Space Math!

As we live in a climate of, "Teach to the standards," the difficulties in teaching now tend towards engaging students in curriculum that is not, in itself, engaging.  This week, I come to you from the Goddard Space Center, near DC, where I am participating in a STEM teachers' conference.  Today, I find myself in a lecture with Dr. Sten Odenwald, NASA's man for all things in space math education.

While I sit here drowning in a sea of Greek characters and hypothetical quantities, you benefit, as I am able to bring you SpaceMath@NASA.

Consider how fascinated your students are by black holes and the search for life on other planets and apply that to teaching your math standards.  It's all there in fantastic, FREE booklets with questions that you can work through with your students.  I'm talking to you too, Elementary School Teachers!  He has something for everyone!  You can download whole PDF books of problems by clicking on the "Problem Books" tab at the top.

And, if you like what you see here, you can also get some great astronomy books and other useful tools by Dr. Odenwald for reasonable prices at the astronomy cafe.  

The push for technology in education is hard right now, and science equipment is so expensive!  Here's a great alternative to thousands of dollars worth of digital microscopes.

Moticam X

From Motic, where the best science stuff is born, comes the best digital camera yet.  A small (approx. 4" square) box fits over any monocular scope and transmits the image to any wireless device with the free app.  The applications for this are endless and, for the price of one digital scope, now any scope can be not only digital, but wireless!

                       Moticam X

Keeping the Paint on the Walls

Does this sound familiar?  Instead of using oil-based paint to paint over existing oil-based paint, the contractors decided to use cheaper, latex paint to pad the budget.  Now, if you so much as put your hand on the wall for too long the paint peels like sunburned skin. 

I'm right there with you.  Duct tape doesn't come off clean (or at all in most cases).  There are only so many tack marks you can leave in a wall.  Masking tape and plasti-tac come off clean, but they can take the paint with them and, even if they leave the paint, they often leave behind a grease mark.

So, here are my two solutions......

Removable Poster Tape (Mavelous Tape)

Pros:  As advertised, it comes off clean on even the most horrible paint jobs.  It's cheap and disposable, so you only have to store the clean rolls (instead of dirt laden balls of old plasti-tac).

Cons:  While its great for hanging short term projects, it doesn't last forever and, like regular tape, it picks up debris, and looses its adhesion, very easily.

Command Hooks Replacement Adhesives

Pros:  These little bits of wonder will stick FOREVER and remove cleanly from any surface, as long as you follow the directions. 

Cons:  $3.00-$4.00 isn't a bad price, but if you're using them to hang student artwork, papers, etc. the cost can add up.  I'd save these little gems for the posters you're going to keep up all year.

Kudos to the Dollar Tree

I hadn't planned on doing a post like this, but I was out shopping and the Dollar Tree made me so happy, I just had to share it with everyone.  .  .

You probably already know that your local Dollar Tree (the one where everything is actually a dollar) has a teacher section.  I often buy my bulletin board borders and letters there.  This week, I found great posters to hang on the wall of my seventh grade classroom.  If you're having the same problems I'm having (and student populations are generally similar, right?), then you'll want to stop in.  2 for $1.00 small posters about bullying, gossip, recycling, and more.  There's even one about covering your mouth when you cough that actually suggests coughing into your elbow! 

So, maybe the little things excite me, but I bet there's someone else getting excited too.  .  .

The Search for Whiteboard Markers

With the advent of building renovations, I'm having my first whiteboard experience this year.  Since my old chalkboards were brown, and yellow/white chalk was difficult to see, I was anxious for students to finally be able to read the board.  .   .so much for dreaming, ha ha ha.  .  .

I can't seem to find whiteboard markers that don't wear out rather quickly.  I mean, we only just finished the first nine weeks:  how many sets of markers am I going to have to buy in a year?  Here's what my search has found so far:

Exp Low Odor Dry Erase Markers

Pro:  The comfortable handle is really much better than others, if that kind of thing matters to you.  There's a tiny eraser on the lid of the marker that comes in pretty handy for little mistakes.  The "low odor" part is true; I can barely smell these.  The set also came with a white "doctor" eraser that might come in handy if your board takes some abuse.

Con:  These markers don't fit in my neat little Darwin marker holder, ha ha ha.  Really, though, the important downfall is that these markers run low when you have to write a lot (as in a board full of notes).  For simple reminders and such, they're fine, but not for everyday, steady use.

Expo Washable Neon Markers 

Pro:  They're very pretty colors, which is why I bought them.

Con:  They begin to run out very quickly.  The colors don't show up well on the board AT ALL and yellow?  Give me a break!

Classroom Select Dry Erase Markers

Pro:  This set come with green!  Nice change in a science room.  These stay strong for boards worth of notes, but they're starting to run out as well.

Con:  The bottoms come off these pretty easily and then you've got marker all over your hands. 


Like I said, I'm new to whiteboards, so I'd love to hear what your experiences and preferences are!

What's what in DNA Models. . .

Anyone who's been looking knows that there are a few (ha ha ha) choices for teachers looking for DNA models.  There are so many things to consider when choosing a good model, that it's often hard to decide what's important and what can go by the wayside. 

For my money, I prefer to use two different DNA models in conjunction with each other.  Both are resonably priced and using different models insures that students understand the material and not just the model!  I prefer Carolina Biological's DNA Modeling Kit and K'nex brand DNA Models. 

Carolina Biological's DNA Modeling Kit
Pros:  This is a great model for showing bonding between the neucleotides.  Students have to understand which are joined by double and which are joined by triple bonds.  The model itself is flexible and hardy and it comes with so many pieces that you can loose a few and not have to worry.  This kit also comes with a nice booklet with some activities that can be done using the model.

Cons:  Its not a flashy model and it comes in a ziploc plastic bag, so don't look for the students' interest to be peaked right away.  This model takes a little more instruction than others because students aren't necessarily willing to get in there and start building.  The pieces to this model are also very small, so it would not be appropriate for young children. 

K'nex DNA Modeling Kit

Pros:  Students are already familiar with the K'nex name in toys, so even older students are eager to get their hands on this one.  This model is great for modeling the double helix and students create a nice, showy example.  This kit also allows for transcription activities as well, since it includes pieces to represent mRNA.

Cons:  There aren't enough pieces in this kit that you can afford to loose any of them.  The actual composition of the sugar-phosphate backbone is a little unclear, if this is the only model you are using.  There's nothing to indicate the difference between double and triple bonds on this one either.


Got a favorite DNA model that you use in your classroom?  Comment here and tell us why you like it.  Think your DNA model is a joke?  Let us know that too!