North Seattle Community College GEOL 106 Dinosaurs

Week 11 (Mar. 16 - Mar. 23, 2011)

2011-03-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

I am truly sad to say that this is the last blog topic for the class. The blog comments this quarter have been exceptionally informative, helpful and fun to read! So I thought we could take time this week to express our appreciation for each other's contributions.

Please read over the blog comments by your classmates during this quarter and pick just a couple comments to especially acknowledge and express what you valued about them. This request is NOT about choosing the "best ones" but just about pointing out a couple of the postings to represent ones that may have especially struck a chord for you.

Of course, giving recognition to only a couple "fellow travellers" might still be challenging -- everyone has made an impact! I recommend that you read over the recognitions already being made by classmates and perhaps choose a post by someone who hasn't yet been given a thank you. Personally, I am truly amazed by how much new learning and insight are embedded in the nearly 250 comments made here by you all in just 11 weeks!

Week 10 (Mar. 9 - Mar. 15, 2011)

2011-03-10T13:24:00.000-08:00

We are only a couple weeks away from the end of this course and have now read nearly all of our textbook. I would like to get your constructive feedback on the textbook we have used as our primary source of information.

Do you recommend any changes in how the textbook information is organized and presented (in terms of the how clearly the text itself is written, the level of detail provided, the helpfulness of the figures and photographs, etc.)? Please provide constructive and specific ideas for how to change something that would have worked better for you. Remember that some changes make textbooks much more expensive (full color images) so be cognizant of the plusses and minuses of the improvements you suggest. If you really didn't like some aspect of the text, please present your comments in a constructive way accompanied by realistic ideas of how, where and what to change. The authors may be working on a new edition and I will be inviting them to read our comments and provide any feedback to our feedback.

And, in addition to reviewing the textbook itself, I'd like to ask for even broader feedback on how this online course is designed. Do you think that perhaps the course does not need a textbook at all and that we can rely on the great collection of information on the Internet? Maybe you prefer a textbook as an "anchor" that pulls everything together in a single format which can be supplemented with online resources (as we have done in this course). Or maybe you can see not using a textbook (its cheaper!) and, instead, having Internet resources pieced together in an organized fashion. Or maybe you are ready for a fully online "e-book" with multimedia elements built into it (moving dinosaurs!!) -- which no doubt will bring the cost back up again. This feedback will be a great benefit to me as I consider how to teach the course next time.

In any case, this second request is not about a review of me (you should receive an anonymous evaluation form in your email for that!) and really not even about this particular course this quarter. Now that you have had a "taste" of dino studies, how best do you see any online dino course designed? Future dino students will certainly benefit from your input! Thanks.

Week 9 (Mar. 2 - Mar. 8, 2011)

2011-03-03T13:14:00.000-08:00

Over the past 9 weeks, we have looked more closely at dinosaurs than you have likely ever done before! We have learned basic concepts and information from our text and have tried to keep up with some amazing new discoveries that have supplemented and/or challenged our views.

How much has your perception of a "dinosaur" changed? What have you learned that has surprised you the most? What concept or information or research news has perhaps changed your understanding of dinosaurs forever? Or... maybe your basic knowledge of dinosaurs hasn't been drastically altered, but hopefully it has been enriched.

Please share what you have experienced in these ways! Are dinosaurs "different" now? :)

Week 8 (Feb. 23 - Mar. 1, 2011)

2011-02-26T17:06:00.000-08:00

Instead of a new topic this week, I have asked some of the paleontologists conducting current research if they might have a chance to address one of two of the questions posed by you all as "responses" under the "Week 7" heading. If one of your questions is indeed addressed, please respond back to the paleontologist who took time to contribute her/his insights and information. You can post your own reply to her/his reply either here or within the Week 7 topic. Thanks!

Week 7 (Feb. 16 - Feb. 22, 2011)

2011-02-18T06:26:00.001-08:00

Over the course of the last seven weeks, we have studied many aspects of dinosaur paleontology including basic scientific methodologies and "game-changing" exciting new discoveries. But a textbook and news reports can only tell us so much!

I am hoping we can now use this public blog to gain a glimpse into what it is really like to be a field paleontologist first-hand! This week's blog is an opportunity for you to ask a question about different aspects of life as a field paleontologist. Many excellent questions, practical and hypothetical, have already been posed in our class communication room (and can be repeated here). What would we like to know about prospecting for and reporting on dinosaur discoveries or about any other aspect of being a paleontologist not "revealed" in our textbook?

The goal is for each of us to ask one question only (for now) so everyone has a chance to ask something different. After we have posted our questions over the next several days, I'll ask a number of research scientists if they would be able and willing to answer some of our questions posted here.

