Virtual Suggestion Box -- Comment on Great Lakes Class

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Do you have a comment about the Great Lakes Environmental Issues course? Instead of using the suggestion box in class, please ask your question or make your comment here. Just click where it says "Contribute an Answer" and fill out the form that appears. Thanks for your comments!

-- Sharon Gabel (gabel@oswego.edu), February 01, 2000

Answers

I think Elizabeth gives very good advice. Common sense will guide students to studying the "right" material for the exams. The instructors will be making up some questions for our first discussion section, and discussing answers to those questions will help review the background material we've been covering. Thanks, Elizabeth, for using the virtual suggestion box.

-- Sharon Gabel (gabel@oswego.edu), February 03, 2000.

This is a response to comments about having to go to a computer lab and wait for a computer. Did you know that you can reserve a computer in advance? There are instructions on how to do this at ICC's website. Try it.

-- Sharon Gabel (gabel@oswego.edu), February 09, 2000.

Andy:

The first line of the e-mails your getting should have the person's name in it. For e.g., this e-mail should start with "Sharon Gabel (gabel@oswego.edu) added a message to the Oswego State BBoard:"

-- Sharon Gabel (gabel@oswego.edu), February 12, 2000.


In response to Leeanne's comments about font sizes and misspelled words, etc. Increase the font size on your browser. Under edit, select preferences. A dialog box appears, and one of the options is to change fonts. Increase the font size there. Regarding misspellings, either try to determine the meaning of the word through the context in which it appears, or send us a specific question regarding the concepts you are having difficulty understanding. Ask a question about material you don't understand in class or discussion group. In future comments, please refer to specific presentations where problems are encountered so that we can fix them quickly.

-- Sharon GAbel (gabel@oswego.edu), February 24, 2000.

This is in response to several people who asked about "going over the exam". We posted answer keys for the exam in the hallway next to 119 Piez, in a glass display case between Rooms 110 and 115. Be sure to check your answers against the key. If you find any problems with your test score, or if you want to discuss any of the answers on the key, please do so in writing (or via e-mail to any of the professors) on or before Friday, March 10.

-- Sharon Gabel (gabel@oswego.edu), March 06, 2000.


This is a response to Abagail Hanford's comment on 4/21/00: I fixed the link to the notes on environmental laws. Apologies, and thanks for finding and reporting the mistake.

I took lots of notes from Dr. Stamm's talk. I can probably get some of the diagrams and post them. Dr. Stamm also gave me a copy of the last overhead, which describes possible effects of global warming in a little more detail. I'll try to make copies for the class. It will take several days for me to get my notes from this talk up on the web. I'll put a message on the main page when they're ready.

-- Sharon Gabel (gabel@oswego.edu), April 21, 2000.


Just another quick comment in response to A. Hanford's comments on the 4/21/00 lecture: We can discuss and review issues related to global warming and its potential impacts on the Great Lakes in discussion group on Monday. Also, I will try to find some good web links to answer some of your specific questions.

-- Sharon Gabel (gabel@oswego.edu), April 21, 2000.

I see that many students are curious about exactly what material they "need" to know. As with almost all courses, there is a lot of material covered by the professors in this course, and each individual student is responsible for using his or her common sense to decide what is "necessary" to know, if that's all he or she wants to get out of this course. I suggest that my fellow students use their very own minds to determine what would most probably be essential knowledge in a course like this one. The human brain is more powerful than most people think, and its at your disposal 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Keep it challenged because you will only receive constant

-- Elizabeth Barnes (ebarnes@oswego.edu), February 02, 2000.

I am very impressed with the course web site! No suggestions, but just a big "thumbs up" on your efforts to give students voice and responsibility for their own learning.

-- Sue Weber (sueweber@oswego.edu), February 03, 2000.

Along the lines of what to study, I want to alert everyone to the fact that the web version of the second lecture on Ecology & Biodiversity has some very large graphics files which will take some time to load if your access is by modem. So if you do not have a direct hookup to the campus network or roadrunner, bring a sandwich and a book when you sit down to review. To get your own copy of the text from this page, copy and paste to word or write or what ever text editing program is convenient. I would not recommend trying to print the whole thing.

-- Andy Nelson (anelson@oswego.edu), February 03, 2000.


I know this is probally the last thing that you want to hear, and I somehow got nominated to put it in the suggestion box by a few of my peers, but many students wish the class did not require as much use of the internet. Atleast in my case I am behind a computer all day at work the last thing I want to do is come home and have to sit behind one. I really feel sorry for some of my freinds who have to fight it out for a computer in the lab every time. Maybe a disclaimer atleast in the course descrition would have been appropriate.

-- Aaron Jacobs (ajacobs@oswego.edu), February 08, 2000.

