One day Jared was teaching about the boiling points of common liquids. The year was 1999, and students had to take his word for it when he said those points would vary slightly in the mountains of Nepal versus coastal Miami. Imagine if those students could have investigated the phenomenon collaboratively with peers across the globe. Nowadays, they can.

Meeting the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards makes it possible for students to become global collaborators. The Global Collaborator standard articulates that students should:

• use digital tools to connect with learners from various backgrounds and cultures;
• use collaborative technologies to work with others, including peers, experts, or community members, to examine issues and problems from multiple viewpoints;
• contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal; and
• explore local and global issues and work with others to investigate solutions (ISTE 2016).

Global perspectives
Two strategies can help foster a global approach in our science classrooms. First, students must have a basic understanding of the perspectives of others and the research work of scientists across the globe.

Google can enable this strategy, but standard search results are specific to the student’s own country. To search another nation, find its country code (a part of URLs), to identify the country of origin. NASA offers a comprehensive list. Then, to find search results for a specific country, follow the search terms with “site:.countrycode.” So, the search “Human impact on climate change,” for instance, becomes “Human impact on climate change site:.cn” to bring up results from China. The search results will be much different from those in our own region.

Global classrooms
After students begin to understand the perspectives of others, the second strategy is to have them conduct science inquiry with global communities, where they work together, share results, compare-contrast data, and evaluate their findings.

Find relevant resources within the citizen science movement. National Geographic has a web page dedicated to citizen science projects that will help students connect with others. The Teaching Resources section of that page offers activities, lessons, and educator guides to walk your class through their first citizen science exploration.

Wikipedia has a fantastic list of citizen science projects created by a global community of contributors. Virtually anyone can join the projects within their own classroom. Citizen seismology, to give one example, helps students understand the tectonic movement of our Earth and allows scientists to better predict earthquakes and provide warnings to communities in the most affected areas.

The website www.scistarter.com is famous for a project that involved adding sensors to packages shipped across the globe just to see what types of environmental conditions and abuse those shipments experience going from point A to point B. Students can search the site for projects that pique their interest. To search for a project via a more kid-friendly interface, go to www.pbskids.org/scigirls/citizen-science. Or, students can propose a project of their own to the larger scientific community at http://bit.ly/2jsBrLy.

Conclusion
When students explore and learn with others from around the world, they become global collaborators, developing the skills that may help us solve the most challenging scientific problems of the coming decades.

Ben Smith (ben@edtechinnovators.com) is an educational technology program specialist, and Jared Mader (jared@edtechinnovators.com) is the director of educational technology, for the Lincoln Intermediate Unit in New Oxford, Pennsylvania. They conduct teacher workshops on technology in the classroom nationwide.

Reference
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). 2016. The 2016 ISTE standards for students. Arlington, VA: ISTE. http://bit.ly/ISTE-standards.

Editor’s Note

This article was originally published in the March 2017 issue of The Science Teacher journal from the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA).

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Imagine a little white box of about 30 cubic centimeters or a third of the size of a deck of cards. And only 23 grams. Now imagine that that little box can effortlessly and wirelessly measure and share data about motion, acceleration, angular velocity, magnetic fields, pressure, altitude, and temperature all streaming on demand to your phone, tablet, or computer.

The battery-powered PocketLab shares information with a Bluetooth-connected tablet or phone. The PocketLab App makes connection easy, and then the simplified interface that makes visualizing data enjoyable. But that’s not the best part. What really drops jaws is when the PockeLab combines efforts with the smartphone or tablet’s camera. When the two work together creating an augmented reality perspective that has a graphical overlay on what the camera sees. What that means is that you can both see the data as it is collected at the same time you see what is creating the data. 

The Nevada Ready 21 program zeroed in on the PocketLab for their statewide tech integration that used the Chromebooks as its tech hub. According to the NR21 website, “PocketLab® is a science lab that connects to the CTL NL6 Chromebook and fits in a pocket. PocketLab allows students to explore the world and build science experiments using integrated sensors including: Accelerometer; Gyroscope; Magnetometer: Pressure and Temperature. PocketLab has many of the same features as lab equipment that costs thousands of dollars but is simple to use, deploy and manage and is included with the CTL NL6 Education Chromebook as part of CTL’s solution for NR21.”

The PocketLab is a collection of microsensors piled into a small battery-operated Bluetooth-enabled rectangular block. Controlling the block with an App, the student can choose any of the sensors and collect realtime data with it. 

