Exploring the Earth and Beyond (SCIE - 6663S - 2) week 3

Natural Disasters

In wake of the Oklahoma disaster and, myself, living in a state that is part of Tornado Alley I have chosen to discuss tornados as my natural disaster. The conditions required for development of tornadoes begins with a low level of moisture that is triggered by a cold front or other low level zone of converging wind, lifting the moist air up. As the air begins to rise it becomes saturated, it will continue rising to produce a thunderstorm cloud in an unstable atmosphere. Tornadoes usually form in areas where winds are strong and turn in a clockwise or veering direction (The Weather Channel, 1995-2012).

Tornados can happen during any time of the year but peak season tends to be spring. Spring is when conditions for tornado tend to be more favorable, with unstable weather being more common.  Typically forecasters examine observations and computer data to locate regions where strong instability and wind shear coexist, these factors indicating the possibility of tornado conditions (TWC, 1995-2012).

The Enhanced Fujita Tornado Intensity Scale is used to rate the intensity of tornados. The Fujita scale has a range from F0-F5 based upon the type and severity of damage the tornado produced and approximate wind speed ranges for each damage category (TWC, 1995-2012). With the Oklahoma disaster making National news we are able to see firsthand the damage these types of natural phenomena cause. Experts in this field are estimating the damage to be near $2 billion, with the loss of homes, school, medical buildings, and private sector structures to name a few (Belvedere, 2013).

As far as saving buildings and homes from loss, that has yet to be discovered. We can baton down the hatches only so much. However saving the lives of people in the affected areas has been more successful. With early detection systems in use the National Weather Service is able to warn people prior to an event so that they can seek shelter, allowing lives to be spared. Unfortunately in some cases not all lives are spared and tragedy occurs in the wake of these events.          

Reference

Belvedere, M. (2013, May 12). Oklahoma Tornado Damage Could Hit $2 Billion: Expert. CNBC. Retrieved from http://www.cnbc.com/id/100753925

The Weather Channel. (1995-2012). Storm Encyclopedia: Tornados. Retrieved from http://www.weather.com/encyclopedia/tornado/form.html

Investigating the Living World (SCIE - 6662S - 2)----- Week 3

Ask a Scientist

About four years ago my niece died from Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, at the age of nineteen. She was diagnosed at age seventeen; the disease progressed very quickly and took her from us at a young age. ALS is not as common in young people; it tends to strike people between 40 and 60 years of age with men being affected more often than women.  In 90 to 95 percent of all ALS cases the disease occurs with no clearly associated risk factors. People that have been diagnosed with ALS typically do not have a family history of the disease, and their family members are not considered to be at increased risk for developing ALS. (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 2012). In the wake of my nieces’ death I did some of my own research on the disease to try and understand it better. Motor neurons have been the focus of ALS research; this is based on the symptoms of this disease involving weakness of muscles (ALS Association, 2010). The research for treatment of ALS deals with the fate of motor neurons. The thought is that it might be sufficient to implant, by gene or stem cell therapy, a minimum number of cells that do not have any mutant protein but instead make helpful factors. The mutant protein, copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1), is linked to some cases of the disease. If mutant SOD1 is present in motor neurons, but normal SOD1 is in the surrounding, protective glia cells, then the motor neurons do not die. (ALS Association, 2010).

My question is this: If treatment research focuses on the interaction between motor neurons and non-neuronal cells and how much motor neuron death depends on neighboring cells, then how will non-neuronal cells protect motor neurons expressing an ALS-causing mutation.

I have not yet received my response so there will be more to come at a later date.

References

ALS Association. (2010). Cell Targets. Retrieved from http://www.alsa.org/research/about-als-research/cell-targets.html

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. (2012, December 20). Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Fact Sheet. Retrieved from http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/amyotrophiclateralsclerosis/detail_ALS.htm#222914842

Investigating the Living World (SCIE - 6662S - 2)----- Week 1

Evaluating Web 2.0 Presentation Tools

Things that excite students help them focus on the learning, resources like Prezi(a new free online presentation tool) allows students to create and learn at the same time. Exposure to this type of media helps students as they prepare to enter the work force, technology is integrated into many jobs and exposure to tools like Prezi will make them better prepared.  This tool has an option that allows students to create different types of presentations and examples to help with their ideas. Using a presentation format for prior knowledge allows students to discuss what they know and share ideas. It can be an opportunity to share correct knowledge and address incorrect information.

