NY Times columnist Thomas Friedman recently attended the 2010 Intel Science Talent Search Awards in Washington, DC. He listened to student presentations (including one which he freely admits was out of his scope) and talked with science teachers. He wrote:

In today’s wired world, the most important economic competition is no longer between countries or companies. The most important economic competition is actually between you and your own imagination. Because what your kids imagine, they can now act on farther, faster, cheaper than ever before—as individuals. Today, just about everything is becoming a commodity, except imagination, except the ability to spark new ideas.

Read the article online.

I didn’t get a chance to post on Saturday all the conversations with educators in Philadelphia, so I’m catching up a bit now.

“I had my 37th first day of school in August,” says Pamela O’Halloran, a middle school science teacher from  Tulsa, Oklahoma.  O’Halloran says she been attending  NSTA conferences “for years and years and years,” explaining, “It still reinforces what I’m doing, some of things I’m doing is the right thing, all the inquiry. But it also gives you a little spark.”
She wanted to share the NSTA experience with new teachers at her school; this year she is accompanied by three early-career teachers, including Natalie Smith”
“I teach eighth grade physical science. This is my first year teaching,” says Smith. “[O’Halloran] thought it would be a good idea for us to come and get some ideas and get some hands-on experience. You know, just kind of see what it’s all like and talk to some other people that are in the profession as well.
“See all of the resources. Get some ideas about equipment we might be able to purchase, or something, you know, that we can make,” Smith continues. “A lot of times, they just say, ‘You can go down to the hardware store. You can go to your local grocery store and you can pick up these ingredients or these chemicals or whatever.’ You can do something in the classroom with a very small budget if you need to. I’ve gotten a lot of good ideas so far.”

I also spoke with Sandy Krutchik of Flannigan High School in Pembroke Pines, Florida. She teaches anatomy and physiology primarily to  juniors and seniors. She was in the exhibit hall with some colleagues with a specific goal in mind. “We were looking for information on smart board technology…we were looking for ideas how to use [the boards] in the classroom,” she says. “We some ideas on how to incorporate ideas into the classroom.”

Teneka Coffey, who teaches at Kipp Harmony Academy, a public charter school in Baltimore, Maryland, was attending her first NSTA conference. “I teach science to kindergartners. I came here because this is my first year teaching science,” she explains. “It just sounded like an exciting opportunity to connect with other science teachers and go to a lot of valuable workshops. My principal was supporting it and paid for the trip, so I’m here.”
She says her conference attendance will have an immediate effect on her classroom. “I went to several workshops yesterday. I received a lot of good materials, good ideas that I see I’m going to use, even on Monday with the unit that we were working on. One of those workshops I went to yesterday had a great activity that would go along with what we’re doing right now in the classroom,” Coffey notes. “It’s been very valuable. I’ve really enjoyed the exhibits and shopping and finding cool science stuff that I don’t find generally in the stores and around my area.”

I’m at the 30th Street Station (with free wireless), waiting for the train to go home. Philadelphia is a great place for a conference, and I enjoyed reconnecting with people and making new friends and colleagues. I have a list of new technology resources to try out, ideas for professional development, additional content knowledge, new thoughts to reflect on, and a few cool maps for my office wall.
Next year the conference heads to the West Coast. Mark your calendars for March 10–13, 2011, in San Francisco. California, here we come!

Sunday morning is a tough time for a presenter. Early departures, church services, brunch dates, last minute sightseeing/souvenir gathering, or too much Saturday evening make it difficult for some to attend sessions at this time. But those die-hards who made it to the convention center this morning were treated to some excellent presentations.

Cameras in the classroom have come a long way from the Kodachrome days. Michael Kittel, Brian Gross, and Brian Heeney from Delcastle Technical High School in Wilmington DE shared some suggestions for teacher- and student-created photographs and videos: capturing teachable moments to review or debrief on, providing continuity between lessons, visually activating prior knowledge (and then re-activating after instruction), adding visuals to lab directions, illustrating misunderstandings, and showing examples of quality work. They walk around the classroom with their cameras to record those moments. They also showed the Eye-Fi wireless memory card that lets you upload photos instantly from your camera to your computer (no cables required). I know what I’ll suggest for my birthday next month!

In working with elementary teachers, I was familiar with the Readers’ Theatre strategy to improve fluency and as a motivational tool. Students would take a role in a brief “play” and rehearse reading their parts (much like a radio play or a podcast). But Jill Purdy from Cedar Crest College in Allentown PA wondered how the strategy would help 9th graders who struggle with reading in science. She summarized her research on the topic, showing the positive results in fluency, comprehension of science topics, and attitudes. The small number of participants was conducive for a “seminar” setting. Lots of ideas to extend the practice were discussed: logistics in the classroom, using the strategy with ELL students, creating original “scripts,” and recording the performances as podcasts.

So, you’re a presenter and your time slot is the last one of the conference. Will anyone come? Those who came to hear Judith Lucas-Odom from the Chester-Upland School District in PA were treated to a hands-on demonstration of how to help students make models to investigate watersheds, erosion, and point source and non-point source pollution. The activities are part of real-world investigations on water quality.
The presenter gave us directions for making a stream table with materials that can be found in discount stores. At first, I couldn’t visualize how the model would work (perhaps a lack of coffee was involved). But what made it real was actually creating the models ourselves. We found ourselves asking more questions: What would happen if…? Why did this happen? What does this represent? So the session ended with questions—perfect!

I’ll be heading home soon after a wonderful time in Philadelphia. The food here is awesome; I loved my “fancy-schmancy” hotel (Loews Philadelphia); and I bought nearly everything there was to buy in the gift shops, which I now will have to try to cram into my suitcase. It will be a physics lesson….
Most of all, I will miss my “up close and personal” chats with science teachers. Normally, I only get speak with you on the phone and e-mail you from my office in Arlington, Virginia (right; don’t you love those file folders!)

Have a safe trip home, and I hope to see you next year in San Francisco!