The PocketLab App’s augmented reality tangent is accessed through a little icon in the upper right that connects the phone/tablet camera with the App. Instantly the data stream is overlaid in graphical form on top of a video stream of what is generating the data (or wherever the camera is pointed). 

One issue to note, however is that to combine the graphical data over the video takes time to render. It’s a slow process where in my tests it took about 12 seconds of rendering time for each second of videographing. So a minute of videography will take 12 minutes of rendering.

Here is the operating manual for iOS. And for Android. And Chromebook.

The PocketLab runs on a single CR2032 button battery that is easily replaceable. Its expected that a student will get between 40 and 400 hours of PocketLab operation out of one battery depending on data rate and sensors used. Here’s a video of how to change the battery.

The Pocket lab sells for about $98 for one, with discounts for multiple units and classroom sets. Although PocketLab should take a drop up to two meters, a silicon bumper case is available as well for those rougher assignments.

The future looks bright for the PocketLab family with several new additions on the horizon. Due to a successful Indiegogo campaign, The PocketLab Voyager and The PocketLab Weather have onboard memory to collect data on their own, and then share via Bluetooth when the PocketLab returns from it’s adventure.

From the Indiegogo Website:

The creativity of experimental design is set free with the PocketLab. But when coloring between the lines, PocketLab provides a helpful guide to connect activities with the New Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

And here is a small taste of PocketLab examples posted on YouTube. 

https://youtu.be/QOjGu_gqX7U

https://youtu.be/9lZQXj-arpw

https://youtu.be/XS0dMciFVX4

https://youtu.be/nPbLYXof1p8

https://youtu.be/r4h21MZN9DI

https://youtu.be/PrBH-yHs2mc

I teach fifth and sixth grade science, and I’m finding it hard to balance teaching, grad school, and family responsibilities. Are there any secrets for this? —E., Washington

Everyone’s situation varies, so unfortunately there are no universal secrets. It may help to prioritize activities into essential, nice-if–you-can-get-to-it, and back burner.

Your family and your health are essentials. However, teachers realize that some family celebrations have to be rescheduled for the weekends, and “vacations” are often spent at informal science sites for personalized professional development. Teachers often attend their kids’ sporting events with papers to grade or reading to do. Some housework and hobbies may have to go on the back burner for now, but please make time for exercise and non-academic interests to maintain your mental health.

Many teachers use time before or after school to prepare lab activities, contact parents, or evaluate student work, freeing up evenings and weekends for other responsibilities. When I was in your situation, these were on my backburner:

• Afterschool coaching, club advising, or tutoring (instead, connect with students by attending events as your schedule allows)
• Elaborate bulletin boards (post student work or ask teams of students to create a display)
• Grading every assignment
• Using a complicated, time-consuming reward system

For your graduate work, a study group can help by sharing resources. Schedule specific times for homework. Online courses allow you to control the timeframe. Take readings to school for when you have extra time (as if teachers ever do, but you never know). Limit yourself to one course per semester, and skip a semester if you’re overwhelmed.

Your degree has an end date! At that point, you can reprioritize some of the personal or professional things that were on the back burner.

Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cgc/7080721/

Senate Appropriations Committee Hearing March 15 to Focus on STEM Education

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education will hold a hearing next Wednesday, March 15th, on federal STEM education programs. NSTA member (and NSELA Board member) Larry Plank, STEM Director for the Hillsborough School District in Florida, will be testifying before the committee. Other panelists include Caroline King of Washington STEM. The hearing presents a unique opportunity to highlight STEM education programs and funding before key lawmakers. Read more about the hearing (and watch it live) here.

Senate Scraps ESSA Accountability Regulations and Teacher Prep Rules

On Thursday, March 9 the Senate voted 50-49 to scrap the Obama Administration’s regulations for holding schools accountable under the Every Student Succeeds Act. The House earlier passed a measure to scrap the rule; the measure now goes to President Trump, who is expected to sign it into law.

This measure will not repeal or replace ESSA, instead it will only undo accountability regulations finalized last fall governing how school performance is judged under the new law. The accountability regulations were intended to direct the work of state stakeholders creating new plans required under ESSA to track low income students, and intervene in high risk schools.

For weeks Democrats and many business, labor, and civil rights groups opposed overturning this accountability rule, citing it would eliminate the federal oversight to ensure that state and local districts were held accountable for closing the student achievement gap. The Dems also argued that overturning the rule would severely disrupt the plans that states are now in the process of creating around ESSA.

Republicans saw the accountability rule as an overreach from the Obama Administration that would have restricted local decision makers as they implement the new law.

