No Luck With Ask A Scientist

On the ask a scientist website I asked, How do scientists keep the body from becoming immune to the viruses that are used as vectors for gene therapy. I received no answer from the ask a scientist website. When I researched this topic on line I found that they don't. One of the reasons that gene therapy has not been widely successful, is that the body does develop a defense against the viruses used for gene therapy. This makes it so that scientists have to use many different viruses for each round of gene therapy. This requires more resources, and a lot of time. This is a topic that I will continue to research and follow as scientists develop new and improved gene therapy techniques.

A New Presentation Tool for the Classroom

Recently I have been introduced to Prezi an online presentation tool that can be used in the classroom. I was impressed by the free flowing nature of Prezi and the almost movie like navigation that is sure to get the attention of the students. The tools for creating a Prezi are easily learned for beginners, especially with the use of the tutorials that are provided by Prezi. What I really like is the ability to share the Prezi on my classroom webpage by embedding it, which will make it accessible to all of my students. Currently I am using activeinspire the software that comes with my active board. I love the software, but my students are not able to open presentations at home. I can do many of the same things with the activeinspire software, but it is not free and it is not as free flowing as the Prezi. On both I am able to use animations, sounds and embed videos. I am able to access both from home. Both Prezi and Activeinspire have websites (www.Prezi.com and www.promethean.com ) where authors can share their creations and collaborate with each other. One thing that I like about activeinspire is that I have the ability to write directly in the presentation. I also have the ability to put quizzes and questions that the students can answer using handheld voting/texting devices. This allows me to assess and for the students to receive feedback immediately. The whole active board and its software and accessories is not cheap. As long as I have it to use I will probably use activeinspire.
When I think about having my students create presentations I think that students will really enjoy learning how to use Prezi. My concern is the time it would take them to learn how to use it. Many times my 6th grade students come to me without the skills to create presentations and need the structure and linear thinking of PowerPoint and other similar presentation software provide. As students become better at creating and getting their thoughts out in an organized fashion, I feel that they could really benefit from using Prezi to create presentations.