this blog post, with emphasis on following those that were education-centric.  At first, I was opposed to the thought of another social network "scheme." (I 'deleted' my Facebook quite a while ago after reading a provoking aricle about suicidemachine.org and the growing trend to separate oneself from entities who control your internet identity).  However, upon tweeting, following, and being followed, my group of cohorts grew to include people just as passionate about change, new ways of teaching, and essentially everything about education.  I realized that I can use this database to easily find out new trends in teaching, topics that interest me, and piggyback on the ideas and thoughts of others to create new meaning and knowledge for myself.  All-in-all, the process was and continues to be great.  I consider myself a lifelong learner, and Twitter is certainly a new literacy for me.  I can only hope I will gain as much knowledge and insight into the world as my tweeting expertise hightens to new levels of insaneness!!!

References

Hogue, G. (2011). 21st Century Social Studies Education. In M. Koehler & P. Mishra (Eds.), Society for   Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2011 (pp. 4468-4471). Nashville, Tennessee, USA: AACE. Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/37037.

Quinlan, A. (2011). Creating Scoring  Rubrics to Assess Online Activities. In M. Koehler & P. Mishra (Eds.), Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2011 (pp. 669-673). Nashville, Tennessee, USA: AACE. Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/36349.