Blog Reviews

Review 1

I decided to review Bill-Alaska Geoscience. I could enjoy just looking at all of the pictures. They really add to what is being discussed. I really liked the blog about volcanoes and earthquakes. He chose to add an image of a piece of art done by Katsushika Hokusai which depicts a tsunami. It really captures the terror that can be associated with an earthquake when it is situated near island locations. I also like the use of google earth snapshots throughout his blogs. It definitely includes the use of technology by bringing in actual images of the locations being discussed.

Another aspect of Bill's blogs is his incorporation of his life experiences. I like that he is able to make connections from his home in Wisconsin to Alaska and the topics being discussed. The discussion in the terrestrial ice unit on how the last ice age carved much of the land of Wisconsin really makes you think about how much the landscapes have been affected over time.

Review 2

I also chose to review Geo-Integrations. Jennifer is an absolute wealth of knowledge. You can definitely see that she truly loves the field of science. Her explanations and discussions are contagious and make me want to learn more. There are a number of personal experiences which she adds to her discussion which make reading her blogs entertaining. This structure offers a better connection to the reader because it doesn't lecture in textbook fashion.

I think one of my favorite mentions in Jennifer's blog is the volcano discussion in which she mentions volcanos made out of vinegar and baking soda. I agree that this model is way overused and it isn't even an accurate model of the science behind a volcano. This is just one example in which a concept in science is used for another concept when they aren't even related! I'm glad to see that there are people trying to help develop the study of science for young students into something that actually helps them to formulate their own opinions of the world rather than just do canned studies on something that the teacher wants them to learn.