Science Beyond the Classroom

When it comes to external leadership in the area of science, technology, engineering and mathematics I have to admit that I have not taken a lot of initiative to promote or lead. We have a great program in the area that is run be one of the other middle school teachers that incorporates summer school courses for all students interested in science. There are hands-on science activities, outdoor activities and robotics and electronic courses that get the students active and involved doing great labs and learning about the outdoors through camping and enrichment activities.

With those types of opportunities in mind we as a science department we also look for any college campuses or summer school opportunities provided by community members or local businesses that support working with students and providing learning experiences in the businesses such as 3M and the Minneapolis Children’s Science Museum that provide learning experiences and camps for young learners.

Our Sputnik?

Our Sputnik?

With our economy in the state that we find it in today there are several issues that we could take on to put people to work; highway projects, government construction contracts or rebuilding the electronic infrastructure all of which are great goals and would be a benefit but none that will sustain or economy over the long haul.  STEM jobs such as developing an economical way to extract and refine the shale oil reserves of North Dakota and Canada would be an example of how to put our financial reserves to good use.  Getting our students to concentrate of how to improve America instead of how to run in fear from others that can not decide if they would like to enjoy the short time we have here on Earth or hate everyone to the point of being preoccupied with the destruction of others and themselves.

For years I have been discouraged with our obsession with helping those who truly do not want our help.  Those that will, at the drop of hat, turn and kill those who are trying to provide them with a better life. I agree with Thomas Friedman when he said “The war on terrorism need to begin by us challenging the leader over there,” (Friedman, 2010), but if they wish to live in the dark than so be it, let them.  We as a country of progressive people who love and enjoy this wonderful planet that is so diverse, should look for ways to provide the next generation with a planet that they can also love and enjoy.  This is not done by leaving behind areas that are chemically and physically destructed to point of no return.  The world as a whole has made extraordinary advances in the production of energy sources that will leave the world in a better state than we found it. Unlike our dependency on fossil fuels or nuclear power, wind power and hydroelectric power sources are better choices but hard to tap.  We need more options?

Education today should lead students to continue with the environmental consciousness through (STEM) education, that has led us to more cost effective sources of energy that will continue to move us forward and benefit our Earth at the same time.  How can we have all that we have yet not do any more destructive damage to this Earth? Our Sputnik? How about finding new energy that will benefit all mankind not just the greedy, which would deplete the world’s resource just to benefit their pocketbooks.

Reference

Friedman, T. L. (2010, January 17). What’s our Sputnik? [Op-Ed]. The New York Times [Late Edition (East Coast)], p. WK.8.

Modeling Earth Science

For the implementation of the model lesson plan I used two activities. The first activity was the making of a model of the layers of the Earth. The students created a piece of pie shaped Earth that had the six layers labeled: inner core, outer core, mantle, asthenosphere, lithosphere, and crust. The students then colored the layers white for the core and the hottest layer, yellow for the outer core which is a little cooler, orange for the mantle, red for the asthenosphere and lithosphere, and brown for the crust to finish off the ensemble.This was a scale model representing a 1:10 million scale which meant the the layers where done in centimeters and millimeters for the average depth of each layer. Herein lies the problem when working with fifth grade students. While they know what the metric system is many have trouble using a meter stick to make accurate measurements and many have to be retaught everything while the lesson is going on, which made for a long lesson. We also needed to use a new tool, which was used to make the arc that would create the sphere when we put together all the pieces. We used a piece of string for a compass because the first measurement was from the center or core out to the crust, which at this scale was 63.7 cm. Needless to say that many of the arcs were not very pretty. It took a lot of help to get many of them to a usable point.

The second part of this lesson had to do with plate tectonics. Using a demonstration that incorporated vegetable oil in a glass baking dish set up on ceramic mugs and using two Sterno canisters to heat the oil. The heated oil had thyme leaves to show the convection currents that were being created in one dish and cutouts of the continents in another dish to show how the currents inside the mantle layer would move the crustal plates causing them to separate or run into one another. The use of this model made a big impression on the students and seemed to help them understand how the convection current provides a force that would move the crust. This activity went well but the safety issues of hot oil and Sterno canisters makes t one that you need to think out before attempting in your classroom.

Scientifically-Literate and Compassionate Citizens

There are many ways that I connect my students understanding of how the natural laws of science affect their lives everyday. Living here in Wisconsin the students have been aware of weather related events such as tornadoes, flooding, droughts, and blizzards that have caused damage and devastation. The community in which I live have been part of efforts to help storm victims as close as 20 miles away after a tornado touched down in the town of Siren. The relief effort had students help put together food packages for those affected as well as some went to help with the clean up efforts. Another situation that my students are aware of is the massive flooding that has taken place in places such as North Dakota and even parts of Minnesota. Working with the Red Cross, disaster relief organizations and other charitable organization that send volunteers to fill sandbags and stack sandbags to shore up levies and dikes are ways that I help my students understand the importance of helping others in time of need. Lead by example I always say. Some have even been apart of clean up efforts where they went into some of the damaged homes and remove items that need to discarded or refurbished.

