Monthly Archives: October 2009

Unbelievably Believable

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On this day in 1938, our fragile, blue planet was savagely invaded by unyielding monsters from Mars. No one would have believed that our world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than our own. Creatures from beyond our world were intent on enslaving and consuming everyone. The mysterious alien overlords looked down upon our planet and decided that rural New Jersey was a perfect spot for an invasion.

Well, not really.

Many people tuning into a special Halloween episode of the American radio drama anthology series Mercury Theatre on the Air didn’t pay attention and subsequently believed what they heard. For some, it seemed as if the end of human civilization was at hand. Panic ensued. In actuality, the invasion was merely an adaptation of H. G. Wells‘ novel The War of the Worlds being broadcast over the Columbia Broadcasting System radio network. The entire event was directed and narrated by Orson Welles.

What started out as entertainment became a historical lesson in the importance of critical thinking. Why did so many people loose all sense of reality and come to the conclusion that beings from another world were successfully overtaking the earth? Today, this sort of behavior seems ridiculous. A 1995 National Geographic article about the event points out the radio dramatization genuinely replicated how radio worked in a state of emergency. Furthermore, according to sociologist Robert E. Bartholomew in his 1998 treatise, The Martian Panic Sixty Years Later: What Have We Learned, the vividness of descriptions from the radio drama (specific details such as smells, sights, sounds, et cetera) and the overactive imagination of the listeners generated panic on a massive scale.

With fright night just around the corner, why not listen to the broadcast and ponder the necessity of careful listening? Eager audiophiles can access the historical (some might even say hysterical) recording at the sites below:

Related links:

Compare and Contrast on a Grand Scale

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The folks responsible for the University of Utah‘s outstanding Learn Genetics site are on to something big–and it’s small! The smart minds behind Learn Genetics understand the importance of being able to compare and contrast. Good scientists (heck, good thinkers for that matter) must be adept at identifying, analyzing, explaining, and using information about similarities and differences. In order to help students understand the relative size of the key players in genetic events, the Learn Genetics site has an engaging Cell Size and Scale interactive resource.

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Related links:

H1N1 Tracking Goes Viral

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Educators and students are visiting the CDC’s  2009 H1N1 Flu website for frequent updates. They’re using technology to enrich their understanding of the disease. That’s fortunate. Why? Science Daily and other sources report that computer models indicate a rapid vaccine rollout is effective in reducing infection rates; however, frustrating shortages of the H1N1 vaccine make the quick and thorough vaccination of the population unlikely. Help your pupils make better health-related choices. Teach them how to use FluTracker to keep up with the spread of the disease.

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Back By Popular Demand: Trends

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Two weeks ago, I wrote a post describing how 21st century educators use technology to take a digital pulse of popular culture. I mentioned a site called What the Trend. Today, while I was talking to an acquaintance who works for Google, she kindly pointed out that Google Labs has a nifty resource for comparing and contrasting the popularity of ideas. Upon checking out this resource, I was hooked. To use Google Trends, supply a few related terms (using commas to separate them) and click the Search Trends button. For example, I jokingly supplied bacon, lettuce, and tomato. What I got in return was the following graph.

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In terms of search, bacon seems to be gaining in popularity these days though the term tomato was of some importance to folks over the last few years. Admittedly, my example is silly. Think, however, how this resource could be used to generate questions about a number of topics being discussed in schools throughout the world. For example, in a social studies class, pupils might compare trends in terms of Mesopotamia, Indus Valley, and ancient Egypt.

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In a language arts class, a teacher might ask students to conduct a little investigation about the popularity of titles by the same author. While studying a lesson on health, learners could examine trends surrounding obesity and anorexia. Google Trends has the potential to generate higher-level thinking and excellent discussions.

XO So Easy Update

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Photo via Curiouslee

XO laptop image courtesy of Curiouslee

Last night, I completed a no-fail update of the operating system on an XO laptop. If you have students who are using an XO machine, I highly recommend this approach. The update was simple and had the laptop up and running within 30 minutes. I’m brushing up on my XO skills because I’m eagerly following Engadget‘s story about Uruguay’s nationwide OLPC education initiative.

Water, Water Everywhere?

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I discovered the CUAHSI Hydrologic Information System after listening to today’s episode of EarthSky on Georgia Public Radio. This looks like a useful resource for collecting real-world data for use in biology and environmental science classrooms. For example, if students are collecting information for a science fair project about the level of nitrogen in watersheds, they can turn to the Hydroseek search engine.

Thinking BAD Thoughts: Blog Action Day 2009

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bad-180-150 It’s Blog Action Day! As you read this, more than 7000 BAD bloggers around the world are uniting to deliver and echo a similar message: climate change impacts us all and we must act responsibly to address it. The message is not one of doom and gloom. It’s a recognition that humans are contributing to the planet’s atmospheric change and an acknowledgment that we can all take steps to mitigate the results of our collective behavior.

