Bioinspiration Synthesis
Throughout this course I have learned that there are a lot of aspects of biology that can be used in our world today. These factors can range from things like spider silk to how a bug moves to photosynthesis. There are materials that we can use as inspiration in order to solve every day problems. While we have used nature already as an inspiration to solve problems already, there are so many more aspects that we can hack into in order to solve even more problems. The organisms that are on the planet today learned how to survive in the environment around it. These organisms were able to solve problems that were facing it, which means that these organisms have been able to do something that we as humans have not done. It would be in our best interest to stop and take a look around. Everything around us has been able to survive and solve some of the same problems that we are trying to solve today. Why not take a tip from nature? The answers are out there, but we just have to look hard enough to find them.
Another thing that I learned was the difference between bioinspiration and biomimicry. I can easily understand how these terms can be related, but I also now understand why it is so difficult. After week one and two, my thoughts were that it was a clear definition between the two. However, as we continued through the weeks, I found it to be very difficult to determine if my glossary entry was an example of bioinspiration or biomimicry. It definitely is not as clear as I once thought.
I believe that I came to the realization during week 6 as to how this course has changed me. I had been changed instantly after the second week of material, since the first week was a lot of broad topics. The second week we dove into the specific materials that were inspired by nature that I had never heard of before. I used the technique that we learned from the activity in the very beginning in order to gain a new perspective. I found myself questioning different aspects in nature. As I said in Week 6, I now find myself observing nature and asking “Why?” and I love it!
Thoughout this course, I have even thought of new methods to set up classes. I think that the most I have taken from is in the form of this PBIA. It makes sense that we would have our students create an archive of the cool stuff that we were doing in class. It almost causes me to ask the question, why do we keep binders? Why not have the students take pictures of worksheets (if your school is not 1-to-1 yet), and have the students keep a digital account of the class. Let’s be honest. It will be way more accessible to students if it is in a digital form. It will also be more likely to be used if it is a form of technology that is familiar. I know my students are going to FLIP out when I tell them that for my summer class I created a Tumblr and started a blog. To them, that is not something that can be ‘school useful,’ and I would love to show them just how much I learned during this course. It shows them how they can use technology in a positive light and really learn from it. I think it would be amazing if we set up our high school students with a Tumblr account, if they are familiar with that, and have them keep track of the information that they are learning in our course. What would they blog about my class?
What would they Tweet about my class? Last year, I set up a class Twitter account. I loved incorporating this technology into the classroom. It is a way that I can have students converse with me, I can show the students interesting articles and facts, and I can even Tweet about my grad class! I have even had some students respond to and/or “favorite” my Tweets. This means that the knowledge is getting out there. I think that is such a cool idea. I think about how many hours my students spend on Twitter and it frightens me. However, if I can get them to read at least one article, or watch one video (I had the most positive response with a video post) about science, I feel that I am teaching the students to learn outside the classroom.
Specifically looking at lessons, this class has allowed me to think of new ways to teach my students. More importantly, I have discovered new ways to teach my students how to think differently. I can teach them in the same manner that I have been taught. I really like the idea of having to create a robot that has not yet been created. Then, once the robot was able to move, going back to the same robot and making edits. This was a great way to look at science and engineering, an ever-popular topic discussed in today’s classes. This teaches the students that science can be a field where edits are encouraged. There is no final solution. There are only new topics to learn and new concepts to think about how these new topics could be put to good use.
Overall, I really enjoyed this class! I am leaving this course with a wealth of knowledge. A huge shoutout to my Professor M. for presenting all of this information to me in a way that was interesting and inspiring! Also a big shoutout to my fellow classmates for all of the research they did on their glossary posts, which made it possible to learn so much more, and for giving positive feedback and suggestions on all of my posts. Thank you all so much for making this class a wonderful experience! I learned so much and I look forward to continuing through this master’s program with you all!
















