In science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) labs, teachers and students can be exposed to a number of electrical hazards such as damaged electrical receptacles, missing ground prongs, and faulty electrical equipment. These hazards can result in electric shock, electrocution, fire, and explosions.

Circuit breakers only protect the science lab and school building—not the teachers or students—from these hazards. A ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI), a device that constantly compares current flowing from the hot wire to the neutral wire in a circuit, can help protect lab occupants from electrical accidents. If the GFCI senses an imbalance in the current, a switch will open and the current will stop flowing in about 1/40 of a second.

To help maintain your GFCI, the circuit breaker must be flipped on and off a couple of times on a monthly basis to prevent the buildup of corrosion that might interfere with the operation of the GFCI. This is especially true in lab environments that contain corrosive fumes. Warn/inform your colleagues before flipping the breaker, in case computers or other technologies are being used during the maintenance.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s QuickFacts (see Resources) teachers should follow these better professional practices to avoid electrical hazards in the lab:

1. Make sure manufacturer’s recommendations are followed when using any electrical equipment.

2. The safest lab equipment has either a three-prong plug (including a ground plug) or double insulation.

3. Make sure any electrical receptacle used near a water source (e.g., sinks, aquariums, wave tanks) is GFCI-protected and operational.

4. Do not use extension cords as a substitute for permanent wiring. This can be a fire hazard.

5. Before using any electrical equipment in the lab, visually inspect the power cord and plug to make sure they are in good condition.

6. If you plug more than two pieces of low-demand equipment (e.g., computer, printer) into a standard outlet, use a fused power strip that will shut off if too much power is used.

7. Do not use power strips for high-demand electrical equipment (e.g., microwave oven, power tools) because they can be a fire hazard. Only plug them into a standard outlet.

8. Never disable any electrical safety feature. For example, never break off a ground prong from a three-conductor plug.

9. Never directly touch someone who is being shocked or electrocuted. Although the human body is a poor conductor of electricity, a wet surface and as little as 1/5 Amp can cause serious injury. If possible, turn off the power (pull the plug or trip the circuit breaker), or use an item made of nonconductive material (e.g., wooden broom handle) to pry him or her away from the electrical source. Call 911 immediately.

10. GFCIs do not protect the individuals from line-to-line contact hazards, when a person holds two hot wires or a hot and a neutral wire at the same time. If a student’s fingers were on the metal prongs of a microscope plug when pushing it into an outlet, for example, this would constitute line-to-line contact. At the least, the student would receive a serious shock.

In the end

To find out whether your lab is GFCI-protected, ask the supervisor of school facilities to survey the lab for GFCI protection. Additionally, hardware or electrical stores usually carry GFCI test devices for about $10, which are simple to operate and can test a whole lab within a few minutes.

GFCI protection is required under National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and OSHA codes and regulations. Science teachers need to work with administration to make sure their labs are up to code. Further, a licensed electrician or building inspector should check for applications of the NFPA and OSHA standards in science labs. See Resources for more information on electrical safety.

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

GFCIs—www.safeelectricity.org/information-center/library-of-articles/55-home-safety/317-ground-fault-circuit-interrupters-gfcis
Electrical circuit-interrupters—www.nfpa.org/public-education/by-topic/top-causes-of-fire/electrical/electrical-circuit-interrupters
OSHA QucikFacts—www.osha.gov/Publications/laboratory/OSHAquickfacts-lab-safety-electrical-hazards.pdf

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We rely on their expertise and have their books lined up on our resource shelves for handy reference, but the opportunity to hear so many NSTA Press authors speak in person is too good to pass up. The array of authors who are scheduled to present at the NSTA National Conference in Los Angeles, March 30–April 2, 2017, is impressive.

The wide range of topic areas ensures that there is something for everyone. Listen to Page Keeley discuss formative assessment probes; Emily Morgan and Karen Ansberry share how to use children’s picture books to teach STEM, inquiry, and more; or Steve Rich present many ways to bring outdoor science in to your students. Some of NSTA Press’ new authors will be there too, discussing big data, STEM, NGSS, and many other topics.

