Gineal's Gems: April - AHA Journal

Week One - Food Colors

I remember when Shrek, the movie, came out. They had lots of promotions, one of which I can still remember- green ketchup. I begged my Mom to buy it, but when the time came I just couldn't get myself to eat it. This just goes to show how we "eat with our eyes first." So, what color is the least appetizing? -Blue. Experts even suggest that you eat off of blue plates, dry your food blue, or install a blue light in your refrigerator in order to help suppress your appetite and eat less. The reason? So few foods in nature are blue and our instincts tell us to stay away. The most appealing food color? -Red. Yellow is another key color, it is suppose to help stimulate your appetite- so many restaurants will try to incorporate yellow into their decor as much as possible. (Think McDonalds) It will be interesting for me visit the dinning center now with my new found knowledge.

Week Two - Photos as Primary Sources

In my Methods of Teaching Social Studies class we recently had a conversation about using primary sources in the classroom. I have found that some of the best primary sources are photographs. Photos get students' attention, and help to make history come alive. Below are a couple examples of ways to use photos as primary sources in the classroom. After all, a pictures worth 1,000 words.

Where was this photograph taken?

Who are the two main people depicted in this photograph?

What event is this photograph depicting?

Where was the photograph taken?

Other than for family use, why do you think the photograph was taken?

How does this photograph reflect on the President?

Week Three -Greene, Iowa
About a week ago I decided to go on a little road trip to get off campus for a while. The destination for this excursion- Greene, Iowa. Greene is about 45 minutes from UNI's campus and was the filming location for a documentary "King Corn." I had watched the documentary in my History of Iowa class and wanted to pay it a visit. I love small town Iowa, but a lot of the beautiful small farms towns are going into ill repair and will probably not be around forever. Greene is the quintessential Iowa farm town, centered around Main Street and the grain elevator, it has a certain rustic charm. Below are some of the pictures I took to help capture the character of Greene.

Week Four - Google

Have you ever noticed how Google changes their logo from time to time? Well those logo wardrobe changes are called Google Doodles. The first Google Doodle was created in 1998, marking the fact that the founders were out of the office attending the Burning Man festival in Nevada. A couple of years later Dennis Hwang was asked to create a doodle for Bastille Day. Due to the doodle's popularity, Dennis was put in charge of coming up with more doodles. At first the doodles appeared just to celebrate popular holidays. As time pasted, however, the doodles started to highlight a wide range of events. Now it isn't uncommon to hear the phrase "Did you see Google today?" I think Google Doodles are just another example of how our society loves visuals.
Below are a number of examples of some Google Doodles: