Frequently Emailed Questions with Answers
Fellow educators, we hope you are safe and healthy during the pandemic of COVID-19. We have received an increase in volume of emails asking for help on sharing items remotely and asking for what free options we have. We have created a post based on those questions, and we will update it if we continue to get different kinds of questions. If you do not see your answer on that post or in the drop-down questions below, the last box contains our email information.
We try to respond between 2-3 business days. We don't do email newsletters or spam; see our website's privacy policy at the bottom of this page.
May I use something you created in my presentation, course, project, social media, etc?
Please see our terms of use which explains how our different creations (videos, handouts, GIFs, comics, etc) may be used. If you still have a question, there is an email link at the bottom of that page! At the bottom of our terms of use page, we also mention the most common "terms of use" issues we deal with regarding our work. Please help us avoid "terms of use" issues as this takes away precious time from creating.
What if I have a suggestion for a future video topic?
I am unable to access one (or more) of your YouTube videos?
Usually this is related to one of the below three issues:
(1) Selective Filtering of YouTube Videos at a school/district/institution:
You may be playing the video within a school/district/institution network or on a school/district/institution device that made a change to their filter settings. Depending on filter changes, this can affect the ability to view some videos on YouTube. We do want to point out that enabling YouTube's "standard" restricted mode (which many school districts like to use to block inappropriate videos/YouTube comments) will not affect our videos. Our videos will still play on YouTube's "standard" restricted mode! However, some networks enable additional filtering in addition to YouTube's standard restricted mode that can affect viewing of videos, including ours, on YouTube. This information here in this blog from Google may be helpful. It shows how a school district can choose to enable the ability to view specific videos/allow certain channels on their settings even if they have turned on a more strict filter setting. School districts may not be aware of these controls and sharing this with your tech department may provide a solution. Not sure if what you are experiencing is related to filtering? Check to see if videos are missing or inaccessible from our official playlist- as of April 2020, we have over 70 videos there (with an additional video typically added monthly).
(2) Complete Block on YouTube at a school/district/institution:
It has been our experience that compared to when we first started in 2013, currently more school districts and institutions are opening up YouTube, or doing so using strict filtering settings with YouTube where certain, approved videos are visible. YouTube is one of the largest global video sharing platforms available, and it offers many educational videos exclusively on its platform. This can be a conversation to explore with your district or institution's IT department and leadership about the filtering options that Google (who owns YouTube) provides. For example, YouTube has a link to share how specific videos or entire channels can be approved on a school network. They also provide a support page on this topic that educators can send to their IT staff. YouTube additionally offers a restricted mode for devices which hides comments and filters out inappropriate comments. We have observed that many large school districts in our area have opened YouTube in different filtering capacities and here are just some examples: (A) some districts provide YouTube access for teachers and then allow teachers to "approve" certain videos that are the only videos accessible to students using their own filtering software, (B) some districts will approve specific YouTube channels in advance on their filter and only those channels will be accessible, (C) some districts enable YouTube's restricted mode on all staff and student devices and go through digital citizenship education etc. Overall, this is a determination that needs to be discussed and evaluated within a district to make a decision that is best for them. If choosing to use our videos, our actual video files (or recordings of our videos) cannot be uploaded into other platforms as outlined on our terms of use. Our videos must be either linked to or embedded from our YouTube channel using the YouTube embed code. In YouTube's initiative to support education, YouTube announced new "Learning Playlists" in 2019. This feature gives a designated space for educational videos, includes learning objectives, and organizes our videos by chapter. We are so excited to be offering our biology learning playlist with this feature. Our channel is also featured as a science channel on YouTube Learning.
(3) Error Messages such as "video is not available" on your own personal device and network:
Check out this information from YouTube with some potential fixes related to common browser errors and/or internet speed here.
