Packing Slip 
item |
Digital Biological Field Notebook: documenting the flora and fauna of Arizona |
contact |
Jeff Miller (Estrella Mountain Community College) jeff.miller@emcmail.maricopa.edu |
credits |
Weiru Chang Wilson Wyatt Sheri Williamson Tom Beatty |
college(s) |
Estrella Mountain Community College |
discipline(s) |
Biology |
summary |
The goal of my summer project was to learn basic digital photography skills, gain experience performing field research, and explore the flora and fauna of Arizona. |
details |
The goal of my summer project was to learn basic digital photography skills, gain experience performing field research, and learn about the flora and fauna of Arizona. I performed my project during June and July at two locations: (i) I attended two digital photography workshops at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix and (ii) I documented plant and animal life in the Sky Islands of southeastern Arizona (the Huachuca Mountains and Chiricahua Mountains) in a digital field notebook. In addition, I read books about digital nature photography and the plants, animals, and habitats of Arizona. I learned a great deal about photography and the plants and animals of Arizona. I also produced a digital field notebook illustrating my travels and documenting the plants and animals I saw. This field notebook is a valuable resource for that can be used as an educational tool to help others understand and appreciate the diversity of life in Arizona. ------------------------------------------------------------ Outcomes: In a paragraph or two describe what worked well. Did you accomplish your objective(s)? Were you able to complete your summer project as written? If not, what did you modify and why? What did not go as well as expected, if anything? Were there any surprises? Note: Use the questions as guides for your outcomes. Do not include detailed list of workshops attended, speakers who presented, or a list of items you have seen, heard, or read. ------------------------------------------------------------ The main goals of my project were (i) to learn more about digital nature photography, (ii) to learn about the plants and animals of Arizona, and (iii) to create a digital field notebook. I am happy to say that I accomplished all three of my goals and had a great time doing it. I improved my digital photography skills by taking two digital photography classes at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. Wilson Wyatt, a local professional photographer, taught both classes. The classes were a great experience and I gained a lot of valuable information about how to take photographs in the desert. Wilson was a great resource and having the opportunity to learn from him at the Desert Botanical Garden allowed me to practice my skills while learning about desert plants. I also read a number of digital nature photography books that provided additional ideas about how to capture images of nature. I combined these classes with several trips to Southeastern Arizona to put my new photography skills to work and learn about the plants and animals of Arizona. I visited the Huachuca and Chiricahua Mountains and desert regions in between these mountains. I learned a great deal about the plants and animals of Arizona on these trips. In particular, I went on several birding hikes on which I gained an incredible amount of information regarding the birds of Arizona and was able to identify over 100 birds on my trips. I especially enjoyed watching and learning about hummingbirds. I identified and photographed (with difficulty at times) a number of different species and now have a feeder in my backyard where I continue to watch and be amazed by these birds. I also saw a Spotted Owl nest with two owlets as well as the Elegant Trogan, a relatively rare bird that migrates through Arizona in early summer. I also learned about the Sky Island habitats and the riparian habitats along the San Pedro River. I documented plants and animals along the way and have compiled my images into a field notebook that I can now use as an educational tool for fellow faculty and students. ------------------------------------------------------------ Professional Growth: Your own professional growth is a large part of your project. Your professional growth is important to you, your students, your college, and possibly other colleagues. How did project affect you professionally? What skills did you learn? What environments were you working in and how might your summer project influence your teaching or other responsibilities? Did you gain a different perspective? Was it professionally valuable for you? ------------------------------------------------------------ My summer project was an outstanding professional growth opportunity. I learned a great deal about the plants and animals of Arizona and I am now able to identify a variety of species. I have also taken a great interest in birding and plan to take more trips to different parts of the state to do some birding. I also learned many new photography skills and had great opportunities to practice these skills during my time in Southeastern Arizona. I worked mainly at the Desert Botanical Garden and in the Sky Islands region of Arizona. My experience at each location was very fruitful, both for learning and inspiration. I gained a new appreciation for the amazing variety of wildlife in the desert and will continue to travel the state to learn more. My summer project will impact my teaching directly because I plan on using some of the pictures I took in class to show students examples of the animals and plants right outside their backyards. I also plan on relating some of the information about the plants and animals to my students in General Biology when we discuss the diversity of life and ecology. Finally, I hope to plan lessons that direct students to take pictures of plants and animals in there own environments, hoping that they will see the beauty and diversity of life right here in the Phoenix area. I hope that this will encourage them to continue to learn even beyond the end of the class. Professionally, the experience opened a new set of doors for me. I was trained as a cell and molecular biologist and had no opportunities to do field research. My summer project was my first opportunity to focus on field work while documenting my findings in photos. I learned a great deal and found that I enjoy being out in the field. ------------------------------------------------------------ Dissemination: How will you share this information with your colleagues, department, students, or college? ------------------------------------------------------------ I have accumulated many photographs of the plants and animals that I saw during my summer project and I have compiled these into a digital field notebook. I plan to use these photos in class and will share them with my colleagues in the Biology department. I also plan to use some of the photos in the Science Mall in Montezuma Hall on the EMCC campus. The Science Mall is an area our group is developing as a place where students can study and learn more about science and math. I would like to place some of the pictures in the mall for students to see, hoping that they will serve as inspiration to learn more about the plants and animals here in Arizona. Note! As a professional courtesy to the owner of this package, if you use some aspect of this package or have some thoughts about it, please share your feedback via the comments form below. |
web links |
http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/fpg/ http://www.skyislandalliance.org/home.htm http://www.sabo.org/ |
shareback |
A "Shareback" cites the places on the web that mention, reference, or use this MLX package, and "shares" that information back here (more about shareback...) Sharebacks can be generated automatically by weblog tools. |
extra |
Last modified: Sep-29-2008 Date created: Sep-29-2008 Visitor count: 481 Dublin Core Metadata record  This package is included in the Faculty Professional Growth Summer Project Reports special collection. |
Maricopa Learning eXchange
http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/mlx/slip.php?item=2230
