Sunday, January 25, 2009
Nature of Science
I really enjoyed this video and what he had to say about the nature of science. It really made me stop and think about my own beliefs about how the world works.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
science
Science articles/poems:
I have learned that as humans we are constantly changing out ideas and thoughts, rediscovering information, asking questions, interacting with the environment, and trying to be successful in our chosen path in life... these all have aspects of science linked with in. So as a science teacher I want my students to understand that we are all linked to the earth and one persons actions ay not immediately affect us but when a number of people do the same things it can have irreversable effects. I want my studnets to know that "We Are the Earth" as David Suzuki shares in his videos. I want to make a difference and I want my students to be civic minded as well. Students also need to be able to interact with their environmens and know that change can occur with one person.
These poems helped me realize that science is interwoven in everything that we do. From looking at a tree, to a piece of art, to just living. I learned that I want my classroom to be interactive, exciting, a place for exploring new/old ideas, and understanding the many whys we have in life.
I have learned that as humans we are constantly changing out ideas and thoughts, rediscovering information, asking questions, interacting with the environment, and trying to be successful in our chosen path in life... these all have aspects of science linked with in. So as a science teacher I want my students to understand that we are all linked to the earth and one persons actions ay not immediately affect us but when a number of people do the same things it can have irreversable effects. I want my studnets to know that "We Are the Earth" as David Suzuki shares in his videos. I want to make a difference and I want my students to be civic minded as well. Students also need to be able to interact with their environmens and know that change can occur with one person.
These poems helped me realize that science is interwoven in everything that we do. From looking at a tree, to a piece of art, to just living. I learned that I want my classroom to be interactive, exciting, a place for exploring new/old ideas, and understanding the many whys we have in life.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Americans Stop and Listen Obama's inauguration speech affected Internet use patterns
By Stuart Fox Posted 01.21.2009 at 12:56 pm 0 Comments
Plugging In a Different Way: akeg (CC Licensed)
Sure, people said they were working during yesterday's inauguration, but the Internet tells a different tale. It seems that a large portion of Americans actually stopped working and searching the Internet while Obama was speaking, and on the flip side, Twitter and Facebook shot through the roof.
Google, on its official blog, reported a substantial drop in queries lasting from the time Obama started taking the oath of office to the end of his speech. Similarly, the Merchant Circle, a company that helps small business expand their Web presence, noted a sharp decline in Web traffic while Obama was speaking.
But while Americans seemed to turn away from business, they turned towards social networks. Twitter reported five times as many tweets per second during Obama's swearing in than the service usually records. This led to delays of up to five minutes, an eternity for a service used to delivering content in seconds. Facebook also saw a huge jump in use, reporting 4,000 status updates a minute during Obama's speech.
The inauguration was also a boon for streaming video, the viewing of which reached its highest level ever during the speech. For some cable carriers, Internet traffic spiked by over 400 percent during the event, easily topping the record set last year during the US Open.
Once Obama finished his speech, and the poet Elizabeth Alexander began speaking, the traffic returned to normal. This, combined with footage of the crowds attempting to leave the Mall while Alexander spoke gave the impression that the poet was not as well received as the president. However, that may not be the case. According to data provided by Amazon.com spokesperson Sally Fouts, Alexander's work, "Praise Song for the Day: A Poem for Barack Obama's Presidential Inauguration", jumped 2,878 precent in sales rank to 369, up from 10,990 earlier in the day.
So that's what everyone did once they got back to work from watching the inauguration: they all started buying Obama-related merchandise.
It is interesting to see that there is such an interest and so much support for the new president. I can only hope the same for Canada. Why are we so passive? Why is it so hard to create change? What would I do if I was primeminister for a day? So many questions and so few answers.
One question I have about the new president is if race is not suppose to make a difference in what you can do and who you can be how come one of the most memorable facts about the new president is that he is black. I understand it is evolution and the changing from slaves to equals but that is how he is forever going to be remembered... as a colour. He has good messages and is very inspirational but it still comes down to that fact.
By Stuart Fox Posted 01.21.2009 at 12:56 pm 0 Comments
Plugging In a Different Way: akeg (CC Licensed)
Sure, people said they were working during yesterday's inauguration, but the Internet tells a different tale. It seems that a large portion of Americans actually stopped working and searching the Internet while Obama was speaking, and on the flip side, Twitter and Facebook shot through the roof.