Check out the Prezi video tutorial. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx9d7GPR7Wg

Posters are a common method of sharing information used in the classroom. Posters are used to communicate important ideas and as student assessment of knowledge. Creating a poster allows the student to consider their information and figure out the best way to include, organize, arrange, and illustrate it. Glogster provides a way to bring the poster into the 21st century by allowing users to create a digital poster, or glog, with multimedia and hyperlinked elements to extend and supplement the information it contains. This tool is user friendly and captivities the users attention.

Detailed Tutorial on Glogster EDU - Online teaching and learning tool http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80NISdsoouE

Google Docs has a variety of digital tools that provide teachers with features to help students develop 21st century writing skills. Google Docs are collaborative and available at any time, this makes the tool well-suited for digital writing projects that combine peer editing with cooperative grouping and small group fine-tuned writing instruction. I have not used this with my students yet but have with my colleagues. The writing application was a wonderful tool during curriculum writing and the presentations options look promising as well.

Google Docs for Students Introduction http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmR2kbbupVY

SCIE-6661S-1 Exploring the Physical World---Week 6

21^st Century Topics and Tools

A topic in physical science that must be learned so it can be built upon is kinetic theory. What is kinetic theory you may ask? According to Webster’s Dictionary it is a theory that the temperature of a substance increases with an increase in either the average kinetic energy of the particles or the average potential energy of separation (as in fusion) of the particles or in both when heat is added —called also kinetic theory of heat.

Concepts like these can be hard for middle school students to learn. Utilizing tools that excite and interest students can make the learning seem fun and not so much like work. From my own experience I have found that my students enjoy creating projects online. In the past few years the media tools available to students and teachers has improved immensely. Things that excite students help them focus on the learning, resources like Prezi (a new free online presentation tool) allows students to create and learn at the same time. Exposure to this type of media helps students as they prepare to enter the work force, technology is integrated into many jobs and exposure to tools like Prezi will make them better prepared.

As students address the kinetic theory it’s important to establish what they already know. The use of Prezi can assist in this process. This tool has an option that allows students to create a mind map, and examples to help students with their ideas. Mind mapping prior knowledge of the kinetic theory would be a good place to start. Using a presentation format for prior knowledge allows students to discuss what they know and share ideas. It can be an opportunity to share correct knowledge and address incorrect information. However with the introduction of any new technology a period of learning and adjustment must be considered, for students and teacher. Many tools like Prezi offer tutorials to assist in the preparation and use of the program. I find those tutorials to be helpful not only for myself but for my students.

Check out the Prezi video tutorial. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx9d7GPR7Wg

References

Alessio. (2011, April 1). Kinetic Theory Resources. [Blog message]. Retrieved from http://blog.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/2011/04/326/

Kinetic Theory. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webester’s online dictionary. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kinetic%20theory

SCIE-6661S-1 Exploring the Physical World---Week 4 Scientific Inquiry: Choosing Insulators

 

When selecting materials to test as insulators I considered the common items in my home and their uses.  An insulator is a material that prevents heat from escaping, keeping items warm for longer periods of time. Insulators have many common uses in the home from building materials to food containers.  Depending on the job of the insulator the materials used to insulate can vary greatly.  Why do we spend time investigating insulators you may ask?  With a lot of emphasis being placed on buildings being energy efficient research into the economic benefits of maximum insulators has become an important topic (Tillery, Enger, & Ross, 2008).  

In my experiment I chose four common household items and tested their insulating potential.  I chose to test plastic wrap, aluminum foil, newspaper and cotton cloth.  I believe that if I test all four if my insulators then the foil will prove to be the most efficient in the retention of heat.  In order to test my insulators I used four 200 milliliter beakers, water heated to sixty five degrees, rubber bands and Fahrenheit thermometer.  After pouring 100 milliliters of heated water into each beaker I secured my insulators over the beaker opening with a rubber band.  After a thirty minute cooling period I measured the temperature of the water in each beaker again, recording the difference.  After conducting three trials for each of my insulators I averaged the results.  I found that my choice, foil being the best at insulating, was correct.  The average temperature change for each of my insulators is as follows.  The plastic wrap experienced an average drop of 35 degrees, the aluminum foil experienced an average drop of 12 degrees, the newspaper experienced an average drop of 29 degrees, and the cotton cloth experienced an average drop of 31 degrees.  I expected the foil to be the most efficient at insulating; having knowledge of its common uses and properties indicated its ability to hold heat in effectively.  I hypothesized that the plastic wrap would have been a close runner up to the foil and was very surprised that its ability to retain heat was so poor.  I did not believe that the cloth or newspaper would act as good insulators in this case and was not surprised at those results. 