The Advance deadline for registration is fast approaching (February 24), so don’t delay. Register today and secure your opportunity to advance your own professional development by spending time with the experts. NSTA authors have developed classroom-tested solutions to the challenges you face every day.

Here is the complete list of NSTA Press authors and topics:

Uncovering Elementary Students’ Ideas About Science Through Literacy Capacities
Thursday, March 30
12:30–1:30 p.m.
Presenters: Page Keeley and Joyce Tugel

• Experience examples of formative assessment probes and techniques that uncover what students are really thinking about NGSS
• Explore students’ core ideas in science through use of the literacy capacities of speaking, listening, and language.

Uncovering K–12 Students’ (and Teachers’) Ideas About Matter and Energy in the NGSS
Thursday, March 30
2:00–3:00 p.m.
Presenters: Page Keeley, Joyce Tugel, and Joel Truesdell

• Examine examples of diagnostic probes from the Uncovering Student Ideas series, including several new ones.
• Learn what students really think about matter and energy and the connection to “3-D formative assessment.”

Teaching for Conceptual Understanding in Science: Building a Bridge Between Student Ideas and Scientific Knowledge
Friday, March 31
8:00–9:00 a.m.
Presenters: Richard Konicek-Moran and Page Keeley

• Explore what conceptual understanding is.
• Learn how you can teach science for conceptual understanding in your classroom.

Formative Assessment Classroom Techniques for Uncovering ALL Students’ (and Teachers’) Ideas
Friday, March 31
9:30-10:30 a.m.
Presenters: Page Keeley, Joyce Tugel, and Ray Barber

• Experience a strategy harvest of written, verbal, and digital techniques that elicit all students’ ideas.
• Create a safe classroom environment where everyone’s ideas are valued.

Picture-Perfect STEM Lessons: Using Children’s Books to Teach Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
Friday, March 31
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Presenters: Emily Morgan and Karen Ansberry

• Acquire lessons from Picture-Perfect Science Lesson authors.
• Learn to integrate STEM and literacy in grades K–5.

Next Time You See…
Friday, March 31
12:30–1:30 p.m.
Presenter: Emily Morgan

• Come away with ways to inspire a sense of wonder about the natural world.
• Learn about books and activities to share with your students.

Picture-Perfect Science Lessons: Using Picture Books to Guide Inquiry, K–5
Saturday, April 1
12:30–1:30 p.m.
Presenters: Emily Morgan and Karen Ansberry

• Acquire lessons that use picture books to connect NGSS and CCSS.
• Watch as authors model the lessons.

Flowers to Fruit: Putting Botany Back into Your Curriculum
Friday, March 31
2:00–3:00 p.m.
Presenters: Richard Konicek-Moran and Kathleen Konicek-Moran

• Learn how to restore botany to your curriculum?
• Use Flowers to Fruit for examples to use in your classroom

Outdoor Science with Birds, Books, and Butterflies
Friday, March 31
3:30–4:30 p.m.
Presenter: Steve Rich

• Discover engaging lesson ideas with natural materials, children’s books, and citizen science.
• Join in for outdoor classroom basics, funding ideas, crosscutting concepts, and free seeds.

Outdoor Science: A Practical Guide
Saturday, April 1
11:00 a.m. –12:00 p.m.
Presenter: Steve Rich

• Come away with engaging lesson ideas with natural materials, children’s books, and citizen science.
• Unearth outdoor classroom basics, funding ideas, crosscutting concepts, and free seeds.

Inside or Out: The Perfect Place for Connecting Outdoor Science and Children’s Trade Books
Saturday, April 1
2:00–3:00 p.m.
Presenter: Christine Ann Royce and Steve Rich

• Engage in lessons that connect investigations in outdoor science topics with paired children’s literature.
• Enhance the topic of outdoor science by integrating it into other discipline areas.

Argumentation in the Earth and Space Science Classroom
Thursday, March 30
8:00–9:00 a.m.
Presenter: Sharon Schleigh

• Learn how to engage in scientific argumentation to support teaching in your classrooms.
• Come away with sample activities from the leading NSTA Press books.

