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Please find a link to my portfolio below.

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This week's assignment was to create a digital image flyer or brochure that incorporates the image editing techniques covered this week as well as the visual layout and design best practices discussed in previous weeks.

The flyer below advertises an Art and Homeschooling event presented by a local artist in collaboration with STEM Skool, Inc. an education nonprofit organization. The images used in the flyer belong to the presenting artist, and I arranged them into an appealing photo collage. The artist's logo, J.L. Art, is fictitious.

View the completed OER checklist here .

Biodiversity of Mammals in Great Himalayan National Park

The lesson goals and objectives, video, storyboards, and OER checklist for this week are located on the Padlet below.

Bioinspired Engineering Design Screencast

(Note: Screencasting begins at 2:15 after a welcome message and introduction to biomimicry and bioinspired engineering.)

Copyright © STEM Skool, Inc. 2021.

In this lesson, students learn about biomimicry and bio-inspired engineering design, and I introduce them to their final project, which is to create a bio-inspired bag or pack for a fictitious client.

This video accompanies readings and other videos that dive deeper into biomimicry and bio-inspired engineering design.

Learning Goals, Objectives and Storyboard .

Instructional Objective:

This recording accompanies STEM Skool's lesson on reptiles and amphibians, which is part of our middle school course on Zoology and the Himalayas.

The goal of this lesson is to introduce students to the important features that characterize an animal as either an amphibian or reptile. The lesson also highlights major differences between amphibians and reptiles.

Finally, my colleague speaks about the gharial, a reptile native to the Himalayan region.

After completing this lesson, students will be able to:

Identify key characteristics of amphibians and reptiles.

List the different reptile and amphibian orders.

Distinguish a reptile from an amphibian.

Identify the gharial, a notable reptile from the Himalayan region.

Learning Activity Audience: 6th-8th grade students.

Listen to our lesson on reptiles and amphibians .

Because my classes cater to school-age kids, we are always eager to employ audio and visual effects to improve student engagement and retention. Also, our students possess varying reading levels, which we do not want to be a barrier to learning. Allowing students to listen to a lesson allows them to have a fun, low-stress, immersive experience.

I created this podcast using the recording software built into my Microsoft Surface device. I also use the Rode VideoMicro microphone. I edited my podcast in Camtasia and saved the file as an MP3 and uploaded it to Google Drive to make it easily sharable.

Author Tools: Interactive Learning.
View the course in Articulate Rise 360
Instructional Objective:

In this lesson, students will learn the distinct characteristics of mammals against the backdrop of Great Himalayan National Park, which is one of the most biodiverse places in the world.

Following this lesson, students will be able to:

Locate Great Himalayan National Park on a map.

Articulate the purpose of the Parliament of India's Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.

Define biodiversity.

List key characteristics of mammals.

Identify common mammals living in Great Himalayan National Park.

Reflection: While I was excited to finally dive into Articulate this week, my initial assessment of the tool is that it was too bulky and convoluted to work for K-12th graders (my primary audience). The modules seem to be too spread out, and younger students need very clear and direct access to their content. I was able to turn one of my previous lessons, Biodiversity of Mammals in Great Himalayan National Park, into an articulate course. I look forward to becoming more comfortable with Articulate, since it is an industry standard tool. However, I remain skeptical that it is ideal for school age children.

Week Eight: Portfolio Design & Signature Assignment.

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This week's assignment was to create a digital image flyer or brochure that incorporates the image editing techniques covered this week as well as the visual layout and design best practices discussed in previous weeks. The flyer below advertises an Art and Homeschooling event presented by a local artist in collaboration with STEM Skool, Inc.

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OER Resource 1 With Checklist: DK Find Out Prehistoric Invertebrates.

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OER Resource 1 With Checklist: DK Find Out Prehistoric Invertebrates.

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This resource allows students to learn about prehistoric invertebrates, including ammonites, trilobites and prehistoric dragonflies.

The OER Checklist for this image may be found at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vgl_fXusL2ICxQV4i_zyxcby4MwFl2TB/view

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DK Find Out! | Fun Facts for Kids on Animals, Earth, History and more!

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Visit DK Find Out! to learn about dinosaurs, space, animals, nature & more. Fun learning activities for kids with videos, quizzes & galleries at DKFindOut.com

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OER Resource 2 With Checklist: Reptiles and Amphibians Podcast.

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OER Resource 2 With Checklist: Reptiles and Amphibians Podcast.

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This recording accompanies STEM Skool's lesson on reptiles and amphibians, which is part of our middle school course on Zoology and the Himalayas.

The goal of this lesson is to introduce students to the important features that characterize an animal as either an amphibian or reptile. The lesson also highlights major differences between amphibians and reptiles.

Finally, my colleague speaks about the gharial, a reptile native to the Himalayan region.