This activity was very easy to prepare and execute in a classroom.  I can see my students being able to replicate this activity in the classroom and gather similar useful data.  It would make for an interesting topic in our classroom discussions.  I would be very interested to hear their opinions as to which items they would chose as best insulators and why the others would not.  Sometimes students’ clear, unrestricted views make more sense than our preconceived ideas.  I would also like my students to choose materials they feel would be good insulators and execute the same test for them.  After the students analyze their data and compare all the results an open forum of conversation would be enlightening on their choices and results.

 

 References

Tillery, B. W., Enger, E. D., & Ross, F. C. (2008). Integrated science (4th ed.). New York:

McGraw-Hill

    

SCIE-6661S-1 Exploring the Physical World---Week 3 Scientific Inquiry on Electromagnetism:

 

When researching methods of creating an electromagnet there were several variables to consider and test.  Electromagnets can be turned on and off by using a battery as the source of electrons. By connecting a wire to the battery you create a flow of electrons through the wire, there must be a complete circuit for the electrons to flow. In doing this you cause the electrons to behave like a magnet when they flow through the wire, creating a magnetic field.  Every electric charge is surrounded by an electric field.  If the charge is moving, it is surrounded by an electric field and a magnetic field (Tillery, Enger, & Ross, 2008).   

In my design I chose to test two different variables that could increase the electromagnetic flow of my magnet.  My first variable tested was how the amount of coils in the wire affects the strength of the magnet.  I believe that if I increase the number of coils then the magnet will be stronger.  I began my experiment by creating the magnet without any coils in the wire and recording the amount of paperclips collected.  I chose to add five coils at a time, with a maximum of twenty, and test each addition of coils three times.  I found that as I increased the amount of coils in the wire the magnetism increased.  With each addition of five coils in the wire the amount of paperclips attracted increased.

With my first variable tested and the data recorded I moved on to my next variable.  In my next experimental design I tested the gage of the wire and its effects on the strength of the magnet.  I believe that if I increase the gage of the wire then the magnetism will decrease.  Using the two different gauges of wire provided in our kits I created the first magnet with the thinner gauged wire.  During the three trials for the thin gauged wire the paperclips collected by the magnet were consistent, picking up five paperclips each time.  After changing to the thicker gauged wire and conducting the experiment again I noticed that the paper clips attracted to the magnet were inconsistent but approximately the same.  The amount of paper clips attracted to the magnet with the thicker gauge wire ranged from four to five at a time.  I concluded that the gauge of the wire had very little to no effect on the strength of my magnet.

As I read up on magnetism in our course text and prepared and then executed my experiment I was reminded of why we allow students to design their own procedure and why we provide procedure.  I some cases students have no experience with the materials they are testing, in other cases they have had exposure.  Most students have had exposure to magnetism at an early age. I do not know many, if any, children that have not enjoyed playing with magnets at some point in their youth.  If I were to conduct this experiment with my students they would ultimately ask why we would need to try to increase the magnetism so many different ways.  I would remind them that different designs are used for different applications (Tillery, Enger, & Ross, 2008).  Our job, as scientists, is to investigate all the possibilities and find the results.      

 

References

Tillery, B. W., Enger, E. D., & Ross, F. C. (2008). Integrated science (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill

SCIE-6661S-1 Exploring the Physical World---Week 2 Guided Inquiry---Surface affects Momentum

 

In my chosen guided inquiry I selected how two different surfaces affect the momentum of a marble? My hypothesis is if I compare the linoleum floor to the carpeted floor in my school hallway then the momentum of the marble will be faster and go further on the linoleum. For my experiment I used the large marble, a meter stick, linoleum, and carpeted hallway flooring. For each trial, I tested each surface three times, I averaged the results. I marked the floor with tape and rolled the marble in the designated area.  The following are my results: on the carpeted floor the average distance was 12 centimeters, and on the linoleum the average distance was 52 centimeters. Based on prior knowledge I knew that the carpet would cause friction and imped the speed and distance of the marble. When assessing the floors the carpets texture looked rougher in comparison to the linoleum indicating to me a possible impairment in momentum. Challenges I encountered during my experiment were minimal with the exception of keeping the marble in the defined boundary. If I chose to do this experiment in the classroom I would consider creating a track with different surfaces. This would eliminate the problem of the wandering marble.  

This experiment is a good example of guided inquiry for students. My students will have the opportunity to learn how to independently inquire, use data, and adapt design to accommodate problems. With my 8^th grade students I can associate the surface to possible concerns for road surfaces when they become drivers. To give more opportunity for the students to explore perhaps we could test other surfaces around the school. During state standardized testing Newton’s laws are addressed. We spend time before the test reviewing concepts learned in prior years and this activity would be an excellent way to review the laws and see where they apply.