For a couple of years, I've been thinking about creating a biodiversity activity in which the goal will be for students to document all of the different kinds of living things in a particular environment. In particular, I'm thinking about looking at several kinds of microhabitats, including pond water (or hay infusions) and soil. Students would look at the organisms in their sample, and then look through all of the organisms that have been described by students so far to see if what they're looking at has been described so far. If what they're seeing is new, they could post a picture of it along with a description. If what they're seeing has already been described, they could add additional text or photos to the description. Subsequent times the course is taught, could re-examine samples from the area at different times of the year or on subsequent years. In a later unit, students could do more advanced taxonomy or use the organisms to construct phylogenetic trees. Over time, it could be a great dataset for additional study. I've been hung up on the need to collect adequate imagery of the organisms described. A couple of days ago, I saw 
this microscope which looks like it might be adequate. It looks like the boys would have fun with it anyway, even if it proves inadequate for teaching, so I've decided to purchase one with my own money for us to play with.
I'm about half way through A People's History of the United States. It has been a revelation to me to reinterpret history from a class perspective: to see how the powerful and monied interested exploit enmity between others as a means to play off oppressed peoples against one another. It is an uncomfortable feeling recognizing that what wealth and power I have as a US citizen is partly due to the way the US has exploited other peoples around the world. I would like to think that I would not participate in such exploitation and that, knowing that it has taken place, I will try to mitigate the negative effects of past exploitation. I'm reminded of Ishmael and how we are all (or most of us, anyway) prisoners of the system. The options of individuals are limited within the system. But I recognize that doesn't absolve me of all responsibility.