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Monthly Archives: July 2009
Famous Physicists
Want to add historical context to the study of physics? If so, check out the growing library of transcripts of oral history interviews held at the Niels Bohr Library and Archives. All this goodness comes to the world via the American Institute of Physics. Enjoy!
Related resources:
- HyperPhysics will have you bouncing off the walls!
- Think you know everything there is to know about physics? Some folks might be inclined to disagree. Check out the Skeptic’s Guide to Physics for intriguing views.
Sounds Like a Good Concept to Me
Get ready for music-powered microfluidics. Why? Scientists want to get a better handle on controlling the movement of tiny droplets of fluid using sound. Doing so could speed up medical diagnostics and the discovery of new medicines.
Setting the Right Tone for Learning: ToneMatrix
Playing with sound is fun. Don’t believe me? Check out ToneMatrix over at aM Laboratory and you’ll immediately understand what I’m talking about. In fact, there a number of intriguing items worthy of inspection in Andre Michelle‘s repository of cognitive coolness.
Aside from just being wonderfully fun to play with and listen to, ToneMatrix is an excellent example of what learning ought to be like. The people I’ve talked to tell me that it’s practically addictive. Why isn’t learning about Mathematics, Science, History, Literature, and other academic pursuits like this? What does it take to make exploring a concept, process, or viewpoint habit-forming? Any thoughts?
Related links:
- If you like ToneMatrix, look at a project called Muxicall. It was created by Diana Antunes as part of her work for the New Technologies of Communication degree at the University of Aveiro in Portugal. A particularly spiffy feature of Muxicall is that Diana integrates ideas proposed by good old Sir Isaac Newton (1642–1727) creating a pleasing, visible interface between notes of music and color.
Off the Charts: Having Fun with Data Analysis
Today, I attended a conference in Robertsdale, Alabama. While I was there, I got to share two of my favorite resources for exploring and practicing data analysis: Chart Chooser and Swivel.
The Writing on the Wall: Graffiti Creator
Today, I shared one of my favorite sites with a few new friends. The teachers I was speaking to asked me to share an interesting way to communicate an idea. I smiled and said, “Write it on a wall.” My friends laughed. Afterward, I showed them how Graffiti Creator can make a written idea a little more noticable and fun.
To make the image below, I used Graffiti Creator to create the graffiti. Next, I used a free screen capture program (Jing or ScreenHunter Free, take your pick) to snap a picture of my creation. Finally, I fired up GIMP, opened up an image of a brick wall, and dropped my custom-made graffiti in a layer on top of it.
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Fly Me to the Moon: Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Lunar Landing
On this day in 1969 (only a month before the Woodstock Festival drew national attention and four months before kids began looking for the way to Sesame Street),
- Eddy Merckx won the Tour de France
- Carol Mann won the LPGA Danbury Lady Carling Golf Open
- In the Year 2525 (Exordium and Terminus), by the Lincoln, Nebraska duo Denny Zager and Rick Evans was the hottest single playing on the radio (the tune eventually reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks)
- many viewers settled down to watch Sunday evening television programs such as
- and Project Apollo (also known as Apollo 11) successfully landed on the Moon. At 10:56 p.m. EDT, Neil A. Armstrong, an American astronaut, spoke to more than a billion people eagerly listening back on Earth. He said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.“
Later Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the lunar surface.
Integrate a little technology, drop by NASA’s official Apollo 40th Anniversary site and celebrate this historic event. It’s easy! Thanks to “spin-off” innovations that resulted from America’s exploration of space and subsequent mission to the moon, sharing and retrieving information is simple. What are you waiting for? Blast off!
Related resources:
- Land on Google Moon and take a look around.
- Watch video clips of Apollo 11 moon exploration.
- Wanna simulate the experience? You can at We Choose the Moon!
Keep an Eye on Poli Sci with Watchdog.net
Trying to help students get a better handle on Civics and Government? If so, consider teaching pupils how to use Watchdog.net to get a better picture of elected officials. This site handily collects information about votes, lobbying records, and campaign finance reports related to representatives and makes everything available in one place.
Related resource:
- Make a point to explore the Center for Civic Education. This site helps students learn more about the history and structure of the government of the United States.
Perk Up Instruction–Add CoFFEE to Your Learning Resources
Want to support collaborative problem-solving discussions in your classroom? Check out CoFFEE. This suite of applications offers free tools that make it easier for students to complete individual work, share work, collaborate, and communicate ideas.
Special Delivery…to Mars! or, How to Be Well-Read about the Red Planet
Although you won’t get to visit the red planet, your name might make it. Integrate a little technology and it’s easy. How? Drop by NASA‘s nifty Mars Science Laboratory site, supply a little information, and your name could be included (along with a few others) on a microchip aboard Curiosity, the Mars Science Laboratory rover that’s destined to blast off for Mars in 2011.
Related resources:
To get a better idea of the topography of Mars, examine Google Mars. Better yet, check out Mars in Google Earth!
If Mars is on your mind, consider exploring some famous science fiction stories that take place upon the mysterious fourth planet. A few titles worth reading are referenced below.
Take a gander at any and/or all of the exciting Barsoom tales penned by author Edgar Rice Burroughs, who also introduced the world to Tarzan. A few books in the series are available online via Project Gutenberg. They are:
- A Princess of Mars (or the Librivox digital audio files of the book)
- The Gods of Mars (or the Librivox digital audio files of the book)
- Warlord of Mars (or the Librivox digital audio files of the book)
- Thuvia, Maid of Mars (or the Librivox digital audio files of the book)
- The Chessmen of Mars (or the Librivox digital audio files of the book)
Lest you think John Carter was the first man from Earth to visit Mars, take a look at Edwin Lester Linden Arnold‘s admittedly quirky, odd yet intriguing Gulliver of Mars (also available in pdf format via the Nostalgia League as well the e-text edition at Project Gutenberg).
Many readers are often surprised to learn that the author of the Chronicles of Narnia, writer C. S. Lewis, also tried his hand at science-fiction. Lewis penned the book Out of the Silent Planet, part of the Space Trilogy, about one Dr. Elwin Ransom and his fantastic journey to Malacandra (otherwise known as Mars).
One can’t talk about Mars in literature without mentioning the exquisite works of Ray Bradbury. In his stirring collection of tales, The Martian Chronicles, Bradbury turns the classic sci-fi invasion trope on its head. Strange interlopers from barbaric Earth overrun and devastate the enlightened planet Mars. Bradbury’s tales, along with other stories, were made into episodes that aired on Dimension X , an NBC radio program that broadcast from 1950 to 1951. You’ll find a few of his stories (along with other sc-fi gems) at OldTimeRadioDownloads.