Log Entry 11/26/2013

Since the second marking period has begun, I have been tying up loose ends from the end of the previous marking period. I have finished the American Beachgrass label, which I had started a few weeks ago. We will be going over goals for this marking period such as Plan of Procedures, Bill of Materials and other documents. We plan to focus on developmental work for our finished product of the Herbarium.
I plan to go through to plants that are current in the plant press and process them into Riker boxes.

Rationale Report

Alternative Solution 1 is the process we currently utilize. This involves pressing only the part of the plant that appears above the ground in the wild, with whatever features naturally appear on the particular specimen. It results in each Riker Box being more organized because there is less to display. The Riker box does not appear cluttered. This makes plant collections more efficient because we do not spend time digging up roots or collecting flowers, buds or burrs from neighboring specimen. However, this design lacks specific details and therefore may lack accuracy. This solution satisfies our time restraints but is not the best solution because it is not the most informative for our viewers.

The Cocklebur specimen exemplifies
Alternative Solution 2

Alternative Solution 2 is the solution which involves pressing extra features from two or more specimen in the same Riker Box. Displaying the features off to the side of the box gives the viewer the advantage of seeing more than one angle of features such as flowers, berries, buds or burrs. Larger features provide the viewer with greater detail. This will make the plant easier for the viewer to recognize in the wild. This solution results in more informative and identifiable specimen. However, pressing plants in this manner is labor-intensive. Organizing the features in the Riker box demands a great level of skill and expertise from our team. As we become better at pressing plants, this solution seems to be the best solution for our Herbarium. 

Alternative Solution 3 is the solution which involves pressing all parts of the plant: above-ground and underground. This results in the specimen being more accurate because all parts of the plant are displayed. This is a more informative solution because the roots and underground portion of the plant may give clues to the viewer about other aspects of the plant. However, this solution also involves altering the collection process. In order to put this solution into effect, the plants must be dug out of the ground rather than clipped at the base of their stem. After collecting the plant in the field, the roots must be cleaned. Our time restraints prevent this solution from being practical. 

Log Entry 11/19/2013

Today the Sandy Hook Interactive Herbarium team has been adding to and completing our blogs. We are finalizing our various reports for the end of the marking period.

Labels as of November 1, 2013

American Pokeweed

Choke Cherry

Helianthus

Phragmites

Cocklebur

Progress Update Poster

My Progress Update Poster describes the work I completed in the first marking period. It included the Background Information, Design brief, Specifications, Limitations and Alternative Solutions. I also discuss the Special Assignments that I worked on during the Herbarium's preparation for the NJEA Convention.

Log Entry 11/12/2013

Our display at the NJEA Convention

The Convention was a huge success. Mr. Alfonse and Ms. McD represented the Sandy Hook Interactive Herbarium and MAST in Atlantic City. In class, we have begun Formal Progress Update Presentations that detail what we have completed in Directed Field Research so far. Every person in the class is to present their project, research or product. Work will be put on hold until next week, as we begin the second marking period.

Log Entry 11/6/2013

The website is up to date with the pages for the new pressed specimen. The main page now features a paragraph about the Hipp Foundation. The display was finished yesterday and the day before with the mural displays, flatscreens, our Ipad, easel and project poster. QR Code label luggage tags for the various plants were created and printed. Our display is featuring luggage tags with links to the Hipp Foundation and MCVSD.

Log Entry 11/4/2013

The Riker boxes were finished a few days ago. The labels were printed, laminated and mounted on the boxes. We did a trail run of the set-up for the convention floor. I created a slideshow in case there is no wireless in the NJEA Convention Center. The plan is to display sandyhookherbarium.org on McD's laptop to allow teachers to navigate the site. In the event that there is no internet, the flatscreen will display a slideshow with screenshots from the site. I taught Ms. McD how to run the slideshow from her laptop.