Don't Step on the Coral! (Piti Fish Eye)

My view halfway through the class

My Marine Biology class just finished a lecture on coral bleaching, so we went out to see it up close and personal. Over the past years, corals have bleached faster than they have grown. Based off what I learned in class, corals bleach when they are under extreme amounts of the stress. The most common of them all is when the ocean's temperature suddenly spikes. The algae that photosynthesize for corals leave, causing the coral to "bleach".

When our class met at the lab site (Piti Fish Eye Park), the first thing I realized was how FAR we were swimming. Keeping in mind that I have not yet experienced snorkeling, I started to panic because I quickly realized I did not bring my gear. A great majority of my classmates were ill-prepared for this lab as well. But with determination, our class set out to see the coral nursery to see how corals are farmed. We walked out until we saw live corals, and from there, we started to swim to the nursery. The two things that kept me from stepping on the corals was

something might grab me and I'm going to drown and
why do people do this I'm already exhausted and all I see are creepy corals

I think it's safe to say that I wasn't too fond of this lab.

However, I realized the real reason why people dive to see the world under the sea. As soon as our class reached the plunge between shallow and deep water, I saw just how amazing it looked all looked. The distance it took to swim was worth the view. Granted that although it would've been a better experience had I been prepared with the proper gear, the lab was an experience I could never forget.

Comments

Things we can't see

There are some things the human eye simply cannot see. This week for Marine Biology, our class got to utilize two different microscopes. The professor collected some marine species to observe; some animals and planktons. It was great because all groups got to see certain mutations their bodies adapted in order to survive within their respective environment. We got to take turns to observe corals, sea spiders, snails, clams, and seaweed. It all looked a bit out of this world as if I borrowed glasses from someone who was almost blind. The sea spider creeped me out the most due to its multiple legs. I think that the most important part of the lab was seeing the plankton roaming around the water. To think that a colossal amount of animals rely on this tiny species to survive boggles my mind up to now. After all, it is what feeds almost the whole food chain, one way or another. So in that case, hurray for the tiny things that swim around in our oceans! You guys rock!

EdPuzzle

For ED271, we were introduced to a new software called EdPuzzle. What is EdPuzzle you ask? Basically it's an interactive video that allows teachers to teach outside of a classroom. This includes, but is not limited to: asking questions, customizing a video to suit the class, and adding audio notes along the way. It's a great tool to have around as a way to keep track of how students perform outside of the classroom. This is most beneficial to online students, teachers who want students to learn the topic beforehand or teachers testing students after the lesson. The topic I chose for EdPuzzle were the three states of matter. Since Crash Course is a popular youtube channel for middle, high school, and college students, I thought it would be nice to explore Crash Course within the elementary curriculum as well. After condensing the video to the length I thought students would reasonably watch, I added questions and audio notes along the video to ensure they understand it. THE

Cetti Bay

For Marine Biology, we had the chance to experience something that falls under "Uniquely Guam". Cetti Bay, known for its marvelous sea life, was where our lab took place this week. It all started at Umatac Bay. Champ, the owner of Cetti Bay, met us on his boat to take us to our destination. With a wide smile, Champ greeted us with warm hospitality and immediately the class knew that it was going to be a great lab day. Since the trip would require a boat ride, our professor encouraged us to bring water and snacks for the day. Once we got out of the boat, the whole class marveled at the beauty that Cetti Bay held. It looked like a picture perfect destination. Champ took us on a small tour around the bay. He told us how important it was for everyone to be responsible for our actions when it comes to the environment. As soon as everyone went to the water, we knew what he meant. Just like Piti Bomb Hole, we easily distinguished the difference in the coral reef. It was do

Jennella's ED271 Blog

Search This Blog