Blog Archives
Biology4Good – please help make a difference.
What a week – over 20,000 visitors around the IB Biology exams! I hope it went well for you all, especially my awesome BIS kids!
If you’re a student or teacher who has been using these resources and they have helped you, please consider making a charity donation through my Biology4Good gifts list. Donations are secure and 100% of the value is given to charity.
Please take a couple of minutes to look through this presentation. Pass it on to your friends and teachers and please make these efforts worthwhile. There is more information about Biology4Good here:
Check out this for a post-exam stat-slump:
Apologies for two very similar posts in a week – I wanted to catch you before you left and perhaps never came back to the site now that IB exam stress is done!
MrT
Pay It Forwards – Please!
I hope Paper 1 and 2 went well for all you May-sessioners today. I can see from the stats that many have been busy on this site, and I’ve had three record-breaking days in a row. Many of you may never come here again once IB is done, so I wanted to catch you before you left!
Please take a couple of minutes to look through this presentation. Pass it on to your friends and teachers and please make these efforts worthwhile. There is more information about Biology4Good here:
Good luck for tomorrow. Put today out of your brain and look only at your Options work. Pay attention to command terms and don’t foolishly think you can do an Option that you didn’t do in school.
For many of you, tomorrow marks the end of the IB Diploma Programme. I sincerely hope that it has helped you grow into decent human beings – compassionate, knowledgeable and motivated to make a positive impact on the world.
BIS students – I am proud to have been your teacher.
Everyone else – thanks for the comments!
MrT
Merapi Eruption and Mentawais Tsunami
Guardian Slideshow
Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are no rarity here in Indonesia. The Indonesian archipelago is a series of thousands of volcanic islands which emerged from the ocean millions of years ago. These islands are the product of the convergence of the Indo-Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates. It is our home.
The trade-off for the fertile lands, natural resources and wonderful seas around the area is the ever-present risk of disaster. The price of these disasters, when they occur, is usually paid in the lives of the poor.
Since the tsunami of 2004 an early-warning system has been developed and implemented in many locations in the Indian Ocean. In 2006, it appears that early-warning messages were not relayed appropriately, costing more lives in Pangandaran. No early warning existed for the recent Mentawais tsunami, as it was not considered cost-effective to install the system for such a small population. At least 430 people were killed.
Click to donate
The Mentawais are an internationally-renowned spot for high-class surf, and SurfAid International are leading fund-raising and relief operations in the area. Through the Surf-Aid schools project, you can access free resources and teaching materials to help students learn about global issues, the oceans and citizenship.To make a donation to the Mentawais relief efforts, please visit their site. Here is a video report on the affected area from their website:
Edit: You can see a recording of a presentation given by Milton Brown as part of the Global Education Conference 2010 by clicking here. You will need Elluminate installed.
Another ongoing story is the eruption of Gunung Merapi in central Java. This is a little closer to home for us here in Bandung, though our city is not directly affected. However, thousands have been displaced and many lives lost, with a high demand still for aid and support. For a gallery of hard-hitting images from the Guardian, click on the photo below:
Click on the image to see a stunning slideshow from the Guardian. Photo by Clara Prima/AFP/GettyImages
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Among those affected are SOS Children’s Villages in the region. These are orphanages and community projects which provide homes and education for hundreds of children. They are in real need of basics – clothes, nappies, baby needs and more. If you wish to donate directly to SOS in Indonesia, please follow the link here. If you wish to make a donation to the international organisation, please visit their international website here. Tax advantages are applicable in some countries and you get some say over where your money goes.
BIS students are aiming to help the Merapi SOS Children’s Villages that were affected by raising money through the annual Talent Show and collecting materials and resources needed . Good luck!
Here’s some AP video footage of Merapi in action:
i-Biology 