I realize that the internet is a huge part of everyday life now, and I know you all are learning as well as the students. However, I find seven to nine pages of notes a bit overwhelming at one time. I suggest test questions be asked directly out of these notes because even remembering what they all say will be hard enough.

-- laura reschke (lreschke@oswego.edu), February 08, 2000.

A few of us taking this class are becoming concerned about how much of this course is taught through the web page. While I understand that many classes are turning to this as computers are becoming more popular, it is difficult and some what annoying to make a trip to the nearest computer lab every other day to print off the next set of notes or what ever the next assignment may be. Sometimes a computer is not accessible when i have time in my schedule to do my homework.

-- Rebecca L. Walzer (walzer@oswego.edu), February 08, 2000.

I want to comment on the expressions of concern about the amount of internet use in the course. Let me start by saying that these are good and relevant questions, and I expect that they will only become more relevant in years to come. We will need to discuss these questions in our discussion sections, and I expect we will return to them repeatedly.

Like it or not, the best and most up to date information on some subjects, including the broad mix of topics we are considering in this course, appears to be on the internet. If we knew of a published text that covered the topic in greater depth than the one we are requiring, we would have it. In a course defined along traditional disciplinary lines there would also be a ready source of references in the library in the form of texts and printed journals. But that is not the case here.

Access is an additional frustration with which I can personally identify. Since the college network does not currently extend to the office at Rice Creek where my computer is situated, and I'm so far removed from TV that the thought of having cable at home has never crossed my mind, my access is entirely by modem or use of one of the computer labs on campus. Seems I'm always a day late in my email correspondence, and my internet work is mostly an early morning affair. On the other hand, email is still far more efficient than telephone tag and written memos for most of my college business. So I gladly put up with what I consider to be some minor problems.

Availability of time and computers is an issue for all of us. This technology that puts so much information before our eyes at the push of a button is very expensive. It takes considerable time and effort to learn to use it effectively. Priorities have to be established and choices made, both for ourselves and for the college. Your comments are part of that process, so it's important to keep this dialogue going for the benefit of all of us.

-- Andy Nelson (anelson@oswego.edu), February 09, 2000.


I have been receiving responses to the net search question for the second discussion section. I notice that when they arrive in my email they are identified ONLY BY YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS. This will make it difficult for us to keep track of your resonses. It would help tremendously if you would include your name at the end of your posting>

APN

-- Andy Nelson (anelson@oswego.edu), February 12, 2000.



We will bring-up this issue in class on Monday. par

-- Peter A. Rosenbaum (par@oswego.edu), February 13, 2000.

When will the notes on the Human Occupation of the Great Lakes from Feb. 14 be posted on the web?

-- Erika Knight (eknight@oswego.edu), February 16, 2000.

the site is: http://www.ontla.on.ca/library/eot/EOTGTL.HTM the name of the site is Other Countries & International Organizations I'm pretty sure that the author is the Ontario Legislative Library

the site contained many informational maps and other useful maps.

-- Matt Bryant (Mshorty80@hotmail.com), February 17, 2000.


I just wanted to make a note for people that have a hard time finding open computers at the lab. Try Mahar! Unless there is a class in both labs there is ALWAYS an open computer. The lab is located on the second floor and there is a sign pointing to where it is at the top of the stairs. I hope that helps!

-- Wendy Way (way@oswego.edu), February 21, 2000.

I was reading through the powerpoint slides so I could see the pictures and graphs, but I couldn't read any of them because they were so small. I don't know how you can fix this, but I would like to be able to see the pictures.

-- Leeanne Root (Lee2526@excite.com), February 23, 2000.

I just noticed something else about some of the slides, if you put red on a dark background, say blue, the red will jump out and that really hurts my eyes and makes it so I can't read the notes. The one other thing I noticed, is that there seems to be spelling and/or grammar errors and I was getting confused at what the notes were trying to say. If you read through them, you will see what I mean. Thank you

-- Leeanne Root (Lee2526@excite.com), February 23, 2000.

I am concerned about the time spent on each topic in lecture. Generally I am not one who would mention this kind of thing and I hate the idea of complaining, but since you're asking for suggestions here goes... I'm wondering if perhaps the professors are trying to cram in too much info. in each lecture meeting. It seems like we are always hurrying to get through all that was planned for that lecture and we either end up cutting out part of the notes or the end of them, which leaves the students wondering what else we should have discussed but didn't have time to. The opportunity for discussion and questions helps to make the class more open and in turn more successful I think for all of us. And although you frequently urge us to ask questions and have outlined for us to do so several times, I personally have a hard time doing this because I feel like the class itself is so rushed in its material that if we stop to clear our own minds, we'll lose out on discussing something else that may or may not be even more important. I understand that there is a lot of material to cover and a time constraint in which to do it, but at the same time I hope that you will take it into consideration that rushing through it clogs the brain in my opinion and thus causes for confusion. I am very interested in learning about the material presented in this class, but in a pace that allows for the full range of discussion that the topics can generate. Please keep this in mind for future planning of lectures and allow us time for clarity of material when we need it. Thanks so much.

