What can I use in my classroom from the first 2 sessions?

I have to really think about that. It's been over a decade, ever since our school went on a 4 x 4 block schedule, since I've actually done a digest and electrophoresis with my students. Time is a huge issue...both instructional time and time for me to set up and break down labs. Its worse when biology is in the spring semester, which is when I have it, because HSA testing pulls out a huge chunk of time...this year, two of my classes will lose 2 weeks out of the 18 weeks in the semester because of HSA.

Over the years, I've borrowed, bought, adapted, and developed some low tech simulations to at least teach the concepts involved with using restriction enzymes to both cut DNA and to form recombinant DNA as well as the process of electrophoresis to make a fingerprint. The simulations include pony bead simulated bands, which took time to initially make but now I can just pull out the box each year and they're good to go. Another simulation is using cash register tape DNA with chart paper gels/envelope wells which can be completed in an hour, and I don't need to worry too much about damaging materials (although there are some destructive students that I wouldn't trust with scissors). Last year I purchased a simulated gel...it sort of feels like an agarose gel, has wells that students could pipet samples into so they could get the feel of the technique, and has a banding pattern in it that could be used for analysis. I haven't been able to try it out with students yet; hoping to do that this year.

Must say that this course has brought me back to the University of Utah's Learn Genetics site (learn.genetics.utah.edu). Haven't gone there in a long time and wow, it has really developed a lot. The virtual labs for DNA extraction, gel electrophoresis and PCR are really good and definitely visual enough even if the student doesn't read everything. These will be incorporated as independent learning activities.

As for the micropipetting, I'm thinking I have used that with students a little more recently when I used to purchase the BioRad "Genes in a Bottle" kit. The kit provided disposable transfer pipets but since the volumes were small, I taught the students to use the micropipets. However, with budget issues those kits got to be too cost prohibitive so I've gone back to DNA extraction from fruits...much cheaper but uses bigger volumes of everything. They do get learn how to use serological pipets with pipet pumps instead of using graduated cylinders...but yes, its not a molecular biology kind of thing.

Now Dr. Shohet's talk about the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) does have me intrigued and thinking about my physiology class. It really tied in concepts in biology (genetics) and physiology (cardiovascular system), among others. But I have to think. It can't be just a research paper or something like that...my students range from honors level to ESLL and SPED, and the biology text is already a challenge for many of them, let alone the physiology. When they do research, they'll just pull things off the references without trying to understand let alone paraphrase. It's really hard when I hear other teachers saying how fantastic this information is and how they can use it right away...I want to know HOW they're using it.

Well, I guess that's it for now...