(1) Selective Filtering of YouTube Videos at a school/district/institution:
You may be playing the video within a school/district/institution network or on a school/district/institution device that made a change to their filter settings. Depending on filter changes, this can affect the ability to view some videos on YouTube. We do want to point out that enabling YouTube's "standard" restricted mode (which many school districts like to use to block inappropriate videos/YouTube comments) will not affect our videos. Our videos will still play on YouTube's "standard" restricted mode! However, some networks enable additional filtering in addition to YouTube's standard restricted mode that can affect viewing of videos, including ours, on YouTube. This information here in this blog from Google may be helpful. It shows how a school district can choose to enable the ability to view specific videos/allow certain channels on their settings even if they have turned on a more strict filter setting. School districts may not be aware of these controls and sharing this with your tech department may provide a solution. Not sure if what you are experiencing is related to filtering? Check to see if videos are missing or inaccessible from our official playlist- as of April 2020, we have over 70 videos there (with an additional video typically added monthly).
(2) Complete Block on YouTube at a school/district/institution:
It has been our experience that compared to when we first started in 2013, currently more school districts and institutions are opening up YouTube, or doing so using strict filtering settings with YouTube where certain, approved videos are visible. YouTube is one of the largest global video sharing platforms available, and it offers many educational videos exclusively on its platform. This can be a conversation to explore with your district or institution's IT department and leadership about the filtering options that Google (who owns YouTube) provides. For example, YouTube has a link to share how specific videos or entire channels can be approved on a school network. They also provide a support page on this topic that educators can send to their IT staff. YouTube additionally offers a restricted mode for devices which hides comments and filters out inappropriate comments. We have observed that many large school districts in our area have opened YouTube in different filtering capacities and here are just some examples: (A) some districts provide YouTube access for teachers and then allow teachers to "approve" certain videos that are the only videos accessible to students using their own filtering software, (B) some districts will approve specific YouTube channels in advance on their filter and only those channels will be accessible, (C) some districts enable YouTube's restricted mode on all staff and student devices and go through digital citizenship education etc. Overall, this is a determination that needs to be discussed and evaluated within a district to make a decision that is best for them. If choosing to use our videos, our actual video files (or recordings of our videos) cannot be uploaded into other platforms as outlined on our terms of use. Our videos must be either linked to or embedded from our YouTube channel using the YouTube embed code. In YouTube's initiative to support education, YouTube announced new "Learning Playlists" in 2019. This feature gives a designated space for educational videos, includes learning objectives, and organizes our videos by chapter. We are so excited to be offering our biology learning playlist with this feature. Our channel is also featured as a science channel on YouTube Learning.
(3) Error Messages such as "video is not available" on your own personal device and network:
Check out this information from YouTube with some potential fixes related to common browser errors and/or internet speed here.
I am a teacher. Do you have suggestions for how to use your videos in the classroom?
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Yes! Pinky has been a public school educator for 12 years and found traditional lecturing to be her personal challenge. She had so much content to cover, but she found it challenging to use traditional lecture/notes because it left less time for hands-on labs, discussion, student questioning, and student creation. Our short videos were intentionally designed to give more time for those valuable experiences.
Here are some resources we'd like to share related to using our videos in the classroom: -Our video titled 3 Creative Ways to Use Our Videos -Our blog post titled Tips for using YouTube for edu videos -Resources that we offer that go with our videos (their suggested use is at the top of the page) |
Click above to see video.
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I am a high school or university student. Can you help me with specific science questions?
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While we are unable to help with assignments or answer content related questions, we hope our video playlist will be a helpful supplement. We encourage you to discuss your questions with your teacher/professor and let your teacher/professor know what you are struggling with! Educators are creative masters at developing different ways to bring content to life. We also have a video that gives some study strategy tips using our videos!
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Click above image to see video!
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Can you do shout-outs on your videos?
No, we are unable to do shout-outs in our videos.
I'd like to translate your video? (Or comics, GIFs, etc)
Due to YouTube's decision to remove the ability of the community to translate subtitles, we ask for our community's help to submit translations on our new Google Form here. It follows a similar procedure to YouTube's Community Contributed Subtitle feature before it was removed by YouTube in September 2020.
