What’s our Sputnik? The Generation that has forgotten Sputnik!

I would just like to begin by saying let’s agree to disagree Mr. Friedman. America has and will continue to be one of the greatest nations in the world and just because we are at war does not mean that we cannot push for almost all the things that you mention in your op-ed. As you quoted Michael Mandelbaum, the Johns Hopkins foreign policy expert said "Our response to Sputnik made us better educated, more productive, more technologically advanced and more ingenious. I say it is our response, as a people and as a government that will really be the determining factor. I agree that we are too dependent on foreign oil, that we are not paying enough attention to China, that we have a population of people in America who would rather receive a government check than a paycheck, and that our emphasis on education is not realistic or helpful in advancing Science, Technology, or Engineering. I would also like to add that in our push to send every kid to college we are ignoring the value of career and technical education and the large amounts of jobs that are available for those with this type of training and a desire to work.  I disagree that the War on Terror is the cause of any of these things.

We are and have been reliant on foreign oil for a long time before the War on terror began and our own government has not allowed companies to explore and drill for oil on our own land or in our oceans. We also have a population in America who have been dependent on the U.S. Government for their paycheck instead of a real job. Our government has been enabling this life style since the 1930’s with poor welfare policies. I would also challenge that our focus on “Leaving No Child Behind,” “AYP,” and sending every kid to college is one of the reasons that Science and Technology is suffering in the United States. AYP and “No Child Left Behind” have put such a huge emphasis on reading, math, and standardized tests that other subject areas and the development of critical thinking skills are suffering in American Students. Not every kid is meant to go to college and get a degree, some are meant to go to technical school and become welders and mechanics. But these programs are being cut because of the emphasis on sending every kid to college. China has been moving towards and passed us before the War on Terror began and these other problems have existed before the War on Terror began and would probably exist even if the War on Terror had never begun. Unless there are profound changes in the people of the United States of America and the government of the United States of America we will continue to ignore China and not encourage the spirit of hard work and innovation that has yet to be discovered in this generation that has forgotten Sputnik.

Resources

Friedman, T. L. (2010, January 17). What’s our Sputnik? [Op-Ed]. The New York Times [Late Edition (East Coast)], p. WK.8. Retrieved from the Walden University Library using the ProQuest Central database.

Scientifically Literate High School Student

Please feel free to share your ideas what should be added or taken away. I am just curious.

Human Dignity + Compassion = Peace

Human Dignity + Compassion = Peace
In the film, That’s What I Am, a teacher uses these four words to win a contest on World Peace. I think that the same holds true when teaching students about natural disasters. When trying to develop scientifically literate and compassionate citizens, one must not only include the science behind the disaster, but also the human impact of the disaster. In my small community we are blessed to have a hospital and through the hospital, our students have been able to connect and contribute directly to relief efforts when natural disasters occur. After the Earthquake struck Haiti, a local group of doctors and nurses headed there to help out. The students at our school studied the Earthquake and were able to collect items to send to Haiti with the Doctors. When these doctors and nurses returned they came to the school to share their pictures and stories. Through this experience and this tragedy our students were able to learn about Earthquakes and have compassion on those that were affected.

No Luck With Ask A Scientist

On the ask a scientist website I asked, How do scientists keep the body from becoming immune to the viruses that are used as vectors for gene therapy. I received no answer from the ask a scientist website. When I researched this topic on line I found that they don't. One of the reasons that gene therapy has not been widely successful, is that the body does develop a defense against the viruses used for gene therapy. This makes it so that scientists have to use many different viruses for each round of gene therapy. This requires more resources, and a lot of time. This is a topic that I will continue to research and follow as scientists develop new and improved gene therapy techniques.