Google, on its official blog, reported a substantial drop in queries lasting from the time Obama started taking the oath of office to the end of his speech. Similarly, the Merchant Circle, a company that helps small business expand their Web presence, noted a sharp decline in Web traffic while Obama was speaking.
But while Americans seemed to turn away from business, they turned towards social networks. Twitter reported five times as many tweets per second during Obama's swearing in than the service usually records. This led to delays of up to five minutes, an eternity for a service used to delivering content in seconds. Facebook also saw a huge jump in use, reporting 4,000 status updates a minute during Obama's speech.
The inauguration was also a boon for streaming video, the viewing of which reached its highest level ever during the speech. For some cable carriers, Internet traffic spiked by over 400 percent during the event, easily topping the record set last year during the US Open.
Once Obama finished his speech, and the poet Elizabeth Alexander began speaking, the traffic returned to normal. This, combined with footage of the crowds attempting to leave the Mall while Alexander spoke gave the impression that the poet was not as well received as the president. However, that may not be the case. According to data provided by Amazon.com spokesperson Sally Fouts, Alexander's work, "Praise Song for the Day: A Poem for Barack Obama's Presidential Inauguration", jumped 2,878 precent in sales rank to 369, up from 10,990 earlier in the day.
So that's what everyone did once they got back to work from watching the inauguration: they all started buying Obama-related merchandise.
It is interesting to see that there is such an interest and so much support for the new president. I can only hope the same for Canada. Why are we so passive? Why is it so hard to create change? What would I do if I was primeminister for a day? So many questions and so few answers.
One question I have about the new president is if race is not suppose to make a difference in what you can do and who you can be how come one of the most memorable facts about the new president is that he is black. I understand it is evolution and the changing from slaves to equals but that is how he is forever going to be remembered... as a colour. He has good messages and is very inspirational but it still comes down to that fact.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Down and dirty
Okay I have to get this out there.
I am going insane this semester. The classes are longer, they are front loaded, there is tons of reading, a unit plan due in a month, approx 10 projects due before preinternship and another 5 after preinternship... where do we find time? Personally the amount of information that I am recieving from a few of the classes I could skip for a few weeks and do the readings and not miss a thing. At least I would have time to work on my unit plan. The assignments are not laid out ahead of time to start working on other than our units that we are not suppose to know how to do.
I also feel that we are learning all these theories and idealistic ways to teach on paper but they are not being modelled in the class room. Everything looks good on paper but personally to learn something well I need to use it hands on and practice and see it in work. I learn by observing and then repeating with alterations and adaptations that suite my personality. Reading the text book for over 2 hours a day does not benefit me. I read to memorize until the exam and then forget it because it wasn't relevant to my immediate need for it. At least the reading for Assessment we talk about in the class and then we work on how we would use that information.
I just want to run away to somewhere warm and forget about school, exams, and readings. So, I am off to go curling.
I am going insane this semester. The classes are longer, they are front loaded, there is tons of reading, a unit plan due in a month, approx 10 projects due before preinternship and another 5 after preinternship... where do we find time? Personally the amount of information that I am recieving from a few of the classes I could skip for a few weeks and do the readings and not miss a thing. At least I would have time to work on my unit plan. The assignments are not laid out ahead of time to start working on other than our units that we are not suppose to know how to do.
I also feel that we are learning all these theories and idealistic ways to teach on paper but they are not being modelled in the class room. Everything looks good on paper but personally to learn something well I need to use it hands on and practice and see it in work. I learn by observing and then repeating with alterations and adaptations that suite my personality. Reading the text book for over 2 hours a day does not benefit me. I read to memorize until the exam and then forget it because it wasn't relevant to my immediate need for it. At least the reading for Assessment we talk about in the class and then we work on how we would use that information.
I just want to run away to somewhere warm and forget about school, exams, and readings. So, I am off to go curling.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Ideas
How a small idea can grow.... you really can make a difference if you put an idea into action.
post below
Looking back on my blog I used for ECMP 455 I really wanted to repost this because I think it is valuable to think about.
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