Please note that we do not allow dubbing or reuploading of our videos on other channels as we outline here on our terms of use.
Translating comics or GIFs requires permission. Please contact us.
[If your email does not open when you click "contact us" above, right click on it and select "copy email address" to paste into your email program]
Please note that we do not allow dubbing or reuploading of our videos on other channels as we outline here on our terms of use.
Translating comics or GIFs requires permission. Please contact us.
[If your email does not open when you click "contact us" above, right click on it and select "copy email address" to paste into your email program]
How do I see video captions and/or transcripts--- and how can I request to get a typo in the captions/transcripts corrected?
Accessibility is important to us! Our YouTube videos should all display captions as well as transcripts. To learn how to view these, please visit our YouTube tips post and check out tips #2, 3, and 4!
Find a typo in our YouTube captions or subtitles? Please let us know in the below form so we can fix it.
Find a typo in our YouTube captions or subtitles? Please let us know in the below form so we can fix it.
What kind of resources do you offer to go with your videos?
What we offer for FREE:
TpT is a platform we love as it allows teacher creators to support their work! TpT is free to join. As outlined on all product pages, purchased TpT resources cannot be made available publicly online. This would make us unable to support our work.
- We have many FREE student recap handouts that you can download and use for all of your students that you will find below on this page. (Please see our terms of use which outline their use as they can't be sold and answer keys made using them cannot be publicly available online, as this is a disservice to both teachers and students.) Our handouts are designed in a grid format so that 1-2 of the "boxes" can be used as an exit ticket in those last 5 minutes of class. This allows one handout to serve as a series of exit tickets, and it can provide an opportunity to give feedback to students (and address misconceptions).
- Check out our GIFs and comics, which you are welcome to use in your presentations---provided that you follow the terms of use (which includes that they cannot be put in items that you sell nor can they be edited in any form).
- Our full video playlist (and all of our videos are always FREE!) can be a useful resource. We have over 60 videos there now, and we add a new video to our playlist every month.
TpT is a platform we love as it allows teacher creators to support their work! TpT is free to join. As outlined on all product pages, purchased TpT resources cannot be made available publicly online. This would make us unable to support our work.
- You will find answer keys that we sell, which accompany the free website student handouts, linked on our handout page. We also have many of our answer keys in bundles, which are discounted from buying them individually. Answer keys offer convenience, and they also can be useful if you are new to the content. As mentioned in product descriptions, please don't purchase a key without first making sure you have the free accompanying handout from the handout page that it goes to it (and that you have determined that it's an ideal fit for your classroom).
- We offer a few "select handouts" that are not free unlike our regular recap handouts. Select handouts come with their own answer keys. While they are styled just like our regular free handouts in the grid format for exit ticket use, they tend to cover more detailed/less standard topics. For example, water properties, the endosymbiotic theory, and non-Mendelian inheritance are topics that have select handouts (with accompanying keys).
- We offer annotated video script templates for some videos. They contain an informal version of our video script with slight improvements to define sentences and remove filler words to help with annotating. They have an annotation key asking students to (1) highlight foundation parts of the transcript that they already knew (which can be built upon), (2) highlight information that is new to them, (3) come up with their own questions, and (4) underline vocabulary. In addition, the template has a spacious, blank right margin for students to sketch concepts that are memorable or relevant to them. PS. All of our Unlectured Series topics already include an annotated video script template with them as that is an important component of the Unlectured Series Resource.
- Our Unlectured Series! The Unlectured Series is designed to be an alternative to traditional lecture/notes and encourages student questioning, discussion, and student creation. We have 18 topics total in our 1st series that can be purchased individually. We also have all 18 topics available together in our 18 topic bundle.
I have a question related to your Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) store?
NOTE: If it's a technical issue (unable to download/open/purchase a product), please contact TPT here.
Can I just get one mega bundle of everything you have on TpT?
