Neat Video and More Crystals

http://wimp.com/studentstoday/ <- Amazing Video on college students today. Impressive/Impacting.

Crystal Stocking

"Ruby" Crystals

Blue Crystals

Silver Ornaments

So- this class is way over. Go me for getting an A! But I figured it is almost easier to keep posting the fun links I want to have/use as a teacher than making WAY too big a folder of bookmarks for me to ever handle. Maybe I'll research something else- but I am comfortable with blogging and like how easy it is to search through my blog.

Final thoughts.

I just finished posting my final discussion post- so this class is more or less over for me.

But our professor posted a couple of articles and one got me thinking.

"Who are your students? Don’t weasel out by listing trivial demographic details. Who are your students, really?

What are you students capable of becoming?

How can your students best discover the joy and wonder in the world?

How can your students best express their passion and enthusiasm for their discoveries?

How can your students best help others discover something new about the world?"

I really like technology. I grew up with it. I have a glimpse of a grasp in understanding some of it's uses. But as a teacher - it all comes down to my students. What will be best for them. What will help them learn and understand the world around them.

Personal Project

For my personal project: I used a new tool called glogster.

It is set up as a very user-friendlyl user-face that allows you to make online posters. It was pretty slick. You can add in video, images, hyperlinks, texts, and lots of fun designs. Not badly done.

I want to instill a new life-time habit for my students. I want them to look at the world around them. I want them to make observations. I want them to ask questions. I want them to discover answers for themselves.

How I would use this tool in my ideal future classroom: I would assign a project and have the kids use gloster to present their findings in a different format than just a straight paper or poster.

This project could be reading a non-fiction book about an aspect of science. Or a research assignment looking at the chemistry behind a real-life example. (These are literally ENDLESS!)

I want the kids to pick something that interests them. Whether this is something they have heard on the news. Or an example I have brought up in class. Or something that they have always wondered about. This project can be redone throughout the year, or maybe become an extra credit option-> to deal with the topics we are covering in class.

Here's an example of what a student could turn in:

And two fun things my Dad actually found this week...
What happens when you combine every element on the periodic table?

And What Makes a Great Teacher?

Tips and Fun

Some teaching tips/fun things I've found:

• Grade Contracts
• 10 worst things teachers can do
• Water Tricks! (who knew water was so cool!)
• Ready for Christmas? I think I might do the Borax Crystal Snowflake this weekend!
• Can you say Educational Games!
• Love to color?

Happy Thanksgiving!

• A snazzy video converter
• Google Tool Tutorials
• Easy way to find Creative Commons pictures- no copyright issues
• Great blog on collecting student's work online - no wasting time passing out papers
• Using Enter the Group to work collaboratively
• Online FREE Scientific Calculator awesome if students need calculators at home
• Slightly kidish- but still fun
• Need to cut up YouTube Videos?

Element's Video

Cool links for the week.

• Trouble with Late Work? Here's some suggestions.
• Making any kind of Slime? Some helpful hints.
• Online Diagram Generator.
• Google tutorials for teachers.
• Periodic Table of Produce

I've really been enjoying these feeds. I always learn something new or am inspired by an idea I have never thought of before. Can't wait to actually use some of these fun ideas!

Some fun things this week

• Metals vs Non-Metals
• Rock Candy Flavors: when covering solids and crystal structures: I think it's super important that we have some fun experiments! I personally love the crystal gardens, but rock candy is always wonderful as well!
• Swump: a fun online program to create slideshows using audio and pictures.
• Resources to help learn the Periodic Table
• (Nothing to do with Chemistry) but for these midterm elections!
• Open Source lesson plans

My fake classroom assignment

My Classroom Website

National Chemistry Week!

This week should definitely be special in the classroom. Do something crazy and fun this week. Peaking interest for students. Opening the possibility for them to become more involved in Chemistry.

• Fun demos can be done that don't really fit into other lessons.
• Projects having kids look in to new ways that chemistry affects their lives.
• Extra Credit given for a presentation on a current chemistry topic in the news.

