What i know ! I don't know anything at all about how cells duplicate, actualy only one thing that I do know which is that 1 cell duplicates by simply popping in to two cells (I think), and even that i don't know for sure .

so right now the only thing i am doing apart from typing is thinking about how and where i can find information and what can what i should look up.

In here own words, this student has realised that the central question is "How do the cells actually split?"

Today I learnt about macroconcepts and macroconcepts is change. And that can apply to bad things such as cancer and I think that I will include that in my animation.

The rubric for this student shows improvements in use of correct terminology, identification of relevant variables and her own self assessment of conceptual consolidation.

These improvements are largely from reading and research. The accompanying imagery should provide a literal and figurative representation of how these ideas are taking shape.

I've just looked up the definitions of literal and figurative. How can something be "literal" (non-metaphorical) and "figurative" (metaphorical)? This representational paradox is possible because the ideas are literal but the imagery is not.

So I've learnt that there is originally one chromosome in a cell and then there becomes two chromosomes in a cell and then eventually there becomes two cells and one chromosome in each so now what I'm going to do is I'm going to animate that.

This student is ready to animate the cell duplication process now that the basic steps are in order. I've asked her to ensure that the imagery is satisfactory before any movement occurs as changing is later is overly time consuming.

I'm not sure that the chromosome is a single unit so this will need to be investigated.

So today I found out about what a nucleus is. And a nucleus is in the middle of a cell and inside that is a chromosome? (I think). And I know it's got something to do with DNA.

This student has reached a point which requires her to have a clear understanding of the various components which constitute a cell.

Although her voice-over script is brief and hasn't changed for several weeks, it will eventually become a direct explanation of her cell imagery.

Session 8 had only half the class present due to a camp. This allowed me to have more time with the remaining 4 students.

I had thought that this student was almost ready for the final construction of her imagery once chromosomes had been investigated a little further. We came across a cell duplication animation at http://www.cellsalive.com/mitosis.htm This animation was very effective as it also contained microscopic video of actual cells duplicating. The various phases of cell duplication could also be played separately to reduce cognitive load.

Once we had viewed this animation, there appeared to be only 3 options open to us:

1. Recreate a similar animation using the new details we had learned.
2. Simplify the animation to make it easier to explain.
3. Start a new topic.

Recreating the animation was not appealing as it would have been a lot of work with little reward considering that her representation ideas would have been derivative.

Simplifying the animation grated against my pedagogical ideals stated so succinctly by Einstein: "Make everything as simple as possible but not simpler."

This left us with only one option which was to start a new topic. I encouraged her with the fact that a 2010 Storyboard participant has successfully changed topics even further into the project. I also mentioned that 7 out of 8 topics for the current project were scientific so it would be good to have more variety.

She then proposed that we do something musical and "Stringed instruments" was soon chosen. (This new topic is actually scientific, mathematical and musical).