Evaluating Web 2.0 Presentation Tools

The first tool I tested out was Prezi (http://prezi.com). Prezi is a nice tool for creating multimedia rich presentations. I was really amazed at how easy it was to set up a presentation. I have never used the program before the other day and it was very easy to set up a presentation. It has many different tutorials for every level of user. The tutorials also were very easy to understand and very informative, which is nice.
Prezi also allows for easy collaboration with others and the ability to share your presentations over the internet.
Another great thing was they offer a teacher and student account that gives you extra data storage over the normal free account.

The next tool I'm going to discuss is Google Docs. Google Docs is another free program that allows you to share all types of files with collaborators around the world. You can create and share power-point type slideshows, word documents, spreadsheets, drawings and many other file types. I currently use Google Docs with my fellow teachers. The nice thing is how easy it is to share and collaborate on projects. I currently use it to share and edit lesson plans with my In-Class-Support teacher. It has a chat feature that allows you to discuss while you are working on your project, or in my case, lesson plans. It has come in very handy.

Lastly, Promethean Planet is a free online community for educators developed by Promethean Ltd.   It currently hosts over 1,000,000 teacher accounts from 140 countries. ^[1]The purpose of Promethean Planet is to support teachers in using technology effectively. Teachers are encouraged to interact with each other using online tools such as forums, blogs and conferencing.

New features and functionality include:
The option for users to preview flipchart lesson plans online

• Improved search facilities
• Events calendars
• Video teacher features with practitioners
• Activtips area, containing bite-sized professional development

There are plenty of other wonderful tools out there but these were the ones I  like the best. For some more suggestions, check out these sites:
1) http://webtools4u2use.wikispaces.com/Presentation+Tools
2) http://edudemic.com/2010/07/the-35-best-web-2-0-classroom-tools-chosen-by-you/
3) http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/Presentation+Tools

After evaluating the three tools I will be choosing between Google Docs and Promethean Planet.  I am more familiar with Promethean Plant but Google Docs has some very nice unique features that would be fun to use.

I am looking forward to exploring more tools that I can use for my project, classroom instruction, and with my students..

Cell Phones in the classroom

            This week’s blog assignment was to find online resources that motivate and increase student’s interest in science and that prepare them for the highly technological world in which we live. In order to compete globally, all students should be able to bring 21^st-century technology skills into the workforce. 

What better device to accomplish this task than the CELL PHONE!

            As a middle school teacher, my students are all fully equipped with the latest and greatest of cell-phone technology.  The school prohibits the use of the cell phones during school hours but they students are always trying to access them at every minute that they can.  Wouldn’t it be great to be able to utilize the cell-phone as a classroom resource?

            Cell phones represent a type of technology that has been around for little over fifty years. However, it has only been recently that many people began to use cell phones as a major part of their everyday life. In the past, cell phones were used by business people to conduct their business. In today's society, one member of every residence of the United States owns a cell phone. Cell phones are interesting, useful and play a major role in our lives by bringing people closer together and keeping us in constant touch with one another. However, most people do not understand the physics of a cell phone.

                In reviewing the Georgia Physical Science standards, I discovered that there are two content strands that can be cited and which would permit the legitimate use of the cell phone in the classroom.

The two standards are:

GA S8P4.e – relate the properties of sound to everyday experiences

GA SPS9.e – relate the speed of sound to different mediums

            The above standards fall under the specific content area of Sound Waves and Motion.

I would begin to implement this content into my classroom by engaging the students in a Warm-Up lesson on the History of cell phones (see websites below).  This would definitely utilize the students’ prior and current knowledge of this topic.  Secondly, I would begin to relate to Physical Science content.

Turning Speech Into Digital

            Speech is sound in motion, but talking produces acoustic pressure. A telephone reproduces sound by electrical means. However, in wireless technology, a coder inside the mobile telephone converts sound to digital impulses on the transmitting side and on the receiving side it converts these impulses back to analog sounds. A coder or vocoder is a speech analyzer and synthesizer all in one. A vocoder is found in every digital wireless telephone. In this process, sound gets modeled and transmitted on one end of the vocoder and on the receiving end, the speech synthesizer part, interprets the signal and produces a close match of the original.

            When you hear sound, your ears are responding to tiny, rapid changes in the pressure of the air. These changes are called sound waves. They can have a single frequency and constant amplitude. Hearing is a complex mixture of waves with different frequencies and amplitudes. Sound waves range from pure sine waves to complex combinations of waves. The normal human ear can perceive sound ranging in frequency from 20 to 20,000 Hz.

            And so on and so on….

