Podcasting On-line Workshop

I finished the podcasting workshop today.  It was worth 24 hours professional development and was well worth the time invested  which was probably about 40 hours.  The only problem now is finding time to develop and use it.  The big test of course will be, will it make any difference in student apathy?

Laboratory Exercises for Physical Sciences

Now I forgot what I was going to say.... for a minute.  My friend and I are "babysitting" five children (14, 11, 5, 3, & 2.5).  My posts take about an hour to compose.

Oh yes... laboratories.  I can scan the labs I mentioned into pdf files and send them to those who are interested.  I just need you to send me an e-mail request to jog my memory once I return to to my office this fall.

anonymous posts

If you are not logged in your posts in "comments" will be anonymous.  I just figured this out. I am interested in the process of learning these technologies as well content areas and curricula, so I want to respond to some comments in the main part of the blog.

Laboratory Exercises for Physical Sciences

Here is a list of the physical science laboratory curricula we received at OSSM:

Temperature and Reaction Rates

Acids and Bases in the Bathroom and Kitchen

Reactions of Ions

Oxidation-Reduction in a Shake

Electrolysis I- Turning water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen

Lemon Voltage

Modeling Energy Flow in Stars- this is the bumble ball experiment.

Period of a Pendulum

Graphing Your Motion- this lab used the Vernier motion detector setup.  Free download at http://www.vernier.com/cmat/msv.html

 

Physics Text

Here is the textbook that we were given at OSSM as part of the physics training.  I started reading it and have not put it down.  I am 2/3 through the book in a week.  I really makes modern physics principals understandable to the ordinary person.

Hakim, Joy. 2007. The story of science: Einstein adds a new dimension. The National Science Teachers Association and Smithsonian Books. 468p.

Vernier Probes

A couple of people have asked me about the Vernier probes.  I was first introduced to these probes in 2002 when I participated in an NSF Chautauqua program in conjunction with UT Brownsville.  We took probes to El Cielo, Mexico to conduct water quality samples in the Rio Sabine.  These were the variety that attach to the TI scientific calculator.  I don't recall the model numbers.  I know that you can also purchase probes that plug directly into the USB port on a computer.  I have not used these myself.  I attended a workshop at the K-20 center in Norman last fall.  They delivered lab curricula to us to accompany a new Labquest Pro with a temperature probe to start off with.  I believe the probes themselves are interchangeable.

Physics LaboratoryM

In the physics laboratory at OSSM we studied Brownian motion, pendulums, and magnets.  One of the coolest exercises was a study of possible model of Brownian movement using a "Crazy Dog Bumble Ball" (pictured here) available at PetSmart.  Once I am back at the office and have a scanner available, I can send out copies of the lab instructions if anyone is interested.  We also studied motion using a Vernier motion detecting probe coupled with a TI scientific calculator.  As far as I could tell, all the exercises required minimum setup and would be appropriate for students in high school or introductory college classes.

Laboratories and Materials for 8th Grade Science

The 12th annual Summer Institute hosted at Oklahoma School for Science and Mathematics (OSSM) in Oklahoma City had four parts: Geosciences, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.  There was a simultaneous mathematics workshop, but they went their own way.  All of the lectures and laboratories were presented by Ph.D. instructors having extensive previous teaching and research careers.  The geosciences portion of the workshop focused primarily on petroleum geology.  The chemistry section provided some nice laboratory exercises that can be done with common household chemicals and products.  One particularly cool experiment used red cabbage juice as a pH indicator.  The Biology exercises included in-vitro fertilization using sand dollars and a blood typing lab using both the artificial blood kits and real human blood.

Specimen Collecting and Photography

We will be taking a break from the educational technology development stuff next week.  My boys are visiting and I am sure that work will shift to specimen collecting.  Yes, that means fishing.

Photography will be on the agenda too.  It is so hot, windy, and bright (sunny) in western Oklahoma this time of year that it is difficult to take good images during the daytime.  So we will collect during the day and do some photo sets in the evenings.  The goal is to "stock the shelves" with images and video to use in classroom podcasts and presentations.  The students really like seeing multimedia you have done yourself and hearing the story that goes along with it.

