http://www.stevespangler.com Making Science Education Fun Wed, 27 Aug 2008 17:00:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en © alyssa@stevespangler.com () alyssa@stevespangler.com() 1440 Making Science Education Fun alyssa@stevespangler.com No no http://www.stevespangler.com/stevespangler/plugins/podpress/images/powered_by_podpress.jpg http://www.stevespangler.com 144 144 http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2008/07/01/%c2%a0science-chat-on-irish-talk-radio/ http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2008/07/01/%c2%a0science-chat-on-irish-talk-radio/#comments Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:20:03 +0000 Steve http://www.stevespangler.com/?p=874 http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2008/07/01/%c2%a0science-chat-on-irish-talk-radio/feed/ 11:50 Sean Moncrieff is the host of the Afternoon Show on Newtalk 106-108 fm in Ireland. This nationally syndicated show features news stories ranging from the ... Sean Moncrieff is the host of the Afternoon Show on Newtalk 106-108 fm in Ireland. This nationally syndicated show features news stories ranging from the serious to the zany... maybe that's why they called. While waiting for my segment, I listened to the show and quickly realized how much I want to speak again in Ireland. I first lectured at the Irish Science Teachers Association in 1997 and again in 2000. I shared a few science demos and they taught me the finer points of drinking lots of Irish beer. Here's my interview with Moncrieff. Mentos,Experiment,,Podcasts,,Science,in,the,media alyssa@stevespangler.com no No http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2008/03/18/facebook-and-myspace-for-teachers/ http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2008/03/18/facebook-and-myspace-for-teachers/#comments Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:37:15 +0000 Steve http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2008/03/18/facebook-and-myspace-for-teachers/ http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2008/03/18/facebook-and-myspace-for-teachers/feed/ 00:01:01 I recently recorded a conversation held between me and Stephan Spencer, president of search engine optimization company, Netconcepts. Spencer talks about the basics of both social ... I recently recorded a conversation held between me and Stephan Spencer, president of search engine optimization company, Netconcepts. Spencer talks about the basics of both social networking sites, such as whether or not you should make your profile private if you are worried about your job, or prospective jobs. There are plenty of cases where exactly this has happened. I can recall myself a time when my company was hiring and it was possible for us to gather a lot of personal information about the candidates just by going to their social networking profile. I had never thought of using these websites to learn more about the prospective employees, but it does work. It's not just making your profile private, but you also have to be weary when you are making comments on other people's public profiles which can then later be associated back to you. I also link it back to teachers, making the point that teachers could make a better connection with their students if they were found on the social networking sites. All they have to do is make sure they are actively moderating comments for anything that may be inappropriate. Make sure you listen to this conversation for more information about the two popular social networking sites. Podcasts alyssa@stevespangler.com no No http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2008/02/27/science-fair-boot-camp-reporting-for-duty-sir/ http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2008/02/27/science-fair-boot-camp-reporting-for-duty-sir/#comments Wed, 27 Feb 2008 23:28:33 +0000 Steve http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2008/02/27/science-fair-boot-camp-reporting-for-duty-sir/ http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2008/02/27/science-fair-boot-camp-reporting-for-duty-sir/feed/ 00:01:01 Doubling the number of participants in science fairs is a personal goal of mine, mainly because of the approach taken to it by teachers. We often ... Doubling the number of participants in science fairs is a personal goal of mine, mainly because of the approach taken to it by teachers. We often tell kids that they have to participate in the upcoming science fair, but we haven't shown them how to do it. It's difficult to get good results when the process hasn't been modeled and the expectations haven't been spelled out. It's like if we told them to go outside and play soccer while handing them a ball but they didn't know how to play, let alone seen a game of it. So, here's one possible solution to the problem... The teachers at Wilder Elementary had each child in their respective class do the same experiment with guidance by the teacher. For example, each student in the second grade conducted the same plant growing experiment. The classroom teacher guided each student through the process, helped the student collect and interpret data and arrive at a conclusion that answered their starting question. The trial was a great success, involvement in the next science fair increased from previous years, and teachers were excited that the students were actually using the scientific method in a controlled setting. Sure, it's guided inquiry... but only through practice can we as teachers ever hope to move our students to a self-guided level. Full