Websites

The Evolution of Cell Phone Design Between 1983-2009

http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/05/the-evolution-of-cell-phone-design-between-1983-2009/

In Pictures: A History of Cell Phones
http://www.pcworld.com/article/131450/in_pictures_a_history_of_cell_phones.html

Phones in History pictures

http://www.freakingnews.com/Phones-in-History-Pictures--1842.asp

Cell phones in the classroom/ Evolution of the cell phone

http://historytech.wordpress.com/2010/03/11/cell-phones-in-the-classroom/
You Tube / with music

The Physics of Cell Phones

http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/2003/4/03.04.07.x.html

Cell Phones That Never Need To Be Charged?  Sound Wave-Powered Devices Possible
            http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081201162127.htm

The Heat Is On

           During this week’s lesson I learned about the three methods of heat transfer; radiation, conduction, and convection.  I also learned that some materials are good thermal conductors, easily letting heat pass through them, while others are good thermal insulators, not easily letting hear pass through them.  My experiment was designed to show how temperature changes based on the use of different insulators.  A good insulator stops the transfer of heat.  An example of a good, common, everyday insulator would be a blanket for keeping warm and a Styrofoam cooler for keeping items cool.

• Which of the three methods of heat transfer did the materials encourage or discourage?

The four different types of materials that I tested were: Paper Towels, Aluminum Foil,

Cotton Fabric (cloth) and Wool socks. 

The results

1)      Aluminum insulation is not a good insulator because it has a high transfer rate.

2)      Wool socks can keep your feet warm and comfortable but can cause irritation if handled.

3)      Paper towels are good insulators because they help to maintain the temperature in the mug longer.

4)      Cotton is a good thermal insulator because it traps the air.  Heat loss occurs when the body is exposed to cold air.  The skin loses heat to the surrounding cooler air through conduction.

A cotton shirt creates a trapped layer of air around the body, the trapped air warms up, thereby keeping your body warmer.

The best insulator turned out to be cotton.  I was a bit surprised because I had thought that Paper would be the best insulator.  I like to drink a good hot cup of coffee and it is mostly served in a paper cup not a cotton cup (lol).  Lastly, I think that since all of the mugs were covered, for the experiment, this in itself helped to insulate the water in the mug.  An open mug clearly would have cooled off faster than a covered mug regardless of what the materials being tested.

Conclusion

For my heat transfer experiment, the heat method – convection, had the most influence in this area. 

How do Different Surfaces Affect the Momentum of Marbles?

How Do Different Surfaces Affect the Momentum of Marbles?

            Momentum is a part of our everyday life. Motion can be measured by speed, velocity, and acceleration (Tillery, Enger, & Ross, 2008).  Speed is a measure of how fast something is moving.  Velocity is a measure of the speed and direction of a moving object. Acceleration is a change of velocity per unit of time.  In my experiment, I set up a stack of books six inches high and then connected an additional hardback book as a ramp leaning against the stack. This ramp became the incline which marbles rolled down on the selected surface. Exactly two feet from the bottom of the ramp, a string was laid across the floor surface. The procedure of this experiment was to let go of a marble at the top of the book ramp and record the amount of time (velocity) it took for the marble to roll down the ramp, across the testable surface, and reach the string.

            In order to capture accurate results, two different marbles (one small and one large) were tested on each of the surfaces. Five different surfaces were used: a smooth linoleum flooring, a smooth laminate countertop, a hard-wood floor, a level, compacted carpet, and a shag rug. Each marble was tested five times on each surface to ensure truthful results.

The “mean time” of the five tests were calculated and reported in the results below:

	Small marble	Large marble
Smooth linoleum (flooring)	0.4  seconds	0.3  seconds
Smooth laminate countertop	0.5  seconds	0.4  seconds
Hardwood floor	0.6  seconds	0.5  seconds
Compacted carpet	1.0  seconds	0.9  seconds
Shag rug	Did not reach two feet before stopping	Did not reach two feet before stopping

     The speed on all three smooth surfaces was nearly half the time it took the marble to reach the two foot marker on the carpet. The two rug surfaces caused friction on the marble and thereby slowed down the speed of the marble.  Friction affects the momentum of an object by slowing it down.  The conclusion of this experiment is that the more friction a surface area provides against a marble, the less momentum the marble will have.  Momentum is the time it takes to stop a moving object (Tillery, Enger, & Ross, 2008). The faster an object the more momentum it has.  My experiment also proved that the larger the mass of a marble, the greater its speed. These were the results I expected to get based on my knowledge of momentum and friction.

            The procedure of this experiment went well and provided accurate results. I did have to recruit an assistant (my husband) to help release the marble while I timed it. These jobs were too difficult to perform accurately at the same time.

            Changes that could be made to this experiment in order to get different results would be to alter the plane (angle) of the ramp, use cars or other rolling objects instead of marbles, and test the procedure on various other surfaces. I am still curious to see if the difference in time between the small and large marbles would increase if the distance to the target or string was increased.

            I think my sixth grade special education students would have fun setting up this experiment in my classroom. The materials used are all basic classroom supplies. Students could decide on something about the experiment to change and see how the results would be different. In order to make this more engaging for my class, I would have to relate it to something they would be interested in i.e.: skate boarding.  Perhaps I could have the students compare the various skate board design types. Depending on how fast or slow they liked going down the slide, the students would have to determine the best types of surface materials to use in order to improve the slide mean time results.