It’s Debatable: Using Socioscientific Issues to Develop Scientific Literacy, K–12
Thursday, March 30
2:00–3:00 p.m.
Presenter: Sami Kahn

• Observe how to engage your students in controversial societal issues related to science.
• Develop your students’ scientific literacy during this interactive workshop.

Diving into the NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas: How and Why They Are Important for Teaching and Learning
Thursday, March 30
3:30–4:30 p.m.
Presenters: Ann Rivet, Ravit Golan Duncan, and Joseph Krajcik

• Examine the disciplinary core ideas across physical, life, Earth and space sciences, and engineering.
• Learn more through rich descriptions of phenomena, learning progressions, and teaching resources.

Teaching Energy Across the Sciences
Thursday, March 30
5:00–5:30 p.m.
Presenter: Jeff Nordine

• Learn about the “Five Big Ideas” related to energy.
• Explore how to make energy a crosscutting concept across the sciences and everyday life.

Learn Strategies to Help You Implement the NGSS Practices!
Friday, March 31
8:00–9:00 a.m.
Presenters: Susan Koba and Anne Tweed

• Use instructional tools that help provide students with multiple opportunities to learn, promote linguistic and nonlinguistic approaches to teaching, and support NGSS
• Come away with practical handouts.

Doing Good Science in Middle School
Friday, March 31
8:00–9:00 a.m.
Presenters: Vicki Massey and Olaf Jorgenson

• Explore the best practices in science education with the authors of Doing Good Science in Middle School
• Learn the resources available to help you teach the NGSS in your classroom. The 5E (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate) model of instruction will be highlighted.

Integrating Engineering Practices into Whole-Class Inquiry Challenges
Friday, March 31
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Presenters: Michael Nocella, Dennis Smithenry, and Joan Gallagher

• Learn how a chemistry teacher designs and modifies whole-class inquiry challenges to incorporate engineering practices into content curricula.
• Understand how integrating engineering practices into content curricula enhance science-process skills.

How Scientific Learning Communities Promote Equity and Access Through Whole-Class Inquiry
Friday, March 31
3:30–4:30 p.m.
Presenters: Michael Nocella, Joan Gallagher, Jason Foster, and Poonam Patel

• Learn how community building via Whole-Class Inquiry supports students in a safe space.
• Address access to curriculum and microaggressions to promote classroom equity.

The Power of Investigating: Guiding Authentic Assessments
Friday, March 31
2:00–3:00 p.m.
Presenters: Julie McGough and Lisa Nyberg

• Bring science to life as by transforming two-dimensional lessons into three-dimensional learning experiences!
• Learn hands-on strategies to launch investigations and fuel student thinking and learning.

Learning to Read the Earth and Sky, Explorations Supporting the NGSS
Friday, March 31
2:00–3:00 p.m.
Presenters: Russell Colson and Mary Colson

• Observe Earth scientists reading stories written in the Earth.
• Join the authors in some investigative classroom lessons through which you and your students can apply the practices of science to reading the Earth.

Big Data, Small Devices
Friday, March 31
3:30–4:30 p.m.
Presenters: Donna Governor, G. Michael Bowen, and Eric Brunsell

• Find out how to use smartphone apps and real-time data to have students engage in scientific investigations.
• Explore concepts in Earth and environmental science.

Planning Three-Dimensional Formative Assessments with the Feedback Loop
Saturday, April 1
8:00–9:00 a.m.
Presenter: Erin Furtak

• Collaborate with other science teachers as you learn to use the Feedback Loop Planning Process.
• Plan and reflect on 3-D formative assessments.

Solar Science = NGSS-Focused Solar Astronomy Experiences + Preparation for the All American Total Solar Eclipse
Saturday, April 1
9:30–10:30 a.m.
Presenters: Dennis Schatz and Andrew Fraknoi

• Come explore some of the effective learning experiences to prepare yourself for the 2017 solar eclipse.
• Familiarize yourself with NSTA’s recently published Solar Science, a solar astronomy curriculum resource that is NGSS-focused.

