Cross-Continental Collaboration

Fire and Ice. This is the name of a project that connects students from the northern hemisphere with students in the southern hemisphere. The “fire” represents the students in the southern hemisphere and “ice” students in the northern hemisphere. The goal of this project was to demonstrate that, despite their differences, both hemispheres face environmental issues that are similar to one another. The course offers students the opportunity to collaborate with one another on topics such as peace, poverty, and climate change. The students’ present different issues they face to the other schools across the word. In return the other schools work, give suggestions and information on how to solve such problems. For example, a school in Africa used the idea of plants helping to provide oxygen to water from a school in Washington to help them solve their problem of erosion and desertification. Technology made it possible for the students to meet others from around the world. Instead of reading about the different regions of the world students were able to interact and learn from people their own age that lived in those particular regions. Computers have allowed us to expand our knowledge way beyond the classroom and make what we teach meaning full for the students.

TED review

Ann Marie Thomas is a mother and faculty member at the University of St. Thomas. She is the director of a laboratory at the school that works with a team of students in engineering design. Ann Marie is a strong believer of hands on education and with her team, looks into the playful side of engineering. One of her recent ideas is teaching about electronics using play dough. She came about this idea while trying to teach her younger daughter and struggling to find the right tools to do so. She used the conductive properties of two different types of homemade play dough to create circuits. One type of play dough conducted electricity while the other resisted it. Students can use simple battery packs and LED lights to conduct simple circuits. The lesson can also be modified by using small motors and microprocessors to teacher older students about concepts such as parallel and series circuits and power loads. This idea allowed her to use simple items found in most kitchens to teach the basics of electricity.  It is an inexpensive and simple, hands-on activity, that science teachers can use in their classrooms.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/annmarie_thomas_squishy_circuits.html

Ocean Games

This article is about two online games from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that engage middle school students in costal and ocean ecosystems. This is a great resource for middle school students to use because it is in a game format and most middle schoolers enjoy games! The first game is called, “Where the River Meets the Sea.” In this game the students explore the estuary, they learn about habitat ecology and restoration, water pollution, and marine debris. A few positives of the game are; builds skills and raise their awareness of the importance of estuaries, water quality, tides, and local support to protect estuaries. Hopefully the by the end of the game the students will recognize the importance of estuaries, the threats they face and how students can help.

The second game in this series is called, “Sea Turtles and the Quest to Nest.” The objective of this game is to educate students about the hardships sea turtles endure to nest and survive. The game teaches about coastal habitat, food chain, and complex coastal issues that affect sea turtles, including human threats. The students will evaluate, explore, and engage in making decisions that increase their awareness and understanding of coastal and ocean issues.

http://games.noaa.gov