We've been asked this more frequently now, and we know that some TpT creators are able to offer this. The problem we have is that (A) we are always actively creating and (B) we want to avoid making a "growing" bundle because we never know how many resources we will keep creating.
So, keeping that above in mind, here are the options we have regarding the question of a "mega bundle":
Option 1) We do have a mega TpT bundle for all resources up to a certain date.
Option 2) Contact us and tell us all the items that you would like in a custom bundle.
I have a question about the content in your resource or I want to understand how it is designed to be used?
We really want to make sure you're happy with a purchase from TpT, so while we know the product descriptions are lengthy, this is because we try to be very thorough and transparent. Please ask us a question if unsure before purchasing, and we encourage you to also read product reviews from other purchasers. Many of our products in our TpT store also have preview videos that you can view! If you have a question related to our content, please email us or write it on our TpT question store board (click the tab at top that says "Ask a Question."
[If your email does not open when you click "email us", right click on it and select "copy email address" to paste into your email program]
Does TpT accept purchase orders from schools?
Yes, Teachers Pay Teachers (where we sell some of our resources to support ourselves) can work with school districts/schools and handle school purchase orders! Check out TPT for Schools and also check out how to purchase something on TPT with a school purchase order. Questions about how a school district can use TPT? You may find this helpful from TPT: www.teacherspayteachers.com/Help/for-administrators-77/How-should-I-use-TpT-for-Schools-as-a-district
Do you have sales?
Sometimes. We usually have one sale in the summer, and we try to participate in at least one major TpT sitewide sale a year. If you follow our store on TpT (clicking "follow me" next to it), you can be notified.
Can I just get one mega bundle of everything you have on TpT?
We've been asked this more frequently now, and we know that some TpT creators are able to offer this. The problem we have is that (A) we are always actively creating and (B) we want to avoid making a "growing" bundle because we never know how many resources we will keep creating.
So, keeping that above in mind, here are the options we have regarding the question of a "mega bundle":
Option 1) We do have a mega TpT bundle for all resources up to a certain date.
Option 2) Contact us and tell us all the items that you would like in a custom bundle.
I have a question about the content in your resource or I want to understand how it is designed to be used?
We really want to make sure you're happy with a purchase from TpT, so while we know the product descriptions are lengthy, this is because we try to be very thorough and transparent. Please ask us a question if unsure before purchasing, and we encourage you to also read product reviews from other purchasers. Many of our products in our TpT store also have preview videos that you can view! If you have a question related to our content, please email us or write it on our TpT question store board (click the tab at top that says "Ask a Question."
[If your email does not open when you click "email us", right click on it and select "copy email address" to paste into your email program]
Does TpT accept purchase orders from schools?
Yes, Teachers Pay Teachers (where we sell some of our resources to support ourselves) can work with school districts/schools and handle school purchase orders! Check out TPT for Schools and also check out how to purchase something on TPT with a school purchase order. Questions about how a school district can use TPT? You may find this helpful from TPT: www.teacherspayteachers.com/Help/for-administrators-77/How-should-I-use-TpT-for-Schools-as-a-district
Do you have sales?
Sometimes. We usually have one sale in the summer, and we try to participate in at least one major TpT sitewide sale a year. If you follow our store on TpT (clicking "follow me" next to it), you can be notified.
I have a question or issue with something regarding your Redbubble Store?
We appreciate your support of purchasing an item with our art on it from our Redbubble store! If there is a question or issue with your order, Redbubble is quick to address it if you (1) submit a request on Redbubble or (2) message them on their Redbubble Twitter Help page. When contacting Redbubble about an order, they will need your order number (7-8 digit number found in the order email).
I represent a business. I read on your terms of use that you do not sell or license your videos for use on my organization's platform/website/app/etc?
