Over on the left column of this page are RSS feeds from other science education websites that I find interesting. The NABT BioBlog is an effort on that list started and operated by a small group of members of the National Association of Biology Teachers with the intent of using the interactive nature of a blog to share their perspectives on science education. There is a wide range of perspective from the folks who contribute to the BioBlog. Some folks talk about their interactions out in nature ( I particularly liked a recent posting by Rich Benz, an Ohio biology teacher who recently went fly-fishing, but got far more from not catching his quarry). Others talk about their classroom experiences or what they learned at a conference. Several regular contributors are really adept at using technology to build new ways of teaching and learning. These posts are VERY interesting indeed.
One recent post featured Jenks teacher Sue Millican who is an acquaintance of regular BioBlogger Robin Hayden. Read Robin’s post here.
I really liked the article and what Sue and her students are doing. I also like the example being set by the BioBloggers. Like OSTA, NABT is a member driven and member dependent organization. Too small to have an extensive staff, NABT depends on active and involved members to do the heavy lifting in the organization. One of the great benefits of doing this work for the organization is the opportunity to meet people like Robin and Sue and share experiences, techniques, and perspectives. And this benefit ends up in making a difference in the lives of youngsters.
Go check out the article and the BioBlog. While you are at it, have you gone over to the OSTA NING? This is a social networking tool that hands you the opportunity to build relationships and interact with other OSTA members. Once again, it is member driven and member dependent . Give it a look today. It will only become useful when we get a member base large enough for folks to interact.