explanation of the "Science Fair Boot Camp" is available in the embedded podcast. Podcasts alyssa@stevespangler.com no No http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2007/06/28/anti-helium-no-its-just-sulfur-hexafluoride/ http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2007/06/28/anti-helium-no-its-just-sulfur-hexafluoride/#comments Thu, 28 Jun 2007 07:38:06 +0000 Steve http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2007/06/28/anti-helium-no-its-just-sulfur-hexafluoride/ http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2007/06/28/anti-helium-no-its-just-sulfur-hexafluoride/feed/ 00:01:01 It was fun to see David Wiley on The Tonight Show this evening doing some nice variations on the classic sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) demo. This ... It was fun to see David Wiley on The Tonight Show this evening doing some nice variations on the classic sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) demo. This is the inert gas that is six times heavier than the air we breath. If you breath in helium (six times lighter than the air we breath), the pitch of your voice goes up. However, if you breath sulfur hexafluoride (six time heavier than normal air), your voice sounds low. You'll find a complete explanation of the sulfur hexafluoride demo or anti-helium experiment as some call it in my experiment library. For the Tonight Show, David filled an open top plastic box with the gas and proceeded to float aluminum foil boats and bubbles on this very dense gas. These demos got a nice reaction from the audience. Instead of inhaling the SF6 gas from a balloon, David had Jay Leno dip his head down into the box and inhale some of the gas. As you might imagine, Jay had fun with his "Barry White" voice. After showing the heavy gas demo on 9News last year, Scott Merrick from Snacks4thebrain visited our lab in Englewood, Colorado to tape this video of the sulfur hexafluoride experiment for YouTube. Educating,,Podcasts,,Science,in,the,media alyssa@stevespangler.com no No http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2006/07/31/make-fire-viewer-answers-a-challenge/ http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2006/07/31/make-fire-viewer-answers-a-challenge/#comments Tue, 01 Aug 2006 04:21:50 +0000 Steve http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2006/07/31/make-fire-viewer-answers-a-challenge/ http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2006/07/31/make-fire-viewer-answers-a-challenge/feed/ http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2006/05/16/water-jelly-crystals-superabsorbent-polymers/ http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2006/05/16/water-jelly-crystals-superabsorbent-polymers/#comments Tue, 16 May 2006 17:56:12 +0000 Steve http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2006/05/16/water-jelly-crystals-superabsorbent-polymers/ http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2006/05/16/water-jelly-crystals-superabsorbent-polymers/feed/ http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2006/05/16/disappering-ink/ http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2006/05/16/disappering-ink/#comments Tue, 16 May 2006 17:07:40 +0000 Steve http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2006/05/16/disappering-ink/ http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2006/05/16/disappering-ink/feed/ http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2006/03/17/leprechauns-strike-again-with-green-water/ http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2006/03/17/leprechauns-strike-again-with-green-water/#comments Sat, 18 Mar 2006 04:02:45 +0000 Steve http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2006/03/17/leprechauns-strike-again-with-green-water/ http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2006/03/17/leprechauns-strike-again-with-green-water/feed/ 00:01:01 I will never forget St. Patrick#39;s Day 2006. This morning I woke to the screams of our almost four year old twins, Mark and Scott. ... I will never forget St. Patrick#39;s Day 2006. This morning I woke to the screams of our almost four year old twins, Mark and Scott. #34;Daddy, wake up! Look at what those Leprechauns did,#34; yelled Scott. I jumped out of bed to find the twins picking up green and gold coins that peppered the living room floor. Traces of gold dust covered the counter top, and a glass of water that was left next to the sink was now green. By this time, our seven year old, Jack, was scouring the house in search of more evidence of Leprechauns. #34;Mom! Dad! Bring the boys here. Look at what I found in the toilet,#34; screamed Jack. You guessed it... the toilet water was green. This was sufficient evidence for the twins that our home had been visited by Leprechauns - they took the bait hook, line and sinker. As I glanced over at Jack, I could see his wheels were spinning. While he never said anything out loud, his facial expression told me that he wasn#39;t buying this whole Leprechaun thing. #34;What do you think about those Leprechauns?#34; I asked. #34;Oh, it#39;s pretty cool,#34; Jack replied. Then he whispered to me, #34;Daddy... I kind of know that Mommy just colored the water with food coloring.#34; For the first time as a parent I felt his disappointment. He wanted so badly to believe, but his ability to think and reason was getting in the way of him believing in Leprechauns. My little boy was growing up - figuring things out - becoming wise to the ways of the world. In the mean time, Jack#39;s brothers were caught up in the frenzy, searching each toilet and sink for more green water. In a split second I had to respond. #34;Jack, you#39;re probably right. But let#39;s keep it our little secret... deal?