Be a Winner! A Science Teacher’s Guide to Writing Successful Grant Proposals
Saturday, April 1
12:30–1:30 p.m.
Presenters: Patty McGinnis and Kitchka Petrova

• Come away with useful insights from the NSTA Press book Be a Winner! A Science Teacher’s Guide to Writing Successful Grant Proposals.
• Learn tips for writing your own grant proposal, how to identify and refine proposal ideas, the ins and outs of submitting a proposal, and more.

Bringing the S-T-E-M Together in Early Childhood Using Science and Engineering Practices
Saturday, April 1
12:30–1:30 p.m.
Presenter: Peggy Ashbrook

• Increase your understanding of science and engineering practices while seeing how young children use them in STEM explorations.
• Discuss examples and NSTA’s early childhood position statement.

Everyday Engineering
Saturday, April 1
3:30–4:30 p.m.
Presenter: Richard Moyer

• Engage in STEM activities related to everyday engineering (such as ballpoint pens, life jackets, and sweet spots).
• Learn how to create your own lessons accordingly.

Problem-Based Learning in the Classroom, K–12
Sunday, April 2
8:00–9:00 a.m.
Presenter: Tom McConnell

• Experience the power of Problem-Based Learning with the authors of this new book series.
• Explore the book’s resources.

Helping Your Students (and You!) Achieve Basic Data Literacy
Sunday, April 2
9:30–10:30 a.m.
Presenters: G. Michael Bowen and Tony Bartley

• Discover data collecting/analysis techniques to help students young and old.
• Learn the relationships between types of data and analysis of it.

Register for the National Conference before February 24 and save!

More About the 2017 National Conference on Science Education

Browse the program preview, or check out more sessions and other events with the LA Session Browser/Personal Scheduler. Follow all our conference tweets using #NSTA17, and if you tweet, please feel free to tag us @NSTA so we see it! Need to request funding or time off? Download this letter of support.

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

Future NSTA Conferences

2017 National Conference

• Los Angeles, March 30–April 2

2017 STEM Forum & Expo

• Kissimmee/Orlando, July 12–14

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As smartphone cameras take on an ever-more sophisticated role in the science classroom, the technical limits of phone photography become more apparent. Luckily, a dose of strong light can overcome many problems as well as provide access to a world unseen by the human eye. But not just any light will work. The amount, color, and frequency modulation of the light all play important roles in scientific photography.

The proper amount of light is a double-edge light saber. Many LED light sources change the brightness by blinking the LED very fast. Unfortunately that blinking can be detected by the camera and shows up in video as flickering lights or dark bars moving across the screen. And the effect is even more pronounced when the slow motion option is engaged. An excellent solution for just such lighting problems is now available with the Surefire FirePak.

Photons from a Phirehose

Surefire is well known as the maker of some of the world’s best flashlights, but recently they have let some of their lighting magic seep into the world of smartphones. With Surefire’s new “FirePak Smartphone Video Illuminator + Charger” lighting system, two troublesome areas of cell phone photography and video capture are solved with one powerful device. By blasting up to 1500 lumens of light onto a subject, the very fast or the very dark are now fair game for the camera. 1500 lumens is about the same as a focused 100 watt light bulb!

Leveraging the sophisticated camera and image processing power of a student’s smartphone can open even more windows into the the high speed, very small, and of course, nighttime and dark worlds you might want to capture. In fact, until you use such a light that is both powerful in output and features, it’s hard to appreciate all the limitations of even the most modern smartphone cameras.

The FirePak is designed for the phone camera and is billed as a mobile lighting solution and device charger. The lightly rectangular block named the FirePak contains a large rechargeable battery, two USB ports (one for charging itself, one for charging other devices), a sliding multi-position switch, a battery indicator light, and two unique LED lights.

What’s unusual about the pair of LED lights is they have asymmetrical 10mm reflectors with one offset in one direction and the other offset 180 degrees. This combination of lights produces full-frame illumination specifically designed for a smartphone’s 16:9 HD aspect ratio. In other words, the FirePak lights up a rough rectangle that is proportioned to what the cell phone camera sees. No wasted light, no dark spots or vignetting.