-- Kristina Mastrangelo (Smiley21k@netscape.net), February 28, 2000.

I was wondering what was going to happen if we couldn't make any of the field trips. I was also wondering what would take 8 hours for a field trip. THat kind of seems long. Because, of the time period i am on able to make any of the trips. I have schoolwork, work, and meeting to attend during the hours that you have scheduled. MAybe if they were a little bit shorted amounts of time i would be able to make it.8 hours is a long time.3-4 is a reasonable amount of time.

-- (ruppert@oswego.edu), February 28, 2000.

this comment is about today's exam, I read through the book and the notes and while most of the questions were fair, there were a few that did not seem to come from either sources. One question that i clearly remember having never come across in either sources was the question asking what a "sink" was- could you please tell me when you went over that in class?

-- alyssa connelly (connelly@oswego.edu), February 28, 2000.

For any others who may want to check on use of the term "sink", go to slide number six in the first lecture on ecology and biodiversity and scroll down to the notes underneath the slide.

-- Andy Nelson (anelson@oswego.edu), February 29, 2000.

This is in response to Kristina's comment concerning the time spent on each topic in lecture. We recognize that some of our presentations are rushed and that our timing is not always perfect. We all have the singular pleasure and opportunity :-) of participating in a class that has never been taught before. We regularly discuss this among ourselves and meet together on a weekly basis to review our own performance and progress. We are constantly reevaluating the schedule and will continue to try to improve in this regard.

We hope you recognize that part of the purpose of posting our presentations on the web site is to provide you with a means of checking for anything that you might have missed in class. Please also recognize that there is no way we can cover all the material that should be discussed in a consideration of Great Lakes Environmental Issues in one course. At best we can hope to provide you with resources that will help you to continue an informed investigation of the topic.

One way in which all of you can help us do the best job that we possibly can is to refrain from bringing the lecture period to a premature close rustling of papers and creating a general distraction as you prepare for leaving before the class is actually over. This interrupts everyone's flow of thought and distracts us from our attempt to bring the presentation to a timely close.

-- Andy Nelson (anelson@oswego.edu), March 01, 2000.


This is in response to the question by "ruppert@oswego.edu" about participation in the field trips.

First we would like to point out that the requirement that you participate in at least one field trip was detailed in the course guide (page 2) distributed to all at the first meeting of the course. The only change has been a rescheduling of the local afternoon trip from Tuesday, April 11 to Thursday, April 13. Anyone for whom participation in one of these trips is simply impossible has had sufficient notice of the requirement to make other arrangements or drop the course. We all have "schoolwork, work, and meetings" to accomodate in our schedule, and we all have the same amount of time in a week to allot to these tasks. Learning how to set our priorities and adjust our schedule is part of the game.

The amount of time set aside for the all day trips on Saturday and Sunday April 29 and 30 is an estimate which includes travel time. We want to view a significant range of different habitats and situations along the lake and its tributaries and this takes time. While we may not spend precisely eight hours on these trips, we want you to realize that they will take most of the day and we cannot predict the exact time that we will return to campus.

Those of you who are taking this course to fulfill a natural sciences distributive requirement and have not already had courses dealing with field oriented aspects of science may not realize that field trips are a very important educational experience in these areas. No lecture, slide show, laboratory exercise, reading, video, or internet resource can bring you in direct contact with the reality of actual situations and events the way a field trip can.

-- Andy Nelson (anelson@oswego.edu), March 01, 2000.


Have the where-abouts of the field trips been decided on or are you open for ideas on possible places? (I'm sure you know of more places than I would, but I was just curious).

-- Kristina Mastrangelo (Smiley21K@netscape.net), March 01, 2000.

In response to Kristina's question about the field trip itineraries:

For the Thursday afternoon trip we plan a local tour with stops at the city water treatment plant, the waste water treatment plant, the harbor and marina, perhaps the maritime museum, and the abandoned Polution Abatement Services site. We will also consider the canal locks and power dams upriver. Other possibilities include some of the geology of the nearby lake shore and the muck farms south of the city.

The all day trips will be to sites along the lake shore and upstream on some of the tributary streams and rivers. One will be to the east of Oswego and the other to the west.

To the east we will stop at Derby Hill where we can get an excellent view of the eastern shore of the lake from a vantage atop a bluff. We'll go on to Sandy Pond to look at the lake shore and associated sand dunes, then inland to the fish hatchery at Altmar and perhaps to a nearby poor fen.

To the west we will stop at Fair Haven to view bluffs from the vantage of the pier there, to see remains of the old commercial port facility, and to consider the ecology of the bay and the cobblestone barrier bar that separates the bay from the lake. West of Fair Haven we will see drumlins, cobblestone beaches, bluffs, interdrumlin coastal wetlands, and the orchards and dairy farms of that area.