The accountability rule was repealed under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), which allows Congress to review and overrule some federal regulations that were issued by the Obama Administration. Once a rule is repealed, the CRA also prohibits the agency from reissuing the rule in the same form or issuing  a new rule that is substantially the same. Secretary DeVos is expected to release something later this week that will tell states what’s “absolutely necessary” for them to consider in developing their plans.

Goodbye to Teacher Prep Regs

On Wednesday, March 8, the Senate voted 59 to 40 to get rid of the Obama Administration’s regulation on teacher preparation programs. This regulation would have linked students’ test scores to the teacher prep programs from which their teachers graduated. Low-performing teacher preparation programs would see access to federal Teach Grants eliminated.

Seven Democrats and one Independent joined Republicans to kill the teacher prep rule. This regulation was widely disliked by the education community, who believed it was an overreach by the federal government and much too costly. The issue of teacher prep will come up again when Congress reauthorizes the Higher Education Act, which is expected to come up in the next year or so.

The House also passed their version to nullify this reg, so it goes to President Trump who is expected to sign this rule as well.  

Read more here.

Stay tuned, and watch for more updates in future issues of NSTA Express.

Jodi Peterson is Assistant Executive Director of Communication, Legislative & Public Affairs for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and Chair of the STEM Education Coalition. Reach her via e-mail at jpeterson@nsta.org or via Twitter at @stemedadvocate.

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

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This week in education news, new research by the National Women’s Business Council supports women in STEM; David Berliner explains what is really happening in America’s public schools; Louisiana will phase new science standards into classroom by the 2018-19 school year; and parents are the key to getting high school students interested in STEM, according to a new study from the University of Virginia.

On the Commercialization Path: New Research Supports Women In STEM

While women make up more than half of all college students and now surpass men in attaining undergraduate degrees, the National Women’s Business Council’s new report, On the Commercialization Path: Entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property Outputs among Women in STEM, reveals that women are underrepresented among students pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Click here to read the article featured in The Hill.

What The Numbers Really Tell Us About America’s Public Schools

David Berliner discusses what is really happening in America’s public schools today as opposed to what the media and politicians say is happening. Click here to read the post featured on The Washington Post’s Answer Sheet blog.

New Science Standards To Be Phased Into Louisiana Classrooms

Louisiana’s new science standards for public schools will be phased into classrooms, taking full effect by the 2018-19 school year. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education gave final approval earlier this week to the rewrite of the state’s 2-decades-old teaching benchmarks with no discussion. Click here to read the article by Associated Press.

Study: To Get High School Students Interested In STEM, Invest In Parents

When parents of high schoolers are given guidance on how to talk about the importance of science and math, their children are more likely to score well on a STEM standardized test and, years later, pursue a STEM career, according to a recent study from the University of Virginia. Click here to read the article on Education Week’s Curriculum Matters blog.

What Happens To Education Spending If The Budget Stays In A Holding Pattern

Right now, the federal budget is operating on a “continuing resolution” through April 28 that essentially holds fiscal year 2017 spending levels at their fiscal 2016 amounts. In this article, Andrew Ujifusa examines how a few programs in the Every Students Succeeds Act would be affected if Congress approves a continuing resolution for the rest of the fiscal 2017. Click here to read the article featured in Education Week.

A New Technology Is Fundamentally Changing Learning—Here’s How

Middle school students across the U.S. are learning how the body works by studying the anatomy of a frog, a vertebrate with an organ system similar to that of humans. But unlike school lab work that uses real specimens or images of a virtual frog on a screen, a new approach to this standard experiment is taking the act of learning to a unique interactive level, thanks to the use of technology known as blended reality. Click here to read the article featured in eSchool News.

Stay tuned for next week’s top education news stories.

The Communication, Legislative & Public Affairs (CLPA) team strives to keep NSTA members, teachers, science education leaders, and the general public informed about NSTA programs, products, and services and key science education issues and legislation. In the association’s role as the national voice for science education, its CLPA team actively promotes NSTA’s positions on science education issues and communicates key NSTA messages to essential audiences.

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

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I still have the wooden unit blocks that were central to many of my childhood play scenarios. The wooden blocks did not stick or snap together so we had to consider balance and how to make a sturdy base to support our structures. They were the materials we used to make models—building beds and shelter for our dolls, walls to separate MY space from YOUR space, and paths around our wooden block village. Making and using models is one of the Next Generation Science Standards essential science and engineering practices, and the NGSS K-2 Engineering Design performance expectation K-2-ETS1-2, using a model to illustrate how form helps an object function. Models can be sketches, drawings, or physical models. 