A New Presentation Tool for the Classroom

Recently I have been introduced to Prezi an online presentation tool that can be used in the classroom. I was impressed by the free flowing nature of Prezi and the almost movie like navigation that is sure to get the attention of the students. The tools for creating a Prezi are easily learned for beginners, especially with the use of the tutorials that are provided by Prezi. What I really like is the ability to share the Prezi on my classroom webpage by embedding it, which will make it accessible to all of my students. Currently I am using activeinspire the software that comes with my active board. I love the software, but my students are not able to open presentations at home. I can do many of the same things with the activeinspire software, but it is not free and it is not as free flowing as the Prezi. On both I am able to use animations, sounds and embed videos. I am able to access both from home. Both Prezi and Activeinspire have websites (www.Prezi.com and www.promethean.com ) where authors can share their creations and collaborate with each other. One thing that I like about activeinspire is that I have the ability to write directly in the presentation. I also have the ability to put quizzes and questions that the students can answer using handheld voting/texting devices. This allows me to assess and for the students to receive feedback immediately. The whole active board and its software and accessories is not cheap. As long as I have it to use I will probably use activeinspire.
When I think about having my students create presentations I think that students will really enjoy learning how to use Prezi. My concern is the time it would take them to learn how to use it. Many times my 6th grade students come to me without the skills to create presentations and need the structure and linear thinking of PowerPoint and other similar presentation software provide. As students become better at creating and getting their thoughts out in an organized fashion, I feel that they could really benefit from using Prezi to create presentations.

21st Century Learning tools.

There are many online resources available for today’s teachers. The plethora of available resources can make finding valuable, useful resources a time consuming challenge. That is why I not only search on my own but rely on other teachers to find valuable resources. In designing a unit on electricity for my enrichment class I was able to borrow from veteran science teachers as well as find several online resources that will help to make this unit fun and exciting for my students.
The website that I found to be the most exciting is the Internet Plasma Physics Education Experience (IPPEX) website. IPPEX is a site that has online interactive physics modules. These modules can help students gain a stronger understanding of physics concepts while utilizing technology and saving money on resources. IPPEX can be found at http://ippex.pppl.gov/interactive/electricity/. Another website that can use in my classroom is the BBC Schools website. This site can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/ and is a great site for elementary and middle school students. This site provides educational games and simulations that help students grasp and practice scientific concepts.
Both of these sites are valuable resources that I can use in my classroom to help my students experience science concepts in ways that we would otherwise not be able to do in our classroom setting. These sites are among many that I can use to create online learning experiences for my students. I like to periodically use online learning experiences to help my students become better researchers and more technology literate.
Being able to search and research online is a necessary skill for today’s students. With the large number of websites out there students need to be able to determine whether a site is useful and students need to be able to find and take information from these sites. The two sites that I have chosen for this exercise provide the opportunity for students to become better researchers, but also provide them with opportunities to become 21st-century scientifically literate citizens. Both of these sites have modules that lead students through a discovery process. When used in conjunction with other sites and classroom experiences students will gain a firm understanding of the scientific concepts being studied. These sites also allow students to use and practice their problem solving skills through scientific inquiry.

Exploring Heat Transfer

Exploring heat transfer in mugs leads me to think about a dilemma that I have every year as a teacher which is my coffee or tea getting cold before I can get it drank. I chose to solve this dilemma by purchasing a coffee mug warmer, but I also could have explored using a lid of some sort to help keep my beverage warm. When choosing materials to top my mug and act as an insulator I naturally think about materials that are often used to hold or contain beverages or as insulators in the kitchen. I chose paper, corrugated cardboard, foil, and Styrofoam as the tops for my mugs.
I naturally expected the Styrofoam to act as the best insulator followed by the corrugated cardboard, then the foil and the paper to act as the worst. In conducting this experiment I found that I was mostly correct in my hypothesis of which topper would act as the better insulator. The Styrofoam was by far the best insulator and the paper was the worst. Where I was wrong was that the foil was a better insulator than the corrugated cardboard. I believed that the corrugated cardboard would act as a better insulator than the foil due to having more air pockets. They were very close in temperature, but the foil mug was warmer. This may have been due to the fact that the steam from the hot water built up on the corrugated cardboard causing it to become soggy. These results may also have been due what I feel was a flaw in the experiment. The mug with the foil was poured last and the mug topped with the cardboard was poured first. The small difference in time may account for the results. If I were to conduct this experiment again I would take an initial temperature for each mug and measure the change in temperature rather than just the end result. This would allow me to have more accurate results in measuring the change in temperature from the time the water enters each individual mug.

One way that I try to make this concept relevant to student lives is by having them explore why hot fudge sundaes come in plastic containers, milk shakes in Styrofoam, and blizzards in paper. The students then design and construct their own experiments to answer this question. Students may not care why their hot fudge sundae is in plastic, but who doesn't like to experiment with ice cream! In the end they are rewarded with ice cream!