Week 6 (Feb. 9 - Feb. 15, 2011)

2011-02-11T06:44:00.000-08:00

This week I would like your help in compiling a handy list of websites that report the latest news on dinosaur discoveries and other paleontological developments. I am not looking for a single article on dinosaurs but for an ongoing source of information specific to scientific progress. Newsweek and the New York Times have occasional reports on hot (and cool!) dino revelations but that is not their focus.

For example, I have a "newsfeed" from one of these sites on this blog already. On the right side is a continuously updated list of relevant headlines and links from http://news.discovery.com/dinosaurs. There are many similar sources, some through news organizations but many through paleontology organizations and clubs. And many have already been shared by you in our weekly conversations within the class itself.

So please find a good website (maybe one with an option to subscribe to its "newsfeed") for keeping up with what paleontologists are unearthing. Your source must be completely different than a website already reported here by someone else in response to this topic. It must not be a "list of lists" but a primary source. And it should have current news. (Many of those "lists of lists" of dinosaur news sites are overwhelming and often out-of-date.)

Choose only ONE website so everyone has a fair chance to find a good one. Report on the source here (including its web address) and please describe a piece of its latest news! I can then add this convenient set of good web addresses (vetted by your skilled reviews!) to the resources page of this class. Thanks!

Week 5 (Feb. 2 - Feb. 8, 2011)

2011-02-03T19:11:00.000-08:00

In the last few weeks we have pinpointed places to search for dinosaur fossils across our country and across the world. Now let's inform ourselves more about the "dinosaur hunters" (paleontologists) who have made contributions (or will make contributions in the future) toward what we know about dinosaurs. So far, much of what we have learned in class about the history of paleontological discoveries has involved scientists from northern countries like the United States, Canada, England, Russia and China.

But it is important to view the world from different perspectives. Both hemispheres deserve to be "on top of the world"! So I would like to focus on the world that lies above the black line (30N latitude) in the map above. Who are some of the paleontologists of today's world -- born "above that black line" -- who are discovering new surprises about dinosaurs? Let's expand our knowledge!

Please search for a living paleontologist or paleontology student who is a native of one of the countries above the black line (such as countries in Australia, Africa, South America or Central America and also the southern part of Asia like India). Choose someone who has not yet been reported on here, describe that person and her/his work, and provide a link to information on that paleontologist. The paleontologist might be working anywhere in the world but should have one of the nationalities on which we are focused. Graduate students can be included.

Week 4 (Jan. 26 - Feb. 1, 2011)

2011-01-28T09:39:00.001-08:00

A couple weeks ago, we put together our (imaginary) field trip to look for dinosaur fossils around our country. I had fun mapping these spots out. I think we need to start in Glendive, Montana, work our way down to Millsap, Texas (after "booing the Thunder" in Oklahoma per Phil's request!), head east into Arkansas and Alabama, and then do the coast up until we reach Turner Falls, Massachusetts (making sure to find the intersection where "Capitalsaurus" remains were found in Washington DC!). Then we need to head west again to Iowa, Kansas and South Dakota before making the long trip to the Brooks Range in Alaska. If we start in June we should end up in Alaska by August! What a summer that would be! :)

How to top that? Well, let's plan a global field trip next! Please find a good dinosaur hunting ground in another country (one not chosen by someone else already). Again, we'll use the strategy of looking where other dinosaur fossils have been found already. But it would be great if you would specifically find a discovered dinosaur whose name begins with the same letter as your first name (like "Tyrannosaurus" for Tom). And find a website that describes that dino discovery.

Then share the name of the dinosaur, pinpoint where it was found (as precisely as possible within the country of its discovery), describe your personal dinosaur, and include the website so we can read more about if we'd like! One website that compiles information on where dinosaur fossils have been found around the world is Enchanted Learning. It may not keep up with the latest information and it may look like it is geared for younger folks, but it is a great starting point. You need to click on "Mesozoic" on the left-side navigation bar and then select an epoch (like Late Cretaceous) to get a dino megalist arranged by continent and country.

Make sure you have your passport ready so we can take this (imaginary) field trip together next!

Week 3 (Jan. 19 - Jan. 25, 2011)

2011-01-20T13:45:00.000-08:00

This week let's take a break from "reality"! Many of us have grown up with certain images of dinosaurs presented in movies and photographs and artwork. Some of these images conveyed an accurate representation of a dinosaur and more than a few probably did not!