When young children play with blocks, teachers have many opportunities to support the children’s language development and mathematical skills, and strengthen their spatial abilities. The book Creative Block Play: A Comprehensive Guide to Learning through Building by Rosanne Hansel (Redleaf 2016) provides guidance on how to understand what children learn through building with blocks and strategies to increase the learning opportunities in the “block area.” 

Wooden unit blocks have been a staple in early childhood programs since they were designed in 1913 by educator Caroline Pratt (Hewitt, 2001) with a single rectangular prism unit block having the proportions 1:2:4, and measuring 1-3/8 by 2-3/4 by 5-1/2 inches, and many other shapes based on this unit. They meet the needs of children to learn through play and the needs of educators for materials that address many areas of the curriculum and can survive years of use by children. A set of 300-400 quality wooden unit blocks will provide hours of learning for generations of children and costs about the same as 2-4 tablets. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every early childhood program had both these forms of technology? 

Here’s an example of how one teacher strengthened a child’s math and problem-solving skills while supporting his developing self regulation.

Jeremiah was still adding blocks to his “house” structure when it was time for breakfast. Knowing that children often need help making transitions, Ms Carrie posed a problem to those in the block area: “You may put away the blocks you are working with, or you may move your structure out of the way so there will be room for circle time later.” “How can I move it?” asked Jeremiah. Ms Carrie counted the blocks on one side, saying, “You have 1, 2, 3, 4 blocks on this side wall of your house and we can rebuild this wall right over here.” She helped him carefully move and rebuild that wall. “Which shapes did you use for the roof up on top of the walls? How many blocks did you use for the opposite wall?” she asked as they counted, noted the position and rebuilt the house in a new location.

Moving and rebuilding the house structure, together with a teacher, also supported Jeremiah in learning vocabulary (side, roof, rebuild, opposite) and developing spatial ability to “translate” (move a shape without rotating it) and his “part-whole integration” (knowing how parts fit together to form a whole). 

Do you have a favorite block-building memory? How can you support young children in making their own memories as they play with blocks?

Hewitt, K (2001). Blocks as a tool for learning: Historical and contemporary perspectives. Young Children 56(1): 6-13. Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/Hewitt0101.pdf

Introduction

As mentioned in our prior overview of STEM Sims [http://nstacommunities.org/blog/2017/02/06/stem-sims-interactive-simulations-for-the-stem-classroom/], this interactive software package provides over 100 simulations of laboratory experiments and engineering design products for the STEM classroom. The simulation titled “Trench Attack” immerses students in World War I trench warfare. This simulation has the student assume the role of a military commander using chemical agents against enemy forces to win a battle. During the simulation, students explore how chemical agents (e.g., mustard gas) can affect the environment. As is the case with all STEM Sims software, Trench Attack is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (MS-ETS1.A –Defining and Delimiting an Engineering Problem) and is compatible with state standards as well.

The simulation provides students with a brochure (see link below) that includes a pre-assessment quiz and introductory information about the use of chemical agents in warfare. Moreover, the simulation includes background information on science and historical content. The integration of historical information is a great opportunity for science and history teachers to work together on a WWI Unit across the curriculum. 

Brochure: https://stemsims.com/content/brochures/trench-attack-brochure.pdf

The STEM Sims provides three separate lesson plans for this simulation (see links below), which will help you tailor it for your curriculum. As is the case for other STEM Sims packages, a multiple-choice assessment is included with a Teacher Guide.

Lesson Plan 1: https://stemsims.com/content/lessons/trench-attack-lesson-1.pdf

Lesson Plan 2: https://stemsims.com/content/lessons/trench-attack-lesson-2.pdf

Lesson Plan 3: https://stemsims.com/content/lessons/trench-attack-lesson-3.pdf

Teacher Guide: https://stemsims.com/content/teacher-guides/trench-attack-teacher.pdf

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, Trench Attack is an excellent simulation that will stimulate students’ interest and engage them in learning chemistry. Moreover, the potential for the assimilation of instruction into both science and history content is an added benefit of this highly dynamic learning tool.  If you are looking for something to create a bridge between history and science, Trench Attack Makes the connection.

For a free trial, visit https://stemsims.com/account/sign-up

Recommended System Qualifications:

• Operating system: Windows XP or Mac OS X 10.7
• Browser: Chrome 40, Firefox 35, Internet Explorer 11, or Safari 7
• Java 7, Flash Player 13

Single classroom subscription: $169 for a 365-day subscription and includes access for 30 students and 100 simulations.