Please view the OER checklist for this podcast here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A_UKKPtfFETsH6YWK0yqrg9STDgZLkQM/view?usp=sharing

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Zoology and the Himalayas Week 5 - Audio - EdX.mp3

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Please find a link to my interactive digital module on Biodiversity of Mammals in Great Himalayan National Park below.
https://rise.articulate.com/share/LoUE38oYNOS3oQCiD5HVwYx24Kb7dQrs

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In one week of our course on Zoology and the Himalayas, we compare animal adaptations to human cultural adaptations. We ask students to look at how food, clothing and celebrations relate to things humans have done to adapt to their surroundings.

To create this image, I took several photographs of a group of students from the same family and made them into a collage. I also had to adjust the lighting and sharpness of some of the photographs for crispness and uniformity.

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Nigerian and New Orleans Cultural Adaptations

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This image advertises an art and homeschooling event. I received photographs of the paintings and drawings from the artist and then arranged them into a colorful and engaging collage.

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Original Video with Closed Captioning and Storyboard.

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Original Video with Closed Captioning and Storyboard.

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Please view my original video with closed captioning below. You may view the storyboard for this video at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vz5dlfbwFn_sMFh5g5q-UWmNZF6mlQjS/view?usp=sharing.

Video Transcript: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TXmx_Uf-ofJKgK3UdWpMLYJJhNo-yeDT/view

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Digital Document: Homeschool Science Cheat Sheet.

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Digital Document: Homeschool Science Cheat Sheet.

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The Ultimate Homeschool Science Cheat Sheet is an eBook I developed to help families in my community (and beyond) to navigate homeschooling, particularly STEM subjects.

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The ULTIMATE Homeschool Science Cheat Sheet 2020-21

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The elements presented in this signature assignment are part of a larger course my organization hosted this spring called STEM Skool Presents World of Science: Zoology and the Himalayas.

We offer this course to K-8th grade students with the goal of introducing them to animal classification, adaptation, natural selection, and bio-inspired engineering design.

Especially because our audience is so young, using videos and other digital media is especially important as it streamlines content and keeps students engaged. Please learn more about our course below.

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STEM Skool Presents: World of Science!

Zoology and the Himalayas.

In this 9-week online science course for K-8th graders, we will study zoology against the backdrop of the majestic Himalayan Mountains. Topics include animal classification, theories of evolution and natural selection, and bio-inspired engineering!

Fridays, February 5th - April 2nd, 2021

9 Weeks * K-8th Grade
Live Meeting and Flexible Online Options.

Choose Live Online Meetings or Flexible Online Classes.

Live meeting times:

K-3rd Grade: Fridays @ 10am
3rd-5th Grade: Fridays @ 11:30am
6th-8th Grade: Fridays @ 2pm
All classes are full. Please contact us to be waitlisted.
STEM Skool, Inc. Refund Policy:

Tuition is non-refundable. No portion of tuition will be refunded in the event of absence, missed lessons, relocation, decision to withdraw, or dismissal from STEM Skool.

Course Syllabus:

See what you'll be learning each week!

Week 1: Snow Leopards, Tigers and Bears - Oh My! Introducing the Animals of the Himalayas.

Week 2: Theories of Evolution and Natural Selection.

Week 3: Jurassic Invertebrates of the Himalayas.

Week 4: Exploring the Himalayan Waterways.

Week 5: The Amphibians and Reptiles of Nepal.

Week 6: Birding Across Bhutan.

Week 7: Biodiversity of Mammals inside the Great Himalayan National Park.

Week 8: Bio-Inspired Engineering Design.

Week 9: Final Projects.

GeAndra "Ge" Imoudu

Founder | Executive Director | Science + Engineering Facilitator

Ge Imoudu, an engineer, artist and homeschooling mom of 3, is a New Orleans, LA native living in Charlotte, NC. She holds a B.S. in Science, Technology and Society from Stanford University and M.S. in Engineering from Tulane University. She is currently studying Design Thinking at the MIT Sloan School of Management and Instructional Design and Technology with the University of Maryland. Ge was an engineering project manager for 10 years before leading and creating fun and engaging PreK-12th grade STEM education programs across the Carolinas.

Christine H. Tran

Global Studies Facilitator

Christine Tran holds a B.A. in History, M.A. in Political Science/International Relations and M.L.I.S., Library & Information Science. She discovered her love of instruction while teaching information literacy at a local university. For the past 8 years, she's shared her passion for geography, history, and reading with groups of delightfully curious homeschoolers. In her spare time, she works as a literary journalist for Booklist magazine.

STEM Skool, Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization.

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 11571 Charlotte, NC 28209

Phone:
+1 (704) 980-9325

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In this 9-week online science course for K-8th graders, we will study zoology against the backdrop of the majestic Himalayan Mountains. Topics include animal classification, theories of evolution and natural selection, and bio-inspired engineering! Live Meeting and Flexible Online Options. Choose Live Online Meetings or Flexible Online Classes.