Please seek out movie clips of cinematic dinosaurs (or photographs or artwork if you cannot find a movie clip that has not been referenced by someone else in class) and describe what you believe is accurate and what may be inaccurate and misleading in the portrayal of the dinosaur. First review what classmates have already posted, and find a different movie or photo or artwork than they have already described. Include a link to the movie clip, etc.

Good sources of many clips are youtube and IMdb (Internet movie data base). You don't need to be correct in your description of what you feel is accurate or inaccurate since we haven't studied individual dinosaurs as yet. So this is just your best educated guess!

Here is an example of a really poor portrayal of a dinosaur. The Tyrannosaurus rex in "The Land Unknown" (1957) is supposed to be pretty authentic ... and scary. Back in 1957, perhaps it was! However, the poor creature seems to be hobbling about (bumping into trees at one point), saliva dripping from its mouth as if it has a mouth disease, and with poor posture dragging its tail behind. I would give this representation a strong "thumbs down" for being totally misleading! I can't think of one thing about it that is accurate. Please check the link to the trailer for this movie by clicking here.

Week 2 (Jan. 12 - Jan. 18, 2011)

2011-01-13T09:12:00.000-08:00

This week I am hoping for your help in planning a field trip to search for dinosaur fossils! Where in our 50 states should we go to have an excellent chance of finding dino bones? I need as exact a location as you can provide such as what town is nearby or what highway passes close to our "prospecting" area.

Your assignment will be to find a prospecting location in one state -- but not a state already chosen by someone else who has already posted to this blog. So you need to read the earlier comments to this week's topic first! And then choose a state that no one else has reported on as yet.

The best way to find a likely spot is to find out where dinosaur bones have already been found. If you do a Google search on dinosaur discoveries from a specific state, for example, you will probably find a description of where an exciting dino find occurred. Please report that here -- with enough detail so that we could all get in a van and would have good directions to head over there right away to find more!

I can tell you that some states are much easier places to find dino fossils (and news about previous dino discoveries) than other states! So the earlier you investigate and report (on only one state please!), the easier this task might be.

There are 34 students enrolled in this class so we are hoping to assemble a trip through 34 of our states. I'm looking forward to our planning out what should be a fun and productive (and, unfortunately, imaginary) trip for this class to take!

Week 1 (Jan. 4 - Jan. 11, 2011)

2011-01-03T12:33:00.000-08:00

Our first topic of conversation to share with others on this public blog:

Thank you for enrolling in this class! Remember that you can post here using your first name only (see the instructions on the course website).

I have a great attraction to museums (as you can tell from the postings below). I really appreciate the creativity and expertise of those folks who design great museums and exhibits. By great exhibits, I mean those that clearly open our eyes to new understandings -- and engage us in ways that are fun, memorable and instructive.

I have especially enjoyed certain museums. How about you? Have you visited a museum that you would highly recommend to us? What do you personally find special about that museum -- and why? If it is a natural history museum with dinosaur displays, all the better! But it can also be a museum about anything that you really are interested in.

And what makes for a great museum in your view? What advice would you give to museum curators and exhibit designers for attracting folks to come and for providing them with a solid learning experience?

I'm looking forward to your comments!

Welcome to GEOL 106 Dinosaurs

2010-11-22T18:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Winter Quarter Dinosaurs course at North Seattle Community College. I'm your instructor, Dr. Tom Braziunas, and I am looking forward to working with you this quarter. The dinosaur on the move above was photographed outside the Royal Tyrell Museum in Alberta, Canada. Can you identify it? (You can enlarge the photo by clicking on it.) Some other "museum" dinosaurs are shown below. Do you have any museum photos of your own?

Royal Tyrell Museum

2010-11-22T17:56:00.001-08:00

The Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada is one of the most impressive dinosaur museums in North America. Above is just one example of what is exhibited there. I was fortunate to visit a couple special natural history museums in 2007 including this one and the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta, Georgia. I will share some photographs from those museums. If you have any special museum stories or photos which you would like to share, please send them to me and I will incorporate them here (with appropriate acknowledgement to you) or please consider sharing some of them in our private discussion room as another option.

National Geological Museum of China

2010-11-22T17:56:00.000-08:00

This is a famous fossil of a feathered dinosaur, Sinonithosaurus. This particular specimen is sometimes referred to as "Dave", a nickname given to it when its species identification was still uncertain. Feather impressions are visible on the arms, and fibers are present on the head, hind limbs and tail (click on the photo to view a larger image). It was found in Liaoning Province in China by Dr. Ji Qiang and colleagues and is on exhibit at the National Geological Museum of China in Beijing. My daughter and I visited this museum as part of a paleontological tour in the Summer of 2008.