            The Guided Inquiry method points students in the right direction and avoids false starts.  My Special Education students find it hard to organize their thoughts and procedures.  By using the Guided Inquiry method I could provide higher level thinking prompts such as

(Capobianco, B., & Tyrie, N., 2009):

            How can we….. ;

            In what ways can we…;

            How can we make a design that will ….;

These problem-finding prompts promote discussion and team work and provide direction.  I prefer the Guided Inquiry to the more generic Open Inquiry method.  The most important things I would want my students to take away from this experiment was 1) how friction affects the momentum of an object by slowing it down and 2) how to work well as a team in pursuit of a common goal.

References

Capobianco, B. M., & Tyrie, N. (2009). Problem solving by design. Science & Children, 47(2),            38–41.             Accession Number: 44572240.

Tillery, B., Enger, E., & Ross. F. (2008). Integrated science (4th ed.). New York, NY:
            McGraw-Hill    

What happens if the polar ice caps melt?

9.a What happens if the polar ice caps melt?

­There has been much discussion about the possibility that global warming will cause the polar ice caps to melt and flood many coastal cities. Most scientists believe that this process would take thousands of years, if at all.

Most of the world's ice (90%) is in Antarctica. The average temperature in Antarctica is minus-35Fahrenheit (minus-37° Celsius) — well below the temperature at which water freezes — so any significant melting of the Antarctic ice cap is considered very unlikely to happen.

It is considered possible that only a portion of the ice will melt, even over a long period of time, and that sea levels will increase by no more than a few feet.  If the polar ice caps melted enough to cause the ocean levels to rise several feet, the results would be significant. The streets of many current coastal cities (like NYC) would be underwater, necessitating their evacuation. Low-lying countries, such as many of those in Indonesia, could become almost entirely submerged. The new standing water would be ideal for the breeding of mosquitos and other insects, spreading diseases such as malaria. Flooding also could cover much farmland and affect the world's food supply. Farmers in the flooded areas would need to move to more elevated land, which might be less suited to growing crops.

What is not possible is that all the world's land would be covered if the polar ice caps melted. There simply is not enough ice on Earth for this to happen. Even in a severe flood, only a small percentage of the world's land would be lost.

 9b. What other questions do you have about the Science Inquiry Experience?

So what will happen in the future? No one really knows for sure. In 1995, the International Panel on Climate Change asked scientists to make some predictions. They predicted how sea level might change by the year 2100. The lowest predictions were at six inches and the highest at 37 inches. The rise will come from thermal expansion of the ocean and from melting glaciers and ice sheets. Let’s say it’s somewhere in the middle of the predictions, say 20 inches. That’s no small amount-- it could have a big effect on coastal cities, especially during storms.

POP, POP, POP!!

STEM Education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) is an interdisciplinary approach to learning, where academic concepts are combined with real world lessons.  As a special education science teacher, I am very much interested in this method of teaching because of the increased student engagement.

This week we had to create a science lesson plan with the purpose being to increase STEM education, planning and student involvement in science. The lesson I created focuses on the Three Methods of Heating the atmosphere. The ways of heating includes conduction, convection, and radiation.  An easy way for my students to remember these terms is to use an analogy to help them figure it out. Popcorn is the analogy we will be using because everyone loves popcorn!!. 

There are three ways to cook popcorn.  Each of these methods of cooking popcorn is really a hands-on example of the three ways heat can be transferred.

Conduction.  This method of heat transfer is the most familiar to people.  If you have ever burned yourself on a hot pan because you touched it, you have experienced this method. Conduction is heat transfer through touching. Metals conduct heat well.  Air is not as good a conductor of heat. Conduction is a direct contact type of heat transfer.

Lab – Put oil in the bottom of a pan.  Cover the bottom of the pan with popcorn kernels.  Place the pan on the stove and turn on the burner to medium heat.  Cover the pan with a lid. Shake the pan so the kernels move around in the oil as they pop.

Convection.  Convection is heat transfer by the movement of mass from one place to another.  It can take place only in liquids or gases.  The radiation from the sun heats the air of the atmosphere in that area. The hot air heats the kernels and makes them pop.

Lab – Obtain a popcorn popper.  Place the popcorn kernels in the popper.  Plug in/turn on the popper.  Hot air will transfer heat to the kernels, making them expand and pop. ‘

Radiation.  Radiation heats like the rays from the sun.  When the Sun heats the Earth, the Earth gets warmer in that location and radiates heat into the atmosphere, making it doubly warm. 

Lab – Microwave a bag of microwave popcorn.  The kernels are heated up by the radiation in the microwave, and the kernels heat up, giving off more heat to the kernels surrounding it and making the kernel “pop”.  ‘

My students loved these labs because they get to eat all the left-over popcorn.  In preparing this lesson, I had to consider my students and how they would create their own learning. The 5E uses Engage (anticipatory set), Explore (experiment), Explain (sharing new understanding from exploring), Elaborate (connect to real world, gain deeper understanding), and Evaluate (assess.) Using the 5E, approach helped to maintain a focus on the objectives of the lesson as well as integrate STEM education integration.