ask a scientist .com

I tried ask a scientist.com and did not get any answers four different times. I asked if there were any adaptations for the humpback whale. I also asked if their cells did something special to help them survive with out food during the winter months. Nothing. It was a bit dissapointing. Then I figured I would try to put these questions in more simple terms and they came up with a close question. "What is the genetic function of homosexuality?" I wondered what does this have to do with whales? Well the article was very interesting and spoke of how a whales can be homosexual, and how whale and a dolphin can produce offstring. But it just was not very helpful in answering my question. Any suggestions?

cool tech tools

I just experimented with 2 new tools to help make my classroom more engaging. The first one is a power point presentation available on gmail.com, and it is free. It was very easy to use-especially since my 14 yr. old was readily available for tech. support. First you go to documents then create new, then presentation. Then you find an image that you want -right click and save as in your documents. The rest is easy because as you click on the icons and they tell you where everything is-e.g. new slide,cover slide, etc. I liked the variety of templetes available and being able to use a photo for a background. You can also go back and forth from searching for pictures to the site easily. This would be great for school and I could see older students enjoying its use.

The other tool I plan to use when making presentations is animoto. It turns photos into videos with music. I was amazed at how easy it was to use and the great variety of music that was available. This one is free as well but you are limited to 30 seconds and no free downloads. They did have a monthly and yearly deal that included downloads and longer videos. It was abit expensive though. (Two hundred and some a year.) This sort of thing would be great for making a class slide show after a field trip or special day. They gave you the top 40 music to choose from and by looking at the titles you could match a song with your slides. The only thing I did not care for was when your slide was complete they email it to you. It took some time to find it and figure out how to play it. I would love to use it on facebook as well with my friends and our photos.