November 13, 2008

Mentos Geyser Used to Launch Beaker 20 Feet

It was quite a week for our Spangler Science team when we invaded Texas with 24 staff members and Spangler Ambassadors. Half the team headed to Fort Worth for CAST (the Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching) and half the team went to Dallas for NAEYC ( the National Association for the Education of Young Children). While our NAEYC team was launching Mentos geysers on the Boy in a Box, the CAST team also found a unique way to use the Geyser Tube... launching our favorite scientist, Beaker , 30-feet in the air in the Geyser Chamber. It was quite a sight at the Spangler Science booth when Beaker when shooting through the air on a stream of Diet Coke. When the team wasn't launching stuffed Muppets, they were busy talking with excited science teachers and even presenting workshops at the conference. Spangler Speaker Julie Gintzler presented her Chicka, Chicka - KABOOM workshop. The eager participants were more than a little excited when Julie pulled out the amazing Square Bubble and the "magical" Spot Dot Thumb... now there's way … (more...)

August 7, 2005

Teachers need learning too - say yes to staff development

I think the #1 thing an elementary teacher can do today to be a better teacher is to go to as many professional staff development opportunities as possible. The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) conference is one of the best to prepare you to teach science. Imagine thousands of teachers in one place, all focused on one area -to help children think like a scientist. It all boils down to this. How do we prepare kids for the real world and help them to think critically, and to help make decisions that make the world a better place. Beg, plead, borrow... whatever you need to do to go to one of those conferences. You'll be hooked. You will realize how important it is to be at the cutting edge of science education. If you don't know anything about the NSTA, go to www.nsta.org for more information. Listen to my podcast on professional development for teachers (File size is 1.4 MB) (Show length 2 minutes 54 seconds)

April 3, 2005

Teachers Advocate Stealing?

I just returned from the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) convention in Dallas and the experience was fantastic. The convention organizers knocked everyone's socks off with a first rate conference. But there was one little probelm. What was the "buzz" this year among teachers? In a word, stealing. The convention opened with the general session speaker who told the packed audience of over 4,000 K-12 teachers to "steal their way to success." Of course, "stealing" refers to the taking of another person's teaching ideas, lesson plans, classroom management practices or their favorite science demonstration in hopes of becoming a better teacher. The keynote speaker concluded with, "... if you didn't like this speech, I'm not offended because I stole it!" This theme of theft prevailed throughout the conference as presenter after presenter jokingly recommended this sort of tongue and cheek robbery. On my way to a session, a teacher stopped me and said, "I just wanted to let you know that I've stolen all of your ideas! They're great." This was intended to be a compliment, I think. However, my response caught her off guard. "How could you have stolen the ideas if I gave them to you in my … (more...)

April 2, 2005

Great Workshop at NSTA 2005

What do you get when you cram 83 teachers into a small room with an endless supply of kitchen chemistry ingredients? You get an outstanding teacher workshop at the NSTA 2005 convention in Dallas. Kathy Denman, Mary Pat Weingardt, and John Walsh presented a great workshop entitled, "Eye-catching Demos Guaranteed to Get Kids Excited About Learning." This picture was taken just seconds after the eruption of a giant Mentos Fountain. Kathy shared her experiences connecting science with popular pieces of children's literature. On his way to the convention, John Walsh discovered that the TSA agents at the airport also like science. That's why they decided to keep (confiscate) over half of his demos. But John's a true pro and pulled together some great demos centered around light and optical illusions. John finshed up with a vinegar-powered rocket that lauched nicely, but covered the entire front row in residue! Mary Pat Weingardt presented a wonderful collection of classic pieces of children's literature and build solid connections to hands-on science activities. It's no wonder Mary Pat is a Presidential Award recipient in math and science.

April 1, 2005

10,315 Missing Teachers

If your child's science teacher is not at school today, I'll put 10 to 1 odds that you'll find the teacher in Dallas, Texas. Why? It's the gathering place for close to 25,000 of the best science teachers in the world! Dallas is host to the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) convention. Just to give you an idea of the size of the event, the exhibit hall is over 1,000,000 square feet with almost 3,000 vendors. The best part of the convention, however, is the huge number of teacher workshops. Any given hour there are more than 60 concurrent workshops... and you can only pick one. My day started early on Thursday with an 8:00 AM presentation to about 450 teachers and I haven't stopped but for a few seconds to pour a little Starbucks into my veins for nourishment. If you want to learn more about NSTA, visit their website at www.nsta.org.