We are certainly open to suggestions for other stops along the way.

-- Andy Nelson (anelson@oswego.edu), March 03, 2000.


If we did not do well on the first exam, is there any way to do an extra credit project for the course to boost up our grade?

-- Kara Kolakowski (kprncess143@hotmail.com), March 03, 2000.

Are we ever going to go over the test so we can find out which questions we got right or wrong? So we can use this as a study guide?

-- Gwen C. Fosco (gwenc9@hotmail.com), March 06, 2000.

Test is posted in glass enclosed cabinet between 110-115 Piez. In class, we asked students to check key and bring any issues to our attention within one week (by 3/10/00), If you have additional questions about the exam, bring them up in class or discussion section asap.

-- Peter A. Rosenbaum (par@oswego.edu), March 10, 2000.

In the begining of the semester one of the 3 of you said something to the effect "the notes are on the web, so if you are not going to pay attention in class or distract others, then don't come..." or something like that. last class i was able to count at least 6 people sleeping, and 3 different areas of constant talking. I believe i am not alone in not feeling like i am getting the most out of the lectures...

-- (ryebread@yahoo.com), March 29, 2000.

In response to the comment from "ryebread@yahoo.com"; Thanks for bringing this topic up. I hope my comments at the beginning of class on Wednesday will help to rectify the situation.

-- Andy Nelson (anelson@oswego.edu), March 30, 2000.

Are you going to put sample test questions on the web page? It would be helpful for all of the information.

-- elizabeth seeley (eseeley@oswego.edu), April 03, 2000.

I was just wondering when you are going to post assignment 4, I didn't quite catch all of what we have to do.

-- Leeanne Root (lroot@oswego.edu), April 03, 2000.

Is it possible for you to post more sample test questions? I found it very helpful to review the previous questions that were on the Web for the last test. Thank you

-- Daniel M. Grady (dgrady@oswego.edu), April 05, 2000.

having trouble viewing test #2's answer key....doesn't seem to be there....

-- kevin bradley (bradkev84@hotmail.com), April 13, 2000.

Two things- First- the environmental laws notes link is "not found" Second- I got very little from the guest speaker today. The charts were next to impossible to read, especially the countless sheets of numbers. Perhaps in lieu of numbers we would be benefitted to explore more in depth the effects of the increases in greenhouse gases (which he showed in many charts). Also, he didn't get to how it impacted the great lakes area until five minutes of ten. I would have liked to see more on the Great Lakes area, it's production of the gasses and effects on this area, the populations here, etc. Just thought some feedback would be beneficial. I also wondered if your notes will be posted. I took a page front and back, but I have no idea if I got the essential information, and much of the numbers are missing, I just tried to get general ideas. Thank you.

-- Abigail Hanford (ahanford@oswego.edu), April 21, 2000.

I just have a comment about exam 2. This is a Great Lakes Environmental Issues class which is supposed to talk about the great lakes and the issues concerning the great lakes. So far in the class, you all have hit on some major studies and topics conserning the great lakes. I think you have done a good job with that, but there was one lecture in particular that I didn't find relavent to the class. This lecture was the Biodiversity, Evolution and Extinction. This material was very interesting to learn about, but I don't feel it pertained to the class or the exam. I feel exams are to test the important information pertaining to what the class is about, ie., the great lakes. This topic didn't really have anything to do with environmental issues for the great lakes. If I missed a key issue in that lecture which relates it to the class, could you please explain that to me. I would like to say though, that I like learning about different things, and the lecture was well done and informative, but I don't think it should have been on the test. Thank you.

-- Carrie Engels (cengels@oswego.edu), April 21, 2000.

In preparation for the final exam, if we are to have a review session, I was wondering if each professor would share the time equally and go over a few topics they feel are pertinent to our knowledge for the exam. That way, each professor will have equal time and have the chance to express what they feel is most relevant for the final exam. Students can then also ask questions while the professor is speaking, to their specific topic.

I was also wondering if the test is cumulative or will most focus on these last topics we have discussed?

-- alyssa connelly (connelly@oswego.edu), April 26, 2000.


i think that you need more info on ttis stuff and thanks to you i failed my assignment so fuck you and have a nice day

-- angela mertangel (pig girl @hotmail.com), May 31, 2001.

i think that you need more info on this stuff and thanks to you i failed my assignment so fuck you and have a nice day you are a #$@%&*#%$@&& and have no cence of realety what are you skrood in the head you bimbo lear to apresiate others and ther needs and be a little more polite about what you say about the black comunity you rasist $%@& and a death thret is a federal effencs and thankyou for you time

$ $ ^ 777

-- angela mertangel (rainbowkisses94@hotmail.com), May 31, 2001.


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