Schooled

Proper exposure is a combination of three things: shutter speed, lens aperture, and light sensitivity. In the case of slo-mo, the shutter time is very short and the light sensitivity of the camera chip is fixed and depends on the quality of the smartphone. So too is the aperture of the camera’s lens. The solution is to pour more light on the subject to give the camera more to work with in terms of focus and exposure, and make it easier to clearly freeze each frame.

The Surefire FirePak has a six position switch, off—on (but no-light)—low—med low—med high—high.  When “on but no-light” is selected, the light output can be controlled by a companion App from up to 10 meters away (which has its own set of advantages). In the video below, the FirePak is cycled from “off” through “high” and back to “off.” It was not mounted on a smartphone, which is why the light was moving relative to the camera’s view.

The runtime for the FirePak on high output is about five hours with a slowly diminishing brightness. You might get about one and a half complete iPhone recharges if the FirePak’s battery is used only for that purpose. And running on the lowest light output of 100 lumens, the FirePak should give about 10 hours of useful light off a full starting charge. Obviously there are many combinations of the above, but you can always head off to school with a full charge if you plug the FirePak into a wall outlet or computer overnight. And you can even charge the Firepak with a traditional external recharging cell phone battery. However, FirePak has a healthy appetite, which is why it has its own large battery, so don’t expect to pull a full charge out of a similar sized backup battery.

Don’t Blink

Another important feature of the Surefire FirePak, and arguably the most impressive, is that the LEDs are modulated at a frequency faster what the smartphone camera uses, even with slow motion. Lesser lights blink on and off rapidly to simulate a dimmer output. But that blinking can be seen by the smartphone camera and appears as flashing or dark lines on the captured video. During higher speed video capture (that produces so-called slo-mo results) the effects are even more pronounced. In the past, our lower-powered incandescent lights produced a constant photon output even when dimmed. In fact it was the electric current of 60 cycles of AC current (in America) that produced blinks and flashes rather than the dimming.

Although taking pictures and video at night or in a dark environment might seem the obvious use for the FirePak, the lighting of subjects that will be recorded in slow motion is truly a win for the FirePak. For a camera to capture video that plays back in slo-mo, it must capture two, three, four, or more frames in the time it normally takes to capture one. So, half-speed slo-mo is about 60 frames per second or twice the normal 30 FPS. Quarter speed playback, meaning one second of real time is shown over four seconds, would take 120 FPS. And the iPhone’s slo-mo is 240 frames per second, or eight times normal. And some other Apps claim up to 1,000 frames per second. With all that speed comes the need for lots of light.

The Surefire FirePak produces a bright stream of light that can easily reach out 20 meters or more when needed, or shine a spotlight on a local scene making closer subject stand out from the background. The low setting of the variable output FirePak is still fairly bright so for closeup photography and video so it may be necessary to hold the FirePak further away from the scene, even if just centimeters. Light output is affected by the inverse square law meaning that the light’s intensity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source. So even a little increase in subject-light distance has a noticeable effect.

The Case in Point

The FirePak is designed to be mounted to the smartphone using a slide-on docking attachment system that begins with a custom Surefire phone case. The dual-rail yoke on the back of the FirePak slides into a pair of slots on the back of the svelte phone case Surefire makes. It’s mostly held in pace by friction, but there is a stopping block that locks the sliding.  No buttons or release levers are required to attach or detach the camera from the case.

The FirePak is reversible on the phone case, and I’ve found that when imaging close objects such as those within 20 cm from the lens, the output reflectors on the FirePak might need to be close to the lens to reduce shadows. For everything else, the FirePak can be used with reflectors up or down. For off-phone use, I think a tripod socket on the FirePak would be helpful, or an after-market tripod attachment that uses the same rails as the smartphone case. 

At about 38 seconds into the Surefire promotional video below, you can see the blinking from a modulated light source on the curtain in the right of the frame, just before the FirePak overwhelmed the scene with flicker-free lighting.