What’s that? What? You don’t agree? You don’t think climate change is a big deal? That’s okay. Skepticism is a useful trait. A good dose of it makes for a healthy mind. Skeptical people can use the scientific method. Individuals and groups who debate, downplay, deride, or deny the impact of climate change can join in BAD. Why? It provides a chance to engage in a healthy, skeptical examination of the claims being made today. Everyone has an opportunity to examine data and think critically about the past, present, and future effects of climate.

Why not help students apply the scientific method using a number of technology-related resources. Here are a few worth investigating:

  • TckTckTck is a worldwide alliance of civil society organizations, trade unions, faith groups, and everyday people that are all calling for climate change agreement. Host to the Climate Orb, the site shares powerful stories of the impact of climate change through an animated interactive tool that contains first-hand accounts searchable by country, keyword and timeframe.
  • The Data Distribution Centre (DDC) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) provides climate, socio-economic and environmental data, both from the past and also in scenarios projected into the future. Check out the data visualization services of the site.
  • The Nature Conservancy‘s informative Planet Change site gives visitors a chance to learn about climate change.
  • Kids vs Global Warming is a non profit organization founded and led by 14 year old Alec Loorz.  Alec is passionate about helping other kids learn about the science of global warming.

The Bigger Picture: Public Domain Images

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Many commercial software packages contain all kinds of clip art. Over time, learners become dependent on the ready-made store of images. Instead of promoting such behavior, introduce your classroom to the Open Clip Art Library and other similar sites. Encourage young scholars to use pieces of clip art and images that are free of copyright restraints. This is especially if important if students are participating in events such as science fairs where their media-rich products may end up being broadcast or released to audiences beyond the confines of your classroom and school.

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The best way to avoid copyright issues is to have students capture and/or create their own images. If they do not or cannot capture and/or create their own pictures, they can search for copyright-free images from the following sites:

Site

Terms and usage
http://edupic.net/ Free for use by educational professionals and the students they serve without permission
http://gallery.usgs.gov/

See also:

http://gallery.usgs.gov/other_sites.asp

http://origin-www.usgs.gov/visual-id/credit_usgs.html

 Most USGS-authored or produced data and information are considered to be in the U.S. public domain. Some non USGS photographs, images, and/or graphics that appear on USGS Web sites are used by the USGS with permission from the copyright holder. These materials are generally marked as being copyrighted.
http://libraryphoto.cr.usgs.gov/ All photographs within this collection are public domain; therefore, signed releases, permissions, and payment for use or reproduction are not required. For any use made of a photograph, credit should be given to the individual photographer and the U.S. Geological Survey.
http://phil.cdc.gov/phil/home.asp

Public Health Image Library (PHIL)

 Most of the images in the collection are in the public domain and are thus free of any copyright restrictions. If you look directly beneath the image you will see a fair use statement that tells you if the image is public domain or copyright protected.
http://photo.itc.nps.gov/storage/images/index.html

National Parks

 All images posted on this site are free, and may be used without a copyright release from the National Park Service.
http://tinyurl.com/usdaimageshttp://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/ All of the photographic images are USDA property and, consequently, are in the public domain. For questions about copyright issues, please contact Alice Welch at 202-720-0901 or alice.welch@usda.gov
http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/bpd.html Many of the images in this web site are considered public domain and may be used without further authorization from the BLM if photographic credit to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in the following manner:

Bureau of Land Management, or
BLM/Photo By (if known), or
BLM/State or Field Office (if known)
http://www.fws.gov/digitalmedia A wide assortment of selected images, publications, video and audio clips that are in the public domain. You are free to use them as you wish – no permission is necessary. Site does ask that you give credit to the photographer or creator and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
http://www.fws.gov/digitalmedia Not all the information on this site is in the public domain. Some images/graphics are licensed for use under the copyright law. Such content is identified as material used from sources outside the Service.
http://www.morguefile.com/archive/ Varies: ranges from freedom to adapt the work, use the work for commercial purposes, and use without attributing the original author
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/for_images/imagegall.htm The images in the collection are in the public domain and are thus free of any copyright restrictions.
http://www.pdclipart.org/ Images have been collected from sources which either place their images in the public domain, abandon their copyright, or have expired copyright and are considered to be freely available for any use by the public.
http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/mvey/index.htmlhttp://www.photolib.noaa.gov/collections.html Most NOAA photos and slides are in the public domain. Educational use is encouraged. The few photos in the NOAA Photo Library that are known to have copyright restrictions are so noted in the caption information associated with those images.
Credit MUST be given to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce. Where a photographer is noted, credit the photographer and his/her affiliated organization as well.
http://www.pics4learning.com/ May be used by teachers and students in print, multimedia, and video productions
http://www.public-domain-photos.com/ All photos on this web site are public domain. You may use these images for any purpose, including commercial.
http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/ All pictures are free for commercial and personal use
http://www.reusableart.com/ All of the images appearing on this site are copyright free and in the public domain in the United States, in countries that are part of the Berne Convention and any country that grants copyrights to artists up to 70 years after their death. As these images are out of copyright and now in the public domain, they can be used for anything you wish with no restrictions.

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