Space and Science

Two interesting articles I have come across:

An Orbital Tour

“One of my favorite orbit tracks starts over the equator southwest of Hawaii. At this point, looking down you will just see water and clouds. The Pacific Ocean is a deep bright blue color…” (Earth Observatory - NASA)

Eight New Human Genome Projects Offer Large-scale Picture Of Genetic Difference

“A nationwide consortium led by the University of Washington in Seattle has completed the first sequence-based map of structural variations in the human genome, giving scientists an overall picture of the large-scale differences in DNA between individuals. The project gives researchers a guide for further research into these structural differences, which are believed to play an important role in human health and disease. The results appear in the May 1 issue of the journal Nature.” (Science Daily)

“Earth As You Have Never Seen It”

These pictures are very interesting.  See all at Popsci.com!!!

“Lava Rises From the Deep”
Photo by Landsat 7
“The Big Island of Hawaii rises 33,474 feet above the floor of the Pacific Ocean and lies over an unusually warm part of the Earth’s interior. This hot spot has produced the volcanoes that make up the Hawaiian archipelago. The three most recently active volcanoes—Kilauea, Mauna Loa and Loihi—rise out of the spot. Other, less-active and dormant volcanoes in the archipelago used to lie here as well, but the natural movement of the Pacific tectonic plate has carried them away to the northwest. This unusually detailed image was taken primarily in the infrared spectrum, allowing us to see the volcanoes’ hidden underwater bases.”

“Hubble finds double Einstein ring”

“The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has revealed a never-before-seen optical alignment in space: a pair of glowing rings, one nestled inside the other like a bull’s-eye pattern. The double-ring pattern is caused by the complex bending of light from two distant galaxies strung directly behind a foreground massive galaxy, like three beads on a string.” Cool!!!

“The Science Education Myth”

Read this interesting Business Week article: “The Science Education Myth“

“Forget the conventional wisdom. U.S. schools are turning out more capable science and engineering grads than the job market can support…” by Vivek Wadhwa

“Journey of Mankind”

The Bradshaw Foundation has an interesting interactive online presentation called “Journey of Mankind: The Peopling of the World.” Their site states:

“The Bradshaw Foundation, in association with Stephen Oppenheimer, presents a virtual global journey of modern man over the last 160,000 years. The map will show for the first time the interaction of migration and climate over this period. We are the descendants of a few small groups of tropical Africans who united in the face of adversity, not only to the point of survival but to the development of a sophisticated social interaction and culture expressed through many forms. Based on a synthesis of the mtDNA and Y chromosome evidence with archaeology, climatology and fossil study, Stephen Oppenheimer has tracked the routes and timing of migration, placing it in context with ancient rock art around the world.”

Enjoy!

Science!!!

I first saw this YouTube video at think:lab.  What a great science experiment:  invisible water!

“Science News for Kids”

This site, for me, is an oldie but a goodie: Science News for Kids. As their site states:

“Science News for Kids is a new Web site devoted to science news for children of ages 9 to 14.

Our goal is to offer timely items of interest to kids, accompanied by suggestions for hands-on activities, books, articles, Web resources, and other useful materials.

Our emphasis is on making the Web site appealing by offering kids opportunities to comment on and grade the subject matter, get ideas for science projects, and try out mathematical puzzles. At the same time, we offer teachers creative ways of using science news in their classrooms.”

iKnowthat.com

I came across iKnowthat.com today and found their K-6 activities quite engaging.  The “tutorials” are divided by grade level and subject area, and I was able to do all the activities I tried without registering.  Give it a go to see if it is something that can be used with content and students in your classroom.

“Edheads: Activate Your Mind!”

I have used the Edheads site for the weather activities in my geography classroom, but it has so much more.  My students always liked to try out the “Virtual Knee Surgery” activity especially when one of them had to go through the real thing!  The Edheads site states:

“Edheads brings you high quality, free educational activities for your classroom

Edheads helps students learn through educational games and activities designed to meet state and national standards. We partner with various school systems in the United States, which help us research, design and test our activities every step of the way!

Not only do teachers and students appreciate our free activities, Edheads has been recognized by almost every major award on the Web for our excellent educational content!

So dive into an activity to let the fun and learning begin!”

Give it a try with your students!

“Classroom Technology Demonstration”

I found the following superior presentation while browsing around today:

“This is an excerpt from the March 27, 2006 Okemos Public School Board meeting. Kelly Carrier, a high school science teacher, demonstrates technology tools, especially his personal Tablet PC, that he uses in his classes.”

Gone Fishin’

I took my four youngest children fishing today.  We watched a water snake catch a small bullhead minnow and begin the dinner process.  Enjoy the video:

The Encyclopedia of Life

This is an interesting concept and one that is in development with many possibilities. The Encyclopedia of Life is a:

“Comprehensive, collaborative, ever-growing, and personalized, the Encyclopedia of Life is an ecosystem of websites that makes all key information about life on Earth accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world. Our goal is to create a constantly evolving encyclopedia that lives on the Internet, with contributions from scientists and amateurs alike. To transform the science of biology, and inspire a new generation of scientists, by aggregating all known data about every living species. And ultimately, to increase our collective understanding of life on Earth, and safeguard the richest possible spectrum of biodiversity.”

Edubuntu and GCompris

I have been fiddling around with an Edubuntu 6.10 install for the past few months. Edubuntu comes with a superior educational program with applications for young children called GCompris. One of my problems was getting the children’s software GCompris to work without crashing. The simple solution was bringing up the terminal and typing in “gcompris -x.” Easy, but frustrating if you don’t know!!! The GCompris software is excellent for young children. There are so many applications from matching, counting, to problem solving, and more. Now that I have it running, I will have my soon to be 4 year old daughter try out the “games” to test them. My other 4 children will want to try too! It is nice having a test lab and subjects built in at home !!!

My experiment for the day is to get Edubuntu running on an old Power Mac 5500. I am downloading the Edubuntu .iso image to create a live CD, and then I will be off to the races. So many times I have watched legacy hardware lined up in the “boiler room” to be taken away for salvage (most of the time to the landfill!!!), and I honestly believe that in a school we can find continued life for old computers. Edubuntu is one of the answers to extend the life of some of these machines. I realize there comes a time when the value of maintaining legacy equipment is not cost effective, but I also believe we must get the most out of the tax dollars that fund technology in our schools. If we can take old iMacs and install Edubuntu on them and put them to good use in K-3 classrooms, for instance, why not do it!?!

Please share your utilization of legacy hardware and any experience using Edubuntu in the process. Also, what are your experiences using GCompris in the classroom? Inquiring minds would like to know!

They Blinded Me With Science!

One particular science site that continues to interest me is the Franklin Institute Science Museum and its “Resources for Science Learning” Case Files Online Exhibit. The resource is fully interdisciplinary and as the site states:

“This exhibit feautures notable scientists and their Case Files. The Case Files are a unique repository in the history of science and technology. As the documentary record of The Franklin Awards program, the Case Files are filled with stories of scientific enterprise.”

Other science sites that I have been exploring for student use include:

Exploratorium

NASA (Education)

How Stuff Works (Science Channel)

Please share the interesting science web sites that you are using with your students.