In the video above, I had to study how Surefire was using the FirePak on a stand during the filming, as the FirePak was the actual lighting source for the video. Surefire was using a clamp to hold the FirePak. I had hoped to repurpose one of my iPod/iPhone tripod clamps, but alas, the FirePak is too narrow to seat in a traditional-sized iPhone clamp. However, being a photographer in a former life, I did have plenty of Bogen/Manfrotto clamps and arms for studio work, as well as tripods. Using a similar solution to Surefire’s video, I was able to position and adjust the FirePak for all smartphone photography and video-shooting situations I could create. Of course, duct tape would also work. And it is with this off-camera lighting that the Bluetooth App control of the FirePak really shines!

There’s an App for that.

The Surefire FirePak will sell for about $200, and the companion app called the Surefire FirePak Illuminator can be downloaded for free onto your Apple or Android phone. The App can talk to the FirePak via Bluetooth allowing some on-screen light control and customization. Additional features of the App include grid overlays for photo composition, tools for white balance, a self-timer, output levels, and exposure brightness (ISO). 

It is clear that the trend of student smartphones is not really a trend anymore. It is the new normal. And with all paradigm shifts in capabilities, we teachers should make sure there is plenty of room in our expectations to address and even assess what might have been impossible last semester.

I’m looking for creative ways for students to share what they know, other than traditional written reports or essays.  —K., Michigan

The creative process in science involves novel ways of thinking, problem solving, and communicating. When students are given the opportunity, encouragement, and support, their creativity can be astounding.

I found reworking information and/or experiences into another format can be an outlet for student design and creativity:

• An infographic on a science topic to display in the school or on a website
• A video or photo gallery documenting an activity
• A set of posters on a topic such as lab safety
• A “how-to” manual or video for an app or probe to be used as a tutorial for other students
• Vocabulary exercises that result in concept maps or illustrated word wall entries displayed in the classroom
• A video or presentation describing a concept to another audience
• Models or drawings

Designing and creating an informational product (such as a booklet, presentation, podcast, or video) for younger students on a science topic was a favorite of my high school students. An elementary teacher volunteered to review their work and discussed what was (or was not) appropriate for elementary students. The younger students also gave feedback and shared what they learned. My students demonstrated what they knew about the topic by explaining it to someone else. We had a trifecta: design process, useful product, and assessment.

The NSTA K-12 journals have many ideas for activities and projects, but projects shouldn’t be for teachers’ eyes only. When students display or share their work in the classroom, in another part of the school, with students in other grade levels, or with the community through a web page or live presentations, having an authentic audience adds another dimension.

This week in education news, scientists take on new roles in K–12 classrooms, the U.S. Senate confirmed Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary, a new report finds California teacher shortages have led to ‘severe consequences’, the U.S. House voted to overturn ESSA accountability, and a bill to boost STEM education advances in New Mexico.

Scientists Take on New Roles in K–12 Classrooms

As schools work to implement the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), practicing scientists are also rethinking how they work with schools to advance understanding of their field. The NGSS broaden opportunities for science-educator partnerships because they represent new approaches to scientists working with schools. Click here to read the article featured in Education Week.

Lawmakers File Bill to Protect ‘Religious Expression’ in FL Schools

Two state lawmakers, filed a bill—SB 436: Religious Express in Public Schools—which would prohibit a school district from discriminating against students on the basis of religious expression if they share their religious beliefs in their school work. A Florida advocacy group said the bill could be trouble for science education in Florida’s public schools if passed. Click here to read the article featured in the Orlando Sentinel.

Betsy DeVos Confirmed as Education Secretary, Pence Breaks Tie

Betsy DeVos was confirmed by the Senate as the nation’s education secretary on February 7, but only with the help of a historic tiebreaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence after weeks of protests and two defections within her own party. Read more in the Legislative Update.

Worsening Teacher Shortage Puts More Underprepared Teachers in Classrooms, Report Says

According to a new report from the Learning Policy Institute, the number of underprepared teachers working in California’s public school classrooms has more than doubled in just three years. These shortages remain particularly troubling in special education, science and math, and bilingual education. Click here to read the article published by EdSource.

