On the train to Boston on Wednesday, the view for most of the ride was gray and dreary. But coming out of the station–blue sky and sun! After what seemed to be an endless winter, I hope that was a sign to indicate the bright ideas we’ll learn from our colleagues here at the conference.
In addition to the general sessions and a stroll through the Exhibit Hall, I went to a session hosted by Gary Nakagiri, an educator from California on “Developing a Toolkit for the Next Generation of Science Leaders.” He demonstrated with us the use of case studies to examine beliefs and facilitate the change process. I’m wondering if a collection of case studies around the implementation of NGSS would be a helpful resource?
We’ve all heard of amusement park physics and seen projects that related physics and music. Using the nearby Philadelphia Museum of Art (yes, the one whose steps Rocky ran up in the film), a team from Drexel University has developed an app for “Physics in the Art Museum.” The app can be accessed for free through the App Store. Search for “Drexel” (right now, the app is best used on a iPad). You can use it without going to the museum, because photos of the art work are included in the app. I visted the Boston Museum of Fine Arts this evening after the conference (it has later hours on Thursdays), and I found myself looking at art from a new perspective!

I’m looking forward to learning, collaborating, meeting, laughing, learning, sharing, and getting a break from the usual schedule while attending the National Science Teachers Association’s conference in Boston. It’s one of several NSTA yearly conferences so if you aren’t attending this one, check the schedule –there might be an area conference or an expo near you.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children will have a booth on the Exhibit floor, and members of the Early Childhood Science Interest Forum plan to meet and share what we’ve learned from the sessions we attend.
Will I get to see the “Make Way for Ducklings” pond? I’m not sure yet. I will get to be part of the fabulous Elementary Extravaganza where over 100 presenters share their useful, fun, and informative activities, lesson plans, student work and  science and engineering tools for children from preK up to sixth grade.
I’ll have a table where Dr. Beth Van Meeteren and I will have materials on the Ramps and Pathways physical science activity for you to try out! This activity engages children in learning about motion, and can develop into a science inquiry when children have time to remain involved over weeks and months.
Let’s share our what we find useful in comments below!
 
 
 
 

This is my sixth conference with NSTA — my first, in 2008, was in Boston as well. When I tried to walk through the NSTA Science Store this morning, it was packed virtually shoulder to shoulder (the lines are considerably shorter now if you want to get some NSTA gear or pick up a few NSTA Press books). The crowd who came to hear keynote speaker Mayim Bialik was more than the room could hold, so a number of people were redirected to another room so they could still attend.

Outside the NSTA 2014 exhibit hall, waiting for it to open.

While microscopes may open up dazzling possibilities for teachers to provide new understandings of the physical world, many science students often view microscopes with less enthusiasm. These youngsters have to set up slides, huddle around a limited number of microscopes, and take turns trying to see what was intended, fearing they may mistake air bubbles for single-cell organisms. Science lessons should foster curiosity and discussion, not worry.

The new Focus Microscope Camera addresses the limitations of microscopes by connecting to the iPad, making microscopy more social, collaborative, and hands-on. The product connects virtually any microscope to the iPad, keeping both the camera and the tablet charged while in use. The kit includes the camera, microscope lens, AC adaptor, lens adapters, calibration card (for precise measurement), and 30-pin connector (the latest iPads and iPod Touches will need a lightning adaptor as well).

With the Focus Microscope Camera, magnified images are viewable in real time by students gathered around a shared iPad or by the whole class when the iPad view is projected wirelessly to a large screen. The Focus app (available for free download) allows students to collectively manipulate and examine the microscopic material. Additionally, the measurement and annotation tools enable them to document their findings. Included lens adapters make the camera compatible with any compound or dissecting microscope.

The product is easy to use for both teachers and students. The app offers a live interactive viewport, allowing still photos, video, time-lapse capture, fingertip point-to-point measurements, and pinch-finger zoom. And using the capabilities of the iPad, students can efficiently capture their observations, analyze their data, and share their results within a single class period.

The Focus app has precise tools. For example, students can easily examine hundreds of cells to determine the mitotic index of a tissue (e.g., onion root tips) and label the cells as mitotic or non-mitotic or by specific mitotic phases. In addition, students can study C. elegans (soil nematodes used for studying human disease) by accurately measuring the lengths of the worms to determine their life stage. Measurements can be done in units of microns, millimeters, or centimeters.

With the Focus Camera, teachers of all experience levels and disciplines can make lessons accessible and exciting while igniting student curiosity and encouraging active participation. The camera system was developed by two engineers in the medical instruments industry who recognized its potential in science education. The creators may not have realized how enabling the product would be for students with physical and visual disabilities.

Various accessories have been developed for the Focus Camera. An optional quick-change variable-focus lens turns the camera into a stand-alone benchtop science camera, useful for dissections, geology, ecology, forensics, and more. You will find this arrangement very useful once you realize how much your students appreciate seeing key images on a large monitor or TV.

The Focus Microscope Camera is an affordable, rugged, revolutionary technology that brings microscopy out of the dark ages from an isolated, often frustrating experience, to a 21st-century experience with active engagement, sharing, and collaboration in classrooms for students of all ages. This makes the Focus Microscope Camera an attractive and must-have technology in any science classroom setting.

A previous question from a teacher related to using the peer-editing process in science class. Jaime Gratton follows up with a summary of her experiences:
I would love to share what I did. I also received some responses and helpful resources from members of the NSTA email lists. For example, Jani replied with “My favorite thing to do is to provide colored pencils and then assign a meaning for the color.  For example, anything underlined in red = facts or questions, blue = spelling, green=grammar. So I just have a quarter sheet of what the colors mean. Give them colors and they will edit. Just be careful with special needs kids and who edits their papers. It also makes you see really quickly if someone told the student prior to turning in their final paper they needed to fix things.”
What I ended up doing was taking pieces from each of the responses and resources. I made a peer edit sheet that I thought would work best with the research paper my students were working on.
One thing I did emphasize was the importance of using praise comments, but also making sure that there are suggestions/questions because their goal as a Peer Editor is to make the person’s paper they are editing the best paper they can. I had really good feedback from my students after we did the editing. They really liked using the colored pencils to mark the sections they were reading. They said it was a great visual to see exactly where their mistakes/topic sentences were, as well as other suggestions to improve.
Thanks to Jaime for sharing her Peer Edit sheet. Here are some additional resources:

• Peer Edit with Perfection (Focused on elementary but the suggestions could be adapted to other grade levels)
• Peer Review
• Peer Editing (Focused on secondary students)
• Writing Peer Review (Peer Critique) TOP 10 Mistakes (Students in grades 4-5 humorously demonstrate what not to do.)
• Peer Editing/Review
• Peer Editing That Works
• 5 Reasons Students Should Be Doing More Peer Editing
• Encouraging Peer Editing

I also compiled these links and Jaime’s Peer Editing Sheet into the NSTA Resource collection “Peer Editing.”