Get SEATed

I’m fortunate to have a mobile cart of 30 laptops that is permanently located in my classroom.  I facilitate the virtual school classes that some of our students are enrolled in, so they use the laptops every single day.  This also allows me to use them frequently in my science class.  I’ve had students doing small and large research projects at times.

What kind of technology do you incorporate into your lessons?  Computers, smartboards?  Let’s hear some of the unique and interesting ways in which you’ve brought technology into student learning.

We have regional literary rally and science fair competitions coming up in mid-March.  The problem is that we’re having a hard time finding students who want to go.  Why?  Because both competitions are on Saturdays.  The students don’t want to take time to wake up early, travel to the competitions, and “waste” their Saturday.

I get upset when I ask a student to go to rally in physical science and the first thing they ask me is, “Is it on a Saturday?”  The same is true when a student who got 1st or 2nd place in the local science fair doesn’t want to move on to regional competition because of the date it takes place.  Now, if these competitions took place on a school day, we’d have a whole different ballgame. 

The blame doesn’t fall squarely on the students, though.  It’s in a teenager’s nature to want to sleep in on the weekend or not look “nerdy” by attending an academic competition.  Who am I really upset with?  The parents. 

It all starts at home. 

Too many parents these days don’t have a clue as to what is going on with their child’s schoolwork or activities.  Too many want to blame the teacher or principal when their child gets into trouble.  Too many parents just aren’t involved enough in their child’s school.

Why is there so much apathy in something that is so valuable?  A child’s education should be the top priority in a student’s life, but many parents don’t seem to see it that way.  Report cards filled with D’s and F’s go home each six weeks, but I don’t often get inquiries as to what is going on with that student’s grades.  If my child came home with something as low as a C, I’d want to know what the problem is and how to fix it. 

I’ve just never understood how parents can be so lackadaisical in this area.  I guess it’s easier for them to just say, “Whatever” rather than actually stay on top of the situation.  I’ll probably never know, but I sure wish that I could hold them as accountable for their child’s education as I am. 

In recent years, we’ve been hearing more and more about exoplanets – planets that orbit far away stars outside of our solar system.  In a place the size of our galaxy, there are bound to be a few planets out there and we’re getting better at finding them. 

Of course, the more planets we find, the more we wonder about whether or not these planets contain life.

Religious beliefs aside, it really is just a numbers game.  In just the Milky Way Galaxy alone, you’ve got billions and billions of stars.  If just a fraction of those have planets orbiting them, and a fraction of those are within the right distance and temperature, and a fraction of those…well, you get the picture.  That’s still a lot of planets containing some form of life.

An interesting article was written today on CNN’s website.  Entitled “Galaxy may be full of ‘Earths,’ alien life,” it reminded me of why I like looking up at the stars and wondering what’s really out there.  In the article, one study that is pointed out relies on technology to help answer the guessing game:

“Researchers at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland constructed a computer model to create a synthetic galaxy with billions of stars and planets. They then studied how life evolved under various conditions in this virtual world, using a supercomputer to crunch the results.

In a paper published recently in the International Journal of Astrobiology, the researchers concluded that based on what they saw, at least 361 intelligent civilizations have emerged in the Milky Way since its creation, and as many as 38,000 may have formed.”

Sure, these are just the results of a computer model.  We have trouble creating weather forecast models to tell us if it’s going to rain a few days from now, so how much credibility can we place in a model of a make believe galaxy?  Still, to have a computer model lead us to a conclusion that at least 361 intelligent civilizations are out there in the Milky Way is, at the very least, intriguing. 

On top of all this, keep in mind that there are billions of galaxies in the universe.  It’s impossible for us to fully realize the number of planets that are out there.

I’m not saying that little green men in UFO’s have come to visit us, but I do firmly believe that intelligent life exists somewhere out there.  Articles like this have always held a fascination for me and they always will.  My question is how long will it be before we find little green men out there?

I just read a great article in the latest issue of The Science Teacher from the NSTA.  It is entitled, “Thinking, Teaching, and Learning Science Outside the Boxes.”  It focuses on interdisciplinarity and leads off with an introduction about Young.

So, why a class full of Youngs? 

Thomas Young is commonly referred to as “the last person to know everything.”  Of course, when he lived around 1800, there was a lot less “stuff” to know about than there is today.  Anyone would be hard pressed to “know everything” in current times.  It would still be great to have my students relate science to other subject areas.

In many high schools, there is a clear distinction between science, math, social studies, and English classes.  A student leaves biology and heads to algebra as if they are two separate worlds, without thinking about how those subjects, and others, are tied together.  This is the case at my school and in the surrounding schools.

