Reflection on Website

While completing this project, we have had some ups and downs, but I do admit this project was really fun! If we go back in time to think about the amount of material we have learned - we really learned A LOT! Whether it is from water testing labs to learning about mollusks or differenciating types of sand, Fun in the Sun has learned a lot. Though, if our group put in maximum effort, I would of been more pleased with our website. If I were to do this project again, but differently, I would of chosen more reliable group members. Other than that, our website is perfect! Thank you, Ms. Vanhellemont for coming up with such an involving group project! :)

Pollution is a no-go!

To know perfectly well that there are convenient trash cans located on the beach, I see no reason in polluting this beautiful enviroment. Pollution is definately not the answer when it comes to protecting our oceans and beaches. We should all take care of our beaches, and remember all of the animals slowly becoming endangered because of us. Always remember to participate in beach cleaning activities, dont litter, and encourage this behavior. So, next time when you're at the beach, think about where you're going to put that empty potato chip bag.

Mollusks

Doing this lesson, I have learned many interesting things about mollusks and shells. The most interesting thing I have learned about mollusks was knowing that mollusks have no back bone, which means it is an invertabrate animal. Also there are different types of mollusks: bilvalve and a gastropod. A bilvalve is an ocean creature that has two parts to its shell. A gastropod has only one part to the shell and looks like it crawls on its stomach. These were very interesting topics to learn about.

Water Testing Lab

My favorite assignment we have done so far was the water testing lab with Ms. Cohen. There, we found out how to calculate the density of different water samples and how we can distunguish which is which.
This project was fun because we got to use scales, and personally thought they were fun to use! Overall, I thought this density lab was the most enjoyable and was chosen to be my favorite!

Sea Turtles

One topic I have learned this week would be on Sea Turtles. They are very interesting animals and would like to learn more about them! I have learned the 3 most common types of Sea Turtles that live in South Florida are the  Loggerhead Turtle, Green Sea Turtle, and the Leatherback Turtle. They eat a variaty of  mollusks, jellyfish, seaweed, crustaceans, and algae.  The way to determine the gender of a baby sea turtle very interesting. It all depends on the temperature of the sand when the eggs hatch. If the thermometer presents a warmer temperature, the hatchlings are likely to become females. If the temperature of the sand is much cooler, the gender of the hatching will become male. This topic is very fun to learn and I hope I'll be learning more about it soon!

Group Effort - or not?

I have worked in several group projects and have all yet been successful. This group project has been satisfactory when it comes to maximum effort. Our fellow group member, Samantha Gaber, has failed to complete mandatory assignments which tipped the scale towards our grades. Despite our grade drop, there has been strengths in our group's effort. Valeria and myself dedicate and value this website beach project. However, Samantha does not show responsibility when we tell her the little assaignments she needs to do. If we were to have a successfull group, all of the members show equal responsibilities in the work they have to do. Samantha continuously is reminded to do her work, where she claims she forgot to do so. Because of her, our grades are not as pleasing to those groups with responsible members.

All about Waves!

This week in Ms. Ketcham's technology class, I have learned mostly about waves. All waves have one thing in common - they all transfer energy. There are many different types of waves and each do different things. The two main kinds of waves are mechanical and electromagnetic waves. Mechanical waves have to travel through any form of medium. On the other hand, electromagnetic waves can travel through empty space. That means they dont need a medium to travel through. There are two types of mechanical waves: transverse waves and compressional waves. Transverse waves are made of crests and troughs. Their wavelengh is measured from the distance from crest to crest or trough to trough. Also, the amplitude measures how far the crest or troughis from the middle of the wave. Compressionsal waves travel in compressions. A good model would be moving a slinky back and forth. This lesson was fun to learn, and I cant wait to find out what's next!

Using the iPad and Doddle Buddy

Using the iPad and Doddle Buddy was a fun experience for me and my classmates. In no other class have we ever used electronics such as these in school. With the unique touch screen, learning about the ocean was even more fun! We got to draw a model the ocean, the beach, and even some surfers with cool faces. Overall, I hope we continue to use more devices like these to make the lesson even more fun!

What I have learned so far

I have learned a lot in this short period of time. In order for marine life to live and stay healthy, the water must be suitable. We learned about this while testing water in the bay with Ms. Cohen. First, we would test the temperature of the water, the turbitity, the pH, the dissolved oxygen in the water, and last but not least, the saturation. After finding all of the results, we concluded the water was sustainable to support marine life. At the beach, we did the same test, but instead of the water from the bay, we used sea water. The water turned out to be a healthy place for salt water animals to live. Along with all of the water testing, we learned how to calculate the density. We were able to distunguish salt water, fresh water, and brackish water by their densities. Since the salt water had the most salt, it turned out to have the highest density too. During this learning experience, not only that I had learned about water, but I have also had lots of fun preforming the experiments with my group members.

Local Beach Visit

Saturday, October 22, 2011, Fun in the Sun went to the beach to explore, take note, and enjoy the beach. Personally, I thought this was a great way to explain and teach about our own oceans and beaches. At the beach, I observed plant and animal life, tested the salt water, and enjoyed this beautiful day. It was about 75 degrees and was perfect for a walk at the beach. I had a lot of fun visiting Hollywood Beach, as anyone would too.