Product Site: https://stemsims.com/

Edwin P. Christmann is a professor and chairman of the secondary education department and graduate coordinator of the mathematics and science teaching program at Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. Anthony Balos is a graduate student and a research assistant in the secondary education program at Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania.

Learning to Read the Earth and Sky: Explorations Supporting the NGSS by Russ Colson and Mary Colson is a new book from NSTA Press that helps teachers of grades 6-12 create lessons and activities aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

The objective of the book is to be practical, easy-to-use, and applicable to the classroom. The book is based on four premises:

1. Earth science should engage students with the world they know.
2. Teacher and student are colleagues and fellow scholars.
3. Doing earth science requires breaking big concepts into smaller chunks.
4. The purpose of experimental and observational activities in the classroom is to practice doing science, and not to convey factual information in an active and “hands-on” way.

The authors have deep experience in using the fascinating world around us to teach and engage students. While the book delves into the requisite standards, it also breaks down the disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and significant ideas that make it all relevant to students.

“Our goal in writing this book is to provide concrete examples of classroom exploration that meet the ambitious goals of the NGSS to both teach science as a practice and reach toward an understanding of how all the small parts fit into the greater whole,” the authors state.

Learning to Read the Earth and Sky offers examples of how to teach students to read the stories that are written in layers of rock, in the stars, and everywhere around us.  The book offers anecdotes, activities, and strategies for getting students to take ownership of their learning. “Addressing aspects of our universe that students see and experience, and teaching students to read those stories on their own, gives them ownership in the process of discovery,” the authors state.

Read the sample chapter “Analyzing and Interpreting Data.” This book is also available as an e-book.

Save Now on Book Purchases!

Between now and May 31, 2017, save $15 off your order of $75 or more of NSTA Press books or e-books by entering promo code BOOK17 at checkout in the online Science Store. Offer valid only on orders placed of NSTA Press books or e-books on the web and may not be combined with any other offer.

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Like science labs, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) labs require safety and security measures, with an emphasis on safety training, personal protective equipment (PPE), standard operating procedures, engineering controls, and supervision. While hand and power tools (e.g., hammers, screw drivers, table saws, drill presses) can be found in STEM labs, many students and teachers use these tools without receiving proper safety training.

Teachers and students who use hand and power tools can be exposed to falling, flying, abrasive, or splashing objects and harmful dusts, fumes, mists, vapors, or gases. Teachers should be aware of the following engineering control, PPE, and security recommendations:

• Hand tools in the STEM lab should not be accessible to students when the teacher is not present.

• An engineering control (e.g., wood dust collection system and electrostatic dust filtration device) should be in place to filter wood dust produced by table and hand saws.

• A master power kill switch should be installed that can immediately shut down the power in case of an emergency.

• An eye wash station should be present to in case a student’s eyes are exposed to hazardous liquids or solids.

Hand and power tool safety

Before using hand and power tools and addressing security issues in the STEM lab, teachers should peruse hand and power tool safety procedures. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s website has a great resource on safety and security precautions and operation of hand and power tools (see Resources).

Here are some general safety precautions when using power tools, via OSHA. All hazards involved in the use of power tools can be prevented by following five basic safety rules:

1. Keep all tools in good condition with regular maintenance.

2. Use the right tool for the job. For example, don’t use a wrench to hammer in a nail.

3. Examine each tool for damage before use.

4. Operate according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

5. Provide and use the proper protective equipment.

In addition:

1. Never carry a tool by the cord or hose.

2. Never yank the cord or the hose to disconnect it from the power receptacle.

3. Keep cords and hoses away from heat, oil, and sharp edges.

4. Disconnect tools when not in use, before servicing, and when changing accessories such as blades, bits, and cutters.

5. Keep all observers at a safe distance from the work area, outside of the designated work zone.

6. Secure objects with clamps or a vise.

7. Keep your finger away from the power switch when carrying a plugged-in tool to avoid accidentally turning it on.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a school-specific website that provides additional information on tools and their associated hazards (see Resources). Technology and engineering education teachers can also provide excellent safety and security training on hand and power tools.

In the end

Schools are required to provide appropriate safety training for both teachers and students prior to any work in the STEM lab.

Submit questions regarding safety in K–12 to Ken Roy at safesci@sbcglobal.net, or leave him a comment below. Follow Ken Roy on Twitter: @drroysafersci.

Resources

OSHA, hand and power tools—www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3080.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hand and power tools—www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2004-101/chklists/r1n50p~1.htm

NSTA resources and safety issue papers
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