House Votes to Overturn ESSA Accountability

The House of Representatives voted February 7 to overturn regulations created by the Obama administration for accountability under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), as well as those for teacher-preparation programs. If the ESSA resolution overturning the accountability rules is successful, it could have far-reaching consequences for the U.S. Department of Education, state officials, and local district leaders. Read more in the Legislative Update.

U.S. Senate Bill Aims to Make Sure Federal Scientists Aren’t ‘Muzzled’

Senator Bill Nelson introduced legislation (S.338) to protect federal scientists from attempts to interfere with scientific discourse and dissemination of research results. The legislation is aimed at blocking attempts by political appointees to manipulate or suppress the results of research that could undermine the administration’s position on an issue. Click here to read the article featured in Science.

Bill to Boost STEM Education Advances

Legislation that would require the Public Education Department to adopt the Next Generation Science Standards for New Mexico schools cleared the House Education Committee on an 8–3 vote on February 8. The bill has now advanced to the House floor, and has been placed on the temporary calendar. Click here to read the article featured in Las Cruces Sun-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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Imagine co-leading a science field trip indoors in a large museum with questionable cell coverage, or outside and too far from the nearest cell tower. The goTenna system allows you to directly contact another goTenna equipped teacher using their smartphone independent of a cellular connection. The goTennas are their own communication network that runs between the phones. And there is no limit to the number of goTennas that can play together.

The goTenna solve a couple unique problems that make them indispensable if you need such solutions. By basically creating their own network between devices, the goTennas allow popular smartphones and Android and iOS tablets to gain text messaging capabilities and possibly map-based GIS locations over a range up to a mile.

The tablet or phone uses Low-Energy Bluetooth to talk to the goTenna through an App interface so the goTenna device and phone must no farther than 10m of each other. Then the goTenna’s take over and the distance between any two goTennas can traverse much greater distances depending on the amount of terrestrial interference (buildings, trees, mountains, etc.). The goTenna uses radio waves in the 151-154 megahertz range.

The operation of the goTenna is straightforward and intuitive. The actual goTenna device is a little larger than a Sharpie pen, and turns on when the antenna is deployed by pulling it straight up out of the top of the goTenna case. A white LED light indicates activity. To turn off the goTenna, simply re-stow the antenna by pushing it back into its case.

Charging the goTenna is just like a cell phone using a microUSB. However the connector shroud on some microUSB cords might be too short to fully engage the contacts in the goTenna. The pair of included microUSB cords has extended connectors so they should not mingle with the rest of your microUSB cords in case you grab a cord that doesn’t easily fit. I have modified some cords on the fly using a razor blade to shave down the size of the USB plug. The charging port on the goTenna is at the opposite end of the device from the antenna, and secure under a rubberized cap. The goTenna is weatherproof and seems fairly durable given the number to times I’ve dropped mine.

The goTennas are designed to be attached to a backpack or bag and away from the human body since proximity or touch to a person degrades the goTenna’s signal reducing its range. A strap with a snap makes for easy and versatile attaching to other objects, but the snap seems a little primitive compared to more modern buckles and fasteners. I also don’t quite trust a snap to keep my $100 (each) goTenna unit forever attached to a backpack daypack or shoulder bag while traversing the very country where a goTenna is needed.

For each user’s smartphone, the goTenna is two parts; a powered antenna system and an App. The free App is downloaded from Apple’s App Store and on Google’s Play Store so it should work on any recent iOS and Android device regardless if phone or not. This means you can load the app onto a basic tablet and essentially give it cellphone-like text messaging.

Before You Go

The App shows the battery life of the goTenna, but only if the App is installed. I’ve encountered a few times where I wanted to use the goTennas on the fly, but the reason for the goTenna is when there is no cell or wireless service, so you certainly cannot download the App at that time. Further, any maps that need downloading (which is all of them) must be done while in traditional connectivity like within a wireless network. 

There are three options for messaging between any two goTennas; a 1:1 directly to a specific goTenna, a group chat to all goTennas within range, and an emergency setting that identifies the message as a priority. A variation of the messaging is a request for the other user’s GPS location which the app can share if the phone or tablet is GPS enabled and the goTenna app has access to that data.