That is correct. We want our videos to be freely accessible on our YouTube channel, and we therefore do not sell our videos to individuals, businesses, organizations, companies, etc. Our videos cannot be uploaded onto your platform, website, app, etc. However, you still have the ability to use our YouTube video links or YouTube video embed codes on your platform/website/app just as we allow to everyone---provided you have ensured you are in compliance with YouTube's terms of service.
We notice more educational businesses, publishers, and platforms have shown interest in the media created by edu YouTube creators. It is possible that we may know an edu creator who is interested in those kind of licensing opportunities, so you are still welcome to contact us (email at end of this Q&A).
We notice more educational businesses, publishers, and platforms have shown interest in the media created by edu YouTube creators. It is possible that we may know an edu creator who is interested in those kind of licensing opportunities, so you are still welcome to contact us (email at end of this Q&A).
What tools do you use? I'm curious, because I also want to create my own videos or GIFs. Do you have any advice?
These are the current tools we use. Some of the tools we use are free and some are not. To learn more about free tools that could also be used in the classroom, check out our Student Creators page. As we mention, always check out the terms of use/privacy policy of any tool that you choose to use.
Our advice is to keep growing yourself by practicing. We encourage you to look at our old original homeostasis video (from 2013) and compare that old video to our more recent homeostasis video. We only improved with practice and a desire to grow ourselves. We are still learning. Keep at it. You might be interested to see how we started out on our milestones page! :)
Our advice is to keep growing yourself by practicing. We encourage you to look at our old original homeostasis video (from 2013) and compare that old video to our more recent homeostasis video. We only improved with practice and a desire to grow ourselves. We are still learning. Keep at it. You might be interested to see how we started out on our milestones page! :)
Do you speak at edu conferences, schools, or districts?
Yes! We have delivered keynotes, featured presentations, and workshops- please see our Speaking Events and Trainings page to learn more. We should mention that we have had to limit how many events we attend currently as our time has become more limited due to some recent new projects.
I only hear one person talking on the videos! Are there really two of you?
Yes! But this became such a frequent question that we made a video to address it here. :)
By the way, Petunia has been doing more speaking in our recent videos. Check out our mega review video, where she speaks quite a bit in the beginning.
By the way, Petunia has been doing more speaking in our recent videos. Check out our mega review video, where she speaks quite a bit in the beginning.
That was a lot of answers, but it does not answer my question. Can I email you?
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Sure! Please give us 2-3 business days for a response to an emailed question. We are not frequent emailing amoebas; we do not do email newsletters nor spam. We only email when we are responding or following up with someone either from an email or a contact form on this website. See privacy policy at bottom of page.
Email Us Here* *Email not opening when you click link above? Right click on it (or hold down on it if on mobile) and select "copy email address" to paste into your email program. |
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Our Privacy Policy for This Website
2019-04-15
What personal information do we collect from the people that visit this website and when would this occur?
The only time we would receive an email address or name is if someone chooses to email us (or uses our "speaking event inquiry form" on this website) with a question or feedback; in which case, emails that our visitors send tend to include a name and email address. We do NOT share email addresses from those that have contacted us with any third party platform. We do NOT do email newsletters/lists. [If we start doing email newsletters/lists, we will update this policy] We ask that if you choose to contact us, please do NOT give more information in an email or form than necessary. This is a good practice when contacting any website owner.
This website does NOT process/handle any payment transactions. We use other platforms that process and handle payments such as Redbubble (which manufactures, sells, and ships items with our art) and Teachers Pay Teachers (which sells some of our educational resources). These platforms have their own privacy policies which you can read on their website. We have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of these linked sites. However, in maintaining our website's integrity, we welcome any feedback about these sites.
Does this website use 'cookies'? Why?
Yes. Cookies help us compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interaction so that we can offer better site experiences and tools in the future. We use Google AdSense Advertising on our website. Google, as a third-party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on our site. Google's advertising requirements can be summed up by Google's Advertising Principles.
Learn more here: https://support.google.com/adwordspolicy/answer/1316548?hl=en
How do we use information we collect?
