Appreciate the Inspiration

Teachers enlighten and brighten us.

Today marks the occasion of an important holiday for science teachers: International Star Wars Day. The epic battles with the incongruous noise in space, the wisdom of Yoda, the painful lesson in over-hyped expectations that was ‘The Phantom Menace’ … all these and more have been inspirational for science teachers throughout the decades since the release of ‘A New Hope.’

What, you thought I was going to talk about National Teacher Appreciation Day? Actually, I am. Because what I am talking about is inspiration: for teachers, from teachers, and to teachers.

We appreciate and celebrate teachers not just because of the things they teach, but because of the ways they inspire us to think about the world in a new way. Whether it is to explore renewable energy, look at light in new ways or to embrace our inner geek, inspiration is what teachers give us.

So in turn let us give them our appreciation, not just this day or week, but as often as we are inspired. Feel free to discuss the teachers who inspired you in the comments.

Online Science Education Resources

On this blog I have previous written about integrating music and science education, multimedia in automotive education, and science comics and the classroom. Today I am going to concentrate on something you most likely are already doing if you read this blog: using tools from the Internet in your classroom. I will introduce you to a couple of great free resources to supplement and expand on your classroom lessons.

Today Science announced the first of 12 winners in websites that provide tools, information for and promotion of science education. This prize, which will be announced each month, is called SPORE, or The Science Prize for Online Resources in Education.

The first winner selected was The University of Utah Genetic Science Learning Center websites, one of these websites is for students. It provides virtual labs, informative graphics and detailed explanations, all in a lick user-friendly design. In addition, they also have a site specifically designed for science teachers. There you will find supplemental materials as well as print-and-go lesson plans.

Another great resource I would recommend is this online database of the 100 best free online science documentaries. With listings broken down into discipline, this is a fantastic way to find a supplement to your lessons.

What about you? What are your favorite science resources on the web?

Tuning In the Mind

With the multitude of media available now, how do people concentrate on one task? A recent Scientific American article “Portrait of a Multitasking Mind” discussed people who consistently accessed two or more forms of media at a time. While these people are often sought after for job positions, a study from Stanford University found that multitaskers actually have more problems switching quickly between two tasks than other people.

But how do people actually manage to select what to pay attention to? The Kavli Institute for Systems Nueroscience and Centre for the Biology of Memory have been working towards understanding that. By measuring the brain waves of rats and listened to the transmissions. The gamma waves, a subset of brainwaves, proved interesting. They work as a radio system in the brain, imparting information. The hippocampus is able to tune into one of the frequencies, which then tune the others out. This allows the brain to focus on one thing.

Sources: Science Daily, Scientific American

Science Comics and the Classroom

Engaging students in science is a frequent topic in this blog, mostly because it is one educators struggle with often. Previously I wrote about integrating music into a science class and using multimedia in automotive education. Today I am going to talk about a visual medium: comics. More specifically, comics related to science. Comics combine text and images to tell a story.

I am not referring to teaching the (inaccuracies) of super heroes, (though that method is also recommended). No, I am talking about comics written explicitly about real life science. These can range from single panel informational images intended as a teaching aide to comics based on the lives of comics, current or historical. Utilizing them in the classroom can be as simple as hanging a print on a classroom wall to generate organic discussion. For more information on science comics check out Science comics as tools for science education and communication: a brief, exploratory study from the Journal of Science Communication.

So what are your favorite science comics?

Wooing Potential Scientists

Yesterday Britain’s Royal Society announced that they were putting 60+ historical scientific papers free on the internet in celebration of their 350th anniversary of promoting science. These papers include Benjamin Franklin’s descriptions of flying the famous silk kite and James Cook’s feeding his crew sauerkraut to keep them from getting scurvy. Students will be able to read and see these accounts in the writers’ handwriting right in front of them on their computer screen, bridging the past and future. The papers can be found here at trailblazing.royalsociety.org.

Why did they decide to do this? The Royal Society is dedicating to raising the profile of science. For Americans, this ties in with President Obama’s announcement last week that he was launching the “Educate to Innovate” Campaign for Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (Stem) Education. This is a nationwide effort to get students studying science, and beyond that, into science related jobs.

Both of these initiatives are aimed at getting young people more engaged in science. Which do you think will be more successful? Do you think either of them will help?