I am in the middle of another project to organize the physics and chemistry materials from the workshop at Oklahoma School for Science and Mathematics and incorporate them into our 8th grade science curriculum.  More to come on this.

MacBook

Transition to the MacBook from the PCs has gone smoothly so far.  Moving files and folders was no problem.  I just copied everything to a memory stick and saved it to the Mac desktop.  Files seem to open flawlessly so far.

I was able to migrate my contacts from MS Outlook using iTunes and an iPod.  This kept all the formatting, etc.  I have not figured out a way to migrate the calendar yet.

Setting up the e-mail was simple as well and a wizard walks you through setup.

Today's Promethean Workshop

Today I am at a Promethean Board training at the Osage County Interlocal Cooperative in Hominy, OK.  Several of my colleagues are here from Wynona.  We all received our brand new MacBooks today!  We really have excellent educational technology and training at our school.

OSSM Workshop

A the Conoco Phillips workshop we visited the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman. We were able to watch the forecasters at work! We also toured the Federal Aviation Administration's test laboratory near Will Rogers World Airport. In addition to these two field trips we learned new laboratory techniques in embryology, physics, geosciences, and chemistry.

Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics

I am at the ConocoPhillips Summer Science Institute this week at the Oklahoma School for Science and Math. Our training includes geochemistry, physics, chemistry, and a little bioscience. Yesterday we visited the FAA Aerospace Research Center at Will Rogers International Airport. We were able to tour the crash simulators; really cool!

Podcasting Links

Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants http://www.scribd.com/doc/9799/Prensky-Digital-Natives-Digital-Immigrants-Part1

Get Them Learning Anywhere http://www.apple.com/education/teachers-professors/mobile-learning.html
Here's a link to Apple's Education site, where you can learn all about classroom podcasting.
Podcasting http://learninginhand.com/podcasting/

Learning in Hand puts out a great article on the power of podcasting. Check it out!
The Education Podcast Network http://epnweb.org/

Podcasts in the Classroom http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/podcasts/
Here's another helpful article on making the most of podcasts in your classroom.
What Can We Learn From the Digital Natives? http://apps.medialab.uwindsor.ca/cfl/reflexions/volume01/issue03/terry/PDFS/digital_natives.pdf
Want to know what your students can teach you? Read on!
Classroom Audio Podcasting http://www.wtvi.com/TEKS/05_06_articles/classroom-audio-podcasting.html
While focused on only one kind of podcasting, this article does a great job making a case for podcasting in the classroom.
Lesson 1 Podcast Transcripts /crs/pix/4tp/SM/Lesson1.pdf
Here are the transcripts of this lesson's podcasts.

Pocasting

Today's lesson in my podcasting class is to design a slick little audio podcast. I used yodio, photobucket, and a cell phone to make this podcast. It is all free! To see the podcast visit our wikispace http://zoowiki.wikispaces.com/, then click on the player.

Linking Zooblog to Zoowiki

I am having a little trouble linking the blog to the wiki page. I am trying to add the feed to the navigation bar. You may have to upgrade and pay a monthly fee to have more flexibility and additional features.

Speckled Kingsnake

I was mulching some trees in the back yard this morning when I came across a Speckled Kingsnake, Lampropeltis getula. These snakes are relatively common in all types of habitats including grasslands, woodlots, and marshes. They eat lizards, other snakes, small mammals, and birds. I have had them in captivity and trained them to thrive on baby (pinky) mice. I released this one back into the garden.

Video Calls on Skype

I have added a link here to Skype, a website where you can sign up for free video calls to friends who are also on Skype. I signed up, but have not tried it yet. If anyone is interested in giving it a shot let me know. You will have to go to the site and sign up before we can communicate. And, of course you will have to have a web cam. http://www.skype.com/

New Webcam

I just purchased the Microsoft Lifecam NX-3000 from Office Max. We will use this webcam with a built in microphone to record course content for zoowiki and to do podcasts from the classroom and field.