We may use the information we collect when you email us in the following ways:
• To personalize your experience
• To improve our website to better serve you.
• To follow up with them after correspondence (email/contact form)
We do not send out email newsletters or spam; we only respond to emails or contact forms with requested information or to answer questions. Also, the website (https://www.amoebasisters.com) does not process any payment transactions.
Opting out:
Users can set preferences for how Google advertises to you using the Google Ad Settings page. Alternatively, you can opt out by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative Opt Out page or by using the Google Analytics Opt Out Browser add on.
What personal information do we collect from the people that visit this website and when would this occur?
The only time we would receive an email address or name is if someone chooses to email us (or uses our "speaking event inquiry form" on this website) with a question or feedback; in which case, emails that our visitors send tend to include a name and email address. We do NOT share email addresses from those that have contacted us with any third party platform. We do NOT do email newsletters/lists. [If we start doing email newsletters/lists, we will update this policy] We ask that if you choose to contact us, please do NOT give more information in an email or form than necessary. This is a good practice when contacting any website owner.
This website does NOT process/handle any payment transactions. We use other platforms that process and handle payments such as Redbubble (which manufactures, sells, and ships items with our art) and Teachers Pay Teachers (which sells some of our educational resources). These platforms have their own privacy policies which you can read on their website. We have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of these linked sites. However, in maintaining our website's integrity, we welcome any feedback about these sites.
Does this website use 'cookies'? Why?
Yes. Cookies help us compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interaction so that we can offer better site experiences and tools in the future. We use Google AdSense Advertising on our website. Google, as a third-party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on our site. Google's advertising requirements can be summed up by Google's Advertising Principles.
Learn more here: https://support.google.com/adwordspolicy/answer/1316548?hl=en
How do we use information we collect?
We may use the information we collect when you email us in the following ways:
• To personalize your experience
• To improve our website to better serve you.
• To follow up with them after correspondence (email/contact form)
We do not send out email newsletters or spam; we only respond to emails or contact forms with requested information or to answer questions. Also, the website (https://www.amoebasisters.com) does not process any payment transactions.
Opting out:
Users can set preferences for how Google advertises to you using the Google Ad Settings page. Alternatively, you can opt out by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative Opt Out page or by using the Google Analytics Opt Out Browser add on.
Third-party links and disclosure
Occasionally, at our discretion, we may include or offer third-party products or services on our website. This may include third-party websites that sell items with our art on them or host resources that we create. These third-party sites have their own privacy policies, and, if they process payment, their own security certificates. We have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of these linked sites. However, in maintaining our website's integrity, we welcome any feedback about these sites.
We agree to the following:
Users can visit this website anonymously.
Once this privacy policy is created, we will add a link to it on our home page.
This website is not designed to market to children under 13; this website is designed for science educators. Learn more about protecting your child's privacy here: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0031-protecting-your-childs-privacy-online
In order to be in line with Fair Information Practices we will take the following responsive action, should a data breach occur:
We will notify you via email.
• Within 7 business days
Contacting Us
If there are any questions regarding this privacy policy, you may contact us with the email address available above this privacy policy.
Texas, USA
Occasionally, at our discretion, we may include or offer third-party products or services on our website. This may include third-party websites that sell items with our art on them or host resources that we create. These third-party sites have their own privacy policies, and, if they process payment, their own security certificates. We have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of these linked sites. However, in maintaining our website's integrity, we welcome any feedback about these sites.
We agree to the following:
Users can visit this website anonymously.
Once this privacy policy is created, we will add a link to it on our home page.
This website is not designed to market to children under 13; this website is designed for science educators. Learn more about protecting your child's privacy here: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0031-protecting-your-childs-privacy-online
In order to be in line with Fair Information Practices we will take the following responsive action, should a data breach occur:
We will notify you via email.
• Within 7 business days
Contacting Us
If there are any questions regarding this privacy policy, you may contact us with the email address available above this privacy policy.
Texas, USA