Bird flashcards evolve into full-service CD-ROM

The Western Meadowlark is Wyoming’s state bird. Photo courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Published March 6, 2003, in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, “Bird flashcards evolve into full-service CD-ROM.”
2014 Update: Now that schools have better access to the Internet, the Wyoming Bird Flashcards CD would make a wonderful website–after a few updates. For more information, please contact me at bgorges2@gmail.com. And who knew saving things to CD, or DVD, would become a DIY activity?

By Barb Gorges

Beauford Thompson, formerly a Davis sixth grade teacher, is at the root of the origination of the Wyoming Bird Flashcards CD-ROM, produced jointly last year by Audubon Wyoming and Wyoming Game and Fish Department with a Wyoming’s Wildlife Worth the Watching grant.

About 10 years ago Beauford invited Cheyenne-High Plains Audubon Society members to go bird watching with his class. Several of us were available for the ensuing field trips with him and other teachers, but I was the one to visit classes the day before to introduce birds we might see.

It’s hard to make eye contact with students sitting in the dark while using a slide projector, so I switched to 8½ x 11″ flashcards. They are actually more versatile, allowing for comparison and individual
study.

The next evolutionary step came at Kinko’s where I was making another flashcard when Chris Madson, editor of WGFD’s Wyoming Wildlife magazine, walked in. I asked him if Game and Fish had any bird photos that could be used for flashcards. What if we had sets printed and distributed to teachers?

Color printing is prohibitively expensive, but then I remembered my recent student teaching experience with Kathryn Valido at Afflerbach, and how many workbooks are now on CD. The teacher selects worksheets to print out and duplicate.

With a western meadowlark image borrowed from Chris, Rainbow Photo was able to put it and accompanying text on CD. I showed that and the flashcard printout to the other Audubon Wyoming board members when I asked them to sponsor the project in order to search for grant money.

The Wyoming’s Wildlife Worth the Watching grant became the first and only grant applied for.

I soon realized the CD format, not only cheap to produce and distribute, lent itself to being used by students and teachers like other software on school computers and in labs.

In addition to the bird images and information, I added:
— A guide to using the CD
–Suggestions for introducing birds and bird watching
–A model for planning a field trip
–135 places around the state to watch birds
–Bird checklists to identify what birds may be seen when and where
–300-term glossary
–Standards-based activity ideas for students K-12 in all content areas
–Additional resources including Wyoming organizations and agencies, books, CDs and Internet sites.

It’s taken me awhile to realize I’ve essentially compiled a book—with the help of about 45 other people. I hesitate to single out particular contributors, but without Dave Lockman, now retired from Game
and Fish, and Mike Randall, the tech consultant, no one else’s contributions would have made it to disk.

This first run of the CD is serving as a beta copy. There are a couple technical gremlins, mostly for users who need to update their Internet browsers (the CD operates like a Web page, though it isn’t necessary to be online to use it unless you want to click on the links in the resources section).

Also, some of the photo credits got scrambled; new bird books and Web sites are coming out; teachers have great ideas to share; and the state is updating its science education standards. I’m working on a Web site to hold this additional information until we come out with WBF 2.0.

Meanwhile, to demonstrate the CD, third-grade teacher Kathy Hill and I are offering “Birds in Your Classroom,” a workshop for K-12 teachers at Jessup School March 22 which has been approved for recertification credit (see below to contact me for more information before March 14).

Several years ago Kathy built a school bird habitat at Jessup, also with a Wyoming’s Wildlife Worth the Watching grant.

The Flashcards CD is available free to Wyoming educators through Audubon Wyoming or Game and Fish. To get a copy, give me a call or send an e-mail (see below) including your mailing address, email address, school and grade level/subject area.

The CD is available to non-educators who send $12.50 to Audubon Wyoming, 400 East 1st, Suite 308, Casper, WY 82601.

Because the intent of the CD is to educate people about birds in Wyoming, there are no restrictions for loading it on multiple computers or school computer networks, or making additional free copies for teachers or students.

Unlike other authors, in this instance I’m receiving no royalties or pay for my work, but I am eagerly anticipating feedback from readers—or should I say, users: more resources to post, useful comments for improvement, great ideas for lesson plans—and maybe even a noticeable increase in everyone’s understanding of the natural history of this great state we call home.