But wait. There’s more!

Taking this a step further, the goTenna antenna device also contains some onboard memory to remember messages it receives when the host device is out of range of the goTenna, switched off or has a dead battery. When a charge to the tablet or phone is available again, the saved messages are loaded as soon as the phone connects to the goTenna.

An exciting update to the goTenna family is the upcoming release of a mesh-network compatible version named the goTenna MESH. This new option allows each individual goTenna MESH device to create a bridge a between other goTenna devices. So you could imagine each goTenna MESH being at the center of a transmission circle perhaps with a two mile or more in diameter. Any overlap between goTenna MESH circles provide a continuous wireless network as long as there is a connective pathway between all signal circles.

While cell networks are fairly common, around the country, there are still plenty of places with spotty coverage, or no coverage. Walkie-talkies are a great solution for general speech contact, but they have limitations and require realtime attention. Leveraging the wonderful asychronious capabilities of text messaging, and GPS location sharing makes exploring new directions in so-called “off grid communication” something all teachers should be aware of when leaving the classroom with their students.

After a long and contentious confirmation battle the Senate confirmed Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education on February 7 after a highly partisan 51 to 50 vote. Vice President Mike Pence cast the deciding vote to confirm DeVos after two Republican Senators—Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska—joined Democrats and voted nay during the full Senate vote, days after both voted yes to the nomination in the HELP committee (which moved the confirmation to the full Senate.)

Prior to the vote, Senate Democrats staged a 24 hour “talkathon” on the Senate floor to oppose the DeVos nomination and to encourage a Republican to vote nay on the confirmation. This came after a huge public backlash in opposition to the DeVos nomination.

DeVos became the nation’s 11th Education secretary.

Reactions to the confirmation came quickly after the vote. Senate HELP Committee ranking member Patty Murray said DeVos would be “one of the most controversial and embattled Education secretaries in the history of the department.”

AFT President Randi Weingarten said in a statement that “DeVos’ confirmation battle has a major silver lining: The public in public education has never been more visible or more vocal, and it is not going back in the shadows.”  

NEA President Lily Eskelsen García noted “Americans across the nation drove a bipartisan repudiation of the Trump-DeVos agenda for students and public education. Today’s outcome marks only the beginning of the resistance. Students, educators, parents, civil rights and special education advocates—along with millions of Americans—are speaking loud and clear: we are here to stay…we will protect public education.”

Ed Patru, a spokesman for DeVos, told POLITICO, DeVos overcame “an unprecedented personal assault” from teachers unions, noting “Betsy DeVos’ confirmation marks a critically important shift in federal education policy: from now on, the needs of kids will supersede the political interests of adults, and education policies will be decided by states and local school boards, not Washington.”

Read more here.

House Overturns Rules on ESSA Accountability and Teacher Prep

As expected this week the House overturned the Obama Administration’s accountability rule under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the regulation governing teacher preparation programs.

The House and Senate have until early May to use the Congressional Review Act on regulations issued in the last half year of the Obama administration. 

The ESSA Accountability regulation was issued to help states design and implement new accountability provisions required in the Every Student Succeeds Act. Many Republicans believe the rule was too prescriptive and gave the Secretary of Education too much authority in state decision making. Democrats issued a statement saying that eliminating the rule would create uncertainty as states developed their ESSA plans. More here.

Most in the education community are opposed to the teacher preparation rules and believe changes made by the federal government should be part of the upcoming reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.

The American Association for Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE) Action Alert system is working to rescind the teacher prep regulations in the Senate. Go here.

And finally . . .

The House education committee held its first hearing this week about higher education in the 115th Congress in anticipation of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. The hearing focused on ways to strengthen the nation’s system of higher education “for students, parents, institutions and taxpayers.”

On the day that Betsy DeVos was confirmed as ED Secretary, Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie introduced H.R. 899, a bill to abolish the federal Department of Education. The one sentence long bill states, “The Department of Education shall terminate on December 31, 2018.”

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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