I have been making a greater attempt to relate other subjects to science in my class this year.  For example, we recently constructed timelines on the history of the study of motion.  Students always see dates given for major scientific discoveries, but do they realize how that relates to history?  We also did a project relating forces (physical science) to plate tectonics (earth science).  I do tend to stay within the realm of just one subject a majority of the time and it’s something I need to work on. 

The article makes a great statement by saying, “…growing evidence shows that we must give students opportunities to see the world more holistically as we count on these students to solve increasingly complex problems.”  In my opinion, that is exactly right.  The entire world is more accessible to these students and with that, its problems.  If we don’t apply these classes to real-world experiences, the students will not see the lessons as meaningful and connections to their own lives may not be made.

It doesn’t matter what subject you teach, try to make the relations to other subjects clear and as often as possible.  If you can tie three or more subjects together, even better!  Let students know that what they learn in one class does relate to material covered in their next one.

Let’s hear what you do in your classroom to bring out the Thomas Young in your students. 

If you want a challenge, try becoming a yearbook adviser.  You’ll turn into a jack of all trades. 

This is my second year as adviser and I enjoy it greatly, but staying on top of everything takes a tremendous amount of work.  We hit the ground running on the first day of school and haven’t stopped since then.  Even at that pace, we’ll be working until the very end of school.

The group that I have this year tends to procrastinate.  They do some good work, but it’s just a matter of pushing them along.  I’m having an especially hard time in getting them get out there and sell business ads.  We set a goal of 75 ads.  So far, we have 25.  Granted, there’s still a lot of time left to reach our goal, but it will go by fast. 

I know the cost to produce our yearbook doesn’t rival larger schools around the country, but that’s not to say our book is cheap.  We’re looking at a full color, 140+ page production at a total cost of around $10,000.  First deposit has been made, second deposit is coming up in April, and the remaining balance is due when the books come in at the beginning of September. 

I know we’ll get everything done in the long run, but that doesn’t alleviate the stress of getting it done. 

I’ll have more updates throughout the year on our progress.  Any other advisers out there are definitely welcome to share their experiences.  I know I’ve still got a lot to learn.

So…anybody want to buy an ad? 

You’re looking at a picture of a Promethean Activboard+2….and I want one. 

For those of you not familiar with this awesome piece of technology, it is an interactive board that can be used in your classroom to create presentations that get your students engaged in the lesson material. 

The board and projector provide an engaging display while the speakers allow your presentations to come to life with sounds to fill the room.  You can get accessories such as Activote “clickers” to allow students even more interaction and an Activslate pad to control the board from anywhere in your room. 

How awesome is that?  If anyone has one of these, I am officially jealous.

Don’t have one, but think you can convince your administration to get this for you?  Get more information about it here:  Promethean boards

Roughly 150 students, a handful of judges, and about two hours…

That pretty much entails the basics of our school’s local science fair.  We are one of the few schools in the area that hold a science fair.  I sometimes wonder if it’s worth the effort, but I already know the answer is a resounding “YES!”  At least it is from my point of view.

It is a requirement for all students in a science class to complete and present a science fair project.  We’re talking about the culmination of work that is started on the first day of school.  A science fair project is an excellent opportunity to learn about the scientific method and hands on experimentation.  

When I was a student in school, science fair was a big deal.  It was important for me to do well in it.  I worked hard on the research, the experiment, the display board, and the final report.  For some of these students, though, this project is seen as “extra work.”  There’s a lack of motivation present on their part and little parental support in some cases. 

Out of the 20 or so students that I have in my science class, 10 completed the project and gave presentations.  Here’s a project that is worth several hundred points total and I only have a 50% completion rate.  Sadly, this is the case every year. 

Below is one of the many display boards from today’s fair.  This student worked hard to produce a good quality project.  Every step of the scientific method was applied.  It was well researched and accompanied by a great presentation.

From the teacher’s perspective, planning and preparing for a science fair is hard work.  It’s this kind of project that makes the effort worthwhile.  I wish that all of the projects could be at this level.  They could be if more interest was taken in the work. 

Does your school hold a science fair every year?  Is it a requirement or optional?  I’d be interested in hearing how different areas handle this event. 

Alright class, let’s get SEATed…

How many teachers out there have started a class with those words?  I know that I’ve said them plenty of times in the course of my 10 years of teaching. 

As a high school science teacher, who also happens to be the technology coordinator for the school, I have a major interest in science, education, and technology.  I’m a bit late to the blogging scene, but hopefully I can contribute and interact with the community in a meaningful way. 

I’ll be writing about various topics that I come across in my time online.  Since I spend a LOT of time online, I’m hoping that I’ll have a lot of neat things to share along the way.  For those teachers (science, technology, or whatever your area may be) who come to read these entries, I hope that I can point out a variety of topics that you have not come across before. 

Feel free to share your thoughts with me at any time because I do this for your benefit, as much as my own.  Thanks for stopping by and I hope to hear from you soon!