#34; Jack seemed fine with the deal, but his face told a different story. The magic was gone. I walked Jack over to the kitchen sink and handed him an empty glass. #34;If Leprechauns were real, the water coming out of the faucet would be green,#34; I said, with a sense of defiance in my voice. Just then I turned on the faucet and the water began to flow... and it was green! #34;Oh my gosh! Daddy! It#39;s green! Mommy, come here... right now! Mark, Scott, get over here!#34; This time the screams of excitement were real. #34;Mommy, the Leprechauns are real. They really colored our water. Look at this...#34; A wonder sense of fun filled the house as the boys ran from faucet to faucet to check the water supply. In each case, the water came out green. Call me sappy, but I could feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up as I looked over at Mommy who was holding the glass of green water. #34;The water came out green,#34; Renee said, with a smirk on her face. #34;I know the Leprechauns must have visited last night.#34; But there#39;s more ... It#39;s probably best that you stop reading this if you#39;re one of those people who wants to believe. But if you want to know how we made the water turn green, keep reading. The secret is nothing more than a few coloring tablets secretly hidden in the screen of the faucet. The tablets are called Fizzy Tablets or True Color Tablets. You can find them on-line or occasionally at a department store. Don#39;t use Easter egg dye tablets because they stain!#160; Just unscrew the screen piece from the end of the faucet and dry the screen with a paper towel. Place a few of the coloring tablets in the reservoir and twist the screen piece back onto the end of the faucet. Some of the tablets only come in red, yellow and blue, so you#39;ll need to combine a blue and yellow tablet to make green. It#39;s that simple. When you turn on the water, the tablets dissolve and color the water. Remember that it only lasts for a short time before the coloring tablets completely dissolve, and the color is the most vivid during the first few seconds. Be sure to collect a sample in a cup to prove that it really happened! It#39;s amazing to me that something so small and easy to do ca Educating,,General,,Podcasts alyssa@stevespangler.com no No http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2006/03/12/the-bike-helmet-myth-slow-riders-dont-need-to-wear-helmets/ http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2006/03/12/the-bike-helmet-myth-slow-riders-dont-need-to-wear-helmets/#comments Mon, 13 Mar 2006 04:59:57 +0000 Steve http://www.stevespangler.com/?p=194 http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2006/03/12/the-bike-helmet-myth-slow-riders-dont-need-to-wear-helmets/feed/ 00:01:01 The Colorado State science fair judges were not the only ones who were impressed with Raleigh Burt, an 8th grader from Sargent Junior High School ... The Colorado State science fair judges were not the only ones who were impressed with Raleigh Burt, an 8th grader from Sargent Junior High School in Alamosa, Colorado. His first place, award-winning project caught the attention of many people who often wondered if they really needed to wear a bicycle helmet. After recording a podcast interview with Raleigh several weeks ago, I invited him to join me on 9News 4 O'Clock Show to demonstrate his ingenious contraption in person. Raleigh agreed to share his project write-up on-line to give people a chance to see the research and data behind his conclusion. Download Dangerous Decision: The Consideration For Helmet Use At Any Speed (1.1 MB) The project grabs your attention from the opening lines... Would you voluntarily run at a full sprint headfirst into a brick wall? Now, think of sitting on a bicycle without a helmet, and then tip over with a little over a second to intervene before your bare head hits the ground. Which sounds worse? Despite the fact that bicycle helmets are considered the single best means of protecting cyclists from the leading causes of head injuries and death, many people still choose not to wear them stating that: "I don't ride fast enough to need a helmet."? That is the choice many riders make to become one of the 67,000 cyclists who will suffer a head injury this year. From the height of a recreational riding position, a simple tip-over fall can create enough speed and energy to cause substantial damage to the human head and brain. In other words, it is the height of the potential fall and not just the speed the cyclist is traveling where the threat of injury exists. Raleigh Burt was the 2005 Junior Division Best Individual Project Winner. If you want to know what it really takes to be a state champion, you owe it to yourself to download his full report. Oh, by the way, it doesn't matter how fast you're riding your bike... wear your helmet. Educating,,General,,Podcasts alyssa@stevespangler.com no No http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2006/03/03/raleigh-burt-colorado-state-science-fair-winner/ http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2006/03/03/raleigh-burt-colorado-state-science-fair-winner/#comments Fri, 03 Mar 2006 18:12:54 +0000 Steve http://www.stevespangler.com/?p=189 http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/2006/03/03/raleigh-burt-colorado-state-science-fair-winner/feed/