These efforts of the communities in the mid-west are unselfish acts to help those who were less fortunate than ourselves and had to endure the effects of natural disaster that could easily have happened right here in our home town. As and educator I try to have my students analyze the most recent natural disaster and see if they can explain factors that led up to or caused this type of disaster. Through this analysis I have them think of ways they might have help to prevent this from occurring or come up with a plan to lessen the severity of the disaster in the future. They are also asked to think about how they could make a difference for others that have endured these types of disasters.

By educating the students about the natural phenomenon that cause these type of disasters the student can understand some of the planning and designs of cities and towns in different parts of the country and world. Buildings in one area of the world are designed quite a bit differently than buildings in another part of the world. The students become more aware of why it is important to take into account the weather, climate, and geological make-up of the area when designing living environments for human habitats.

Ask A Scientist?

I would like to give the answer I received from ask a scientist but unfortunately I have not received one as of today. I will let you know if I do get one in the future.

Web 2.0 Tools

Web 2.0 Tools

The tools that I have researched this week and in the past that I enjoy using or would like to learn more about are numerous. The presentation tools like Prezi and PreZentit are great new tools to present information much like a PowerPoint but in a newer format that has made putting together a presentation a lot easier. The ease of use for these two presentation tools comes from easy to follow instruction to great tutoring tips and instruction videos (Laureate, 2010). Other tools that I have used or would like to use in the future are Google Docs, Tour 280 Slides, and Imovie, these tools are both fun to use and have many features that make presentations interesting to view and follow.

My school district has been generous enough to also provide many of the classrooms with Promethean boards that have many great features to utilize while creating lesson and giving presentation. Professional development that guides the use of this tool is essential but when you learn the basic tips you can create great lesson, as well as, capture the students interest in manipulating the white board and it fun tools.

Another tool that I have been introduced to is Google Docs. With the web capacity and the ability to work within the cloud you can create useful documents, web pages, and much more. During my investigation I have found that Google Docs is not the easiest tool to use some of the applications can become confusing for those of us who are not computer literate. There are some benefits to creating documents in Google docs however, such as the ease of sharing you documents with other staff members or friends.

If I had to make a choice for a presentation tool though I would have to choose Prezi. The ease of use and the idea of one page presentations that can move and adjust to the needs of the presenter make this tool fun to work with and interesting to follow. Another plus is that you can share your presentations through PDF or online to many people in different locations at the same time. This week’s research has brought to me many new tools to think about and I believe that I will have many opportunities to learn how to best utilize each tool. I look forward to finding out which tools appeal to my students and trying each in classroom situations to find out which ones will work best for all.

References:

Laureate, 2010. An Introduction to Prezi® Learn how to use Prezi®, an online presentation tool. Retrieved May 3, 2011 from Laureate online video.

There are many great science related sites for children to explore but which ones have content that will help students inquire about science and science topics? In my search for good sitesthat incorporate technology, motivate students, and utilize twenty-first century skills I found a few that fit the bill. First, I need to identify the topics of my research, which is “Quantum Theory.” Quantum theory has a wide variety of topics that are not only interesting to children but can be modified to bring into the classroom or research using technology. My focus, because it has to do with the Wisconsin State Standards is electricity and how it works. Wisconsin core standard D.8.8 Describe and investigate the properties of light, heat, gravity, radio waves, magnetic fields, electrical fields, and sound waves as they interact with material objects in common situations, retrieved from http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/standards/scid8.html on April 8, 2011 is a great standard for students to investigate electricity, discuss how electricity moves and does work and analyze a variety of ways that we can produce electricity. Knowing how electricity works is a key component to understanding technology and the benefits it provides humans.

A web site that I use for many of the lesson I teach is http://www.brainpop.com/.

It has short videos, quizzes and even some labs that the students can do on line that help them to understand concepts of science as well as other core subjects. The students like the videos so they are motivated to watch and learn. Another site I found was Riverdeep, http://web.riverdeep.net:80/portal/page?_pageid=820,1388464&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&success_cancel_url=http%3A%2F%2Fweb.riverdeep.net%3A80%2Fportal%2Fpage%3F_pageid%3D820%2C1388464%26_dad%3Dportal%26_schema%3DPORTAL&source=demo&source_code=# retrieved April 11,2011,this cite had many virtual labs that the students could manipulate and have questions answered for a better understanding of how things worked.

One activity that I would use in class would be that of virtual labs that have the students build electrical circuits. The students can manipulate virtual wires, lights, buzzers, batteries and other gadgets so that they can gain an understanding of how series circuits and parallel circuit use electricity to do work. The challenge of using this in my classroom would be the lack of computers for student use. We have a computer cart but it is virtually impossible to get so I have a group of four desktop computers, which makes it difficult to get twenty-two students on for this type of activity.

References:

http://web.riverdeep.net:80/portal/page?_pageid=820,1388464&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&success_cancel_url=http%3A%2F%2Fweb.riverdeep.net%3A80%2Fportal%2Fpage%3F_pageid%3D820%2C1388464%26_dad%3Dportal%26_schema%3DPORTAL&source=demo&source_code=# retrieved April 8,2011

BrainPop: retrieved April 8, 2011 http://www.brainpop.com/