Flipgrid Discussion 3: Share a Study

Students will explore the science behind our health, and how miconceptions and bias develop around health issues. Our objectives include:

Research and summarize at least one scientific study related to health issues and trends.
Compare and contrast scientific studies to popular discussions and presentations of health products and information

The Standards

The Indiana Department of Education standards for health and wellness (2017) list the following indicators for elementary through middle school under Standard 3 (Students will demonstrate the ability to access valid information, products and services to enhance health). These standards are important for you as the Pearson Core exam for obtaining your teaching license in Science includes Health education content.

While this semester's projects will often include elements from multiple standards, each unit focuses on a particular standard to help us stay focused. You can download the full set of standards and other resources from the Indiana DOE website.

PreK-2	Grades 3-5	Grades 6-8
2.3.1 Identify trusted adults who can help enhance health.	5.3.1 Identify characteristics of valid health information, products, and services.	8.3.1 Investigate the validity of health information, products, and services.
2.3.2 Identify ways to locate school and community health helpers.	5.3.2 Locate resources from home, school, and community that provide valid health information.	8.3.2 Access valid health information from home, school, and community.
		8.3.3 Determine the accessibility of products that enhance health.
		8.3.4 Describe situations that may require professional health services.
		8.3.5 Locate valid and reliable health products and services that enhance health.

How to Complete

For our next discussion, let's explore the science behind health and medicine as we see it today. And often, as you likely know, what we hear in the media about health science is not always what we actually know from medical research. As you'll see in the Flipgrid video for this week, many healthcare professionals and researchers have their own influences that they struggle with, including the pharmaceutical industry and politics, which can have a negative impact on research outcomes or the types of studies that are conducted.

For example, let's take the case of laetrile, formed from a substance that can be isolated from apricot seeds, apple seeds, bitter almonds, and a few other organic sources. Laetrile is made of something called amygdalin, which contains cyanide, a potent poison. However, at very small, safe levels, some research in the 1970s found that laetrile was shown to be more toxic to cancer cells than normal cells, making it a potentially very useful cancer treatment. However, the hospital where the research was done was not in favor of these findings, since it had potential financial repercussions. They cited the idea as dangerous and swept the entire thing away, even going so far as to question the researcher's qualifications and reputation. The study was salvaged, though, and other studies have since been done, but to date, laetrile remains an illegal substance in the US.

This is an extreme example, but it is not necessarily unusual. We "blow up" the facts of medical research all the time, such as when we hear that red wine is good for your heart, but we fail to hear about the part that the sample size used in the studies are sometimes small, and that it is likely that you would need to drink gallons of the stuff to see a benefit (which, you should know, is probably not a good idea).

So with all of that in mind, here are our central questions for this assignment:

After watching the video, what comes to mind?
Locate information about an actual medical study (use the links below) and tell us what you learned about it. What made the study interesting to you? Did it contradict anything you already knew - or thought you knew - on the subject?

Tip: Review abstracts and summaries of articles where they're available to help understand the main points or findings. You can also do a Google search about your article's topic to see what else comes up. What Doctors Don't Tell You, Scientific American, and Psychology Today are also good sources as they contain articles written for the average person explaining the details of studies, usually with links back to the original studies).

Please provide the link to the article you found in your post, which you can do at the end of your recording when you're adding titles and emojis.

Note when posting a link: On your computer, it's easy to find the link prompt to copy in your link - it will prompt you to copy it in as you are entering your name at the end of your recording. You can also click the little chain-link icon when creating or reviewing your video and add a link that way.

However, on the current phone app, the link prompt is not available. The Title option is, though, so when you create a video and are reviewing what you recorded (before you hit next to go on to snapping your selfie), click the T icon and add your link there instead. Works like a charm!

NOTE: Remember you have 5 minutes - you may want to write down some notes or a script for yourself before you record your Flipgrid. Also, remember that if you're not comfortable on camera, you don't have to be in the video, just speaking in it. Feel free to put your favorite pet or stuffed animal in the shot instead!

How to Turn It In

Topic link for this Flipgrid (go here to post!): https://flipgrid.com/aa358ae88b
(password: edci30001, Class code if using app: 7627a26a )

This class makes use of Flipgrid, a nifty tool that allows you to take advantage of video and audio as well as text (and emojis, too, if you like) to communicate your ideas. Flipgrid works on most computers, phones, and tablets, with little to no setup required.

You are strongly encouraged to review the FlipGrid Student Help Center to get an idea of how it works.

For each of our discussions this semester, you will have 5 minutes to say what you'd like to say to us, in response to the prompt. You'll then have a chance to type in a title and a link as appoprate for the assignment (and most of our prompts will have a link or something for you to add in to your post). You'll also be asked to enter your name and email.

Watch the video below for a quick tutorial showing the recording of a FlipGrid response.

The "grid" part of Flipgrid comes in when you see everyone's awesome faces in a grid format, kind of like a graphical discussion board. You can then click on someone to review their video, and leave a video comment for them.

You'll be required to respond to AT LEAST TWO of your classmates' videos with something of your own.

Video length is capped at 5 minutes for both initial posts and replies, and you should aim to speak for at least 2-3 minutes to make a substantive posting.

Note that as you post meaningful replies that may spur on additional conversation and more responses, you should keep going and keep discussing! Going beyond your required two replies as noted above on discussions throughout this semester will earn you bonus points at the end of the semester, so it pays to engage!

How You're Graded

	Unacceptable – 0 pts	Beginning - .5 pts	Developing – 1 pts	Proficient – 2 pts
Content (2 points)	Postings present no specific viewpoint and no supporting examples are provided.	Postings present a specific viewpoint but lack supporting examples.	Postings present a specific viewpoint that is substantiated by supporting examples.	Postings present a focused and cohesive viewpoint that is substantiated by effective supporting examples.
Thoroughness (2 points)	Postings answer none of the questions posted in the discussion prompt.	Postings thoroughly answer one of the questions posted in the discussion prompt.	Postings thoroughly answer some of the questions posted in the discussion prompt.	Postings thoroughly answer all the questions posted in the discussion prompt.
Creativity (2 points)	Postings are written in a half-hearted, disjointed manner that reflects no awareness of effective communication.	Postings are brief and unimaginative, and reflect minimal effort to connect with the audience.	Postings are generally well written with some attempts made to stimulate dialogue and commentary.	Postings are creatively and fluently written to stimulate dialogue and commentary.
Mechanics (2 points)	Speaks incoherently, or speaks for less than 30 seconds. Writes with numerous major errors in grammar, capitalization, punctuation and spelling. (More than 5 errors)	Speaks with major difficulties in others’ ability to understand, or speaks for no more than one minute. Writes with major errors in grammar, capitalization, punctuation and spelling. (3 - 4 errors)	Speaks well, but may not provide complete thoughts or may be difficult to fully understand. Video may be no more than 90 seconds in length. Writes with minor editing errors in grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. (1-2 errors)	Speaks well and cogently, and speaks for at least two minutes. Writes with no errors in grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. (0 errors)
Replies to Peers (2 points)	No replies to peers made, OR provides openly disrespectful and negative comments.	Provides comments on other students’ postings which may fail to show respect for other opinions. (1 comment)	Provides comments on other students’ postings that are generally positive, respectful and add value to the discussion. (no more than 2 comments)	Provides comments on other students’ postings that are consistently positive, respectful, and succinct while providing a meaningful addition to the discussion. (2 or more comments)

Help and Resources