How do you deal with the creeping suspicion that clickers and your classroom just don’t have any chemistry? I am a little troubled by a recent article entitled Why I’m Giving Up On Clickers, posted on the blog of Prof-Like … Continued
If you’ve ever been to Bamfield, B.C., a small community on the remote West coast of Vancouver Island, you know it’s a wild, weird and wonderful place. I absolutely adore it. Thanks to the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre (BMSC), a … Continued
I’ve never been one for deserts—they tend to be, uh, not oceans. Sure, they have sand, but where are the octopuses? However, I’ve changed my mind since coming to Tucson with Stephan for the wedding of a good friend. Here’s … Continued
Well, 2013 is drawing swiftly to a close. And what do you do when you’re home alone, stuffed-up with a cold, and yet strangely energized by a sense of melancholic urgency because this song from Beasts of the Southern Wild … Continued
I’m embarrassed to say this because I’m a biologist and should know better: until this week I kinda sorta thought the words “geology” and “geography” were interchangeable. They’re not. Geology is the study of the physical features of the earth … Continued
Did you know there are thousands of images out there in the public domain (i.e., free of copyright) just waiting for you to play with them? I’ve been using Photoshop poorly for years to edit my photos and other images, … Continued
The first time a woman rode a bicycle while wearing pants in Victoria, B.C., she was threatened with arrest for disturbing the public. For wearing something that looked like this: In March 1895, Ethel Delmont wore bloomers—loose-fitting trousers, gathered at … Continued
Nature is filled with wonderful weirdos, mushrooms (fungi in general) being a great example. British Columbia has lots of mushrooms. They are all weird. Here are a few of my favourites seen this year. I’ve saved the absolute weirdest weirdo … Continued
Can’t find a children’s book that suits the needs of your kids or students? Print your own! My friend Louesa (“Mrs. Byrne” to her students) wanted to read her kindergarten-grade 1 class a book about the forest. The local forest. … Continued
Fresh bread for less dough: Not only is it possible, it’s easy. I have been baking my own no-knead bread since 2010; that’s about 250 loaves and counting. The baking has become a comfortable, twice-weekly routine for me and Stephan … Continued