BYU does a special series of Chemistry Magic Shows- that are amazing fun.

Make it known across the entire school body: Chemistry is something to celebrate!

Other Fun things I came across this week:

• Chemistry Movie Effects
• Halloween Lesson ideas
• Rainbow pH with red cabbage juice

Some fun things I came across this week

The Tin Man from Wizard of Oz on toxic make-up.

Glow in the Dark Slime : I know! Halloween!

Homemade Face-paint

LED Throwies: Amazingly simply and inexpensive to make. One of my favorite videos- threw these all over a big city.

One of my favorite mini-extensions involves a comic of batman. Here you can make your own epic superhero comics!

Nothing to do with Chemistry- but a fun online sound mixer.

Some recent highlights

Ever watch Mythbusters? GeekMom is a site- not specific to chemistry, but about mothers sharing science w/ their children. One poster is Kari Bryon from Mythbusters.

Can you listen better?

As we are all headed to be student teachers soon, here's some tips!

6 tips to improve teaching. REALLY liked this article. A few short tips can go a LONG way.

For Halloween, a self exploding pumpkin, and colored fire. Now I just need to find a good costume this year!

Games for education!

New Teachers?

Is your life safe?

Terrifying

Safety on the internet is HUGE. I live in the age of data information. You can pay for almost everything online now. I have accounts with hundreds of websites. I blog and post information about myself every week online for everyone to look at.

Everyone needs to be careful that they are using good passwords (do you use the same password for ALL of your accounts? from your email to your facebook to your paypal account to your bank account to your good reads?) Only post information on the internet that you would tell a stranger. -No addresses or information that can pinpoint back to you. Everyone's heard the horror stories about even mentioning a school + child's name that can be allow a stranger to pick up someone else's child.

With all of the information online about you: could someone put the pieces together and crack your life?

Issue for everyone. Teach your children. Teach your parents. As a teacher you are responsible for even more children's safety. Be SAFE.

My goals: go back through my accounts/passwords. Several have the same password they've had for my internet "lifetime" as were. (You know since I was like 8. It's time for some maturing.)

The other part of this assignment (besides learning how to be safe on the internet) was to teach someone a bit about internet safety. My younger brother just started a blog as he left for college. He's pretty internet savvy. In fact- he is smarter and knows more about technology than I ever have known. I also shared what I learned with a friend. He is also very careful on the internet. I impressed the importance on not revealing personal information as well as being smart about passwords. They are actually going to help me generate some better passwords for some of my accounts. : )

Do you copy right?

Two of my recent favorite videos:

Basically a copyright suit. Purely entertainment and taken without permission. The video is taken from Disney's Toy Story, the sound is taken from the Dark Knight trailer, put together by a third-party. Even giving credit to the original sources: violates copyright laws.

A music video done by the original artists of the song. The video on the TV in the middle of the video: is another of the group's music videos. I'm not sure about all the objects though. They use a whole lot of random objects- but their is never an obvious label or name; so I am pretty sure that everything follows copyright laws.

Discovering Google Reader and the wonders of RSS

Some of my new favorite rss feeds to subscribe to:

• Chemistry from about.com
• Secondary Education from about.com
• HowStuffWorks.com (Learned that the average person dreams for a total of 6 years in their lifetime. )
• Free Technology for Teachers (my fav this week: snappywords. It's like a visual dictionary. For me who is so bad with vocab and seeing how things match up: brilliant.) (Also cool was Trailmeme) (and tools to make online quizzes) (I also really like their weekly highlights. Easy to go through and catch-up on cool new tools out here.) (Yep.. REALLY like this feed)
• WiseGeek is pretty fun as well. (Learned what rumble strips and ginger ale are today.)
• Discovery News (Funny note about slackers)

I am really liking google reader. As my family are big bloggers, I can't believe I haven't done this before! It is WAY easier to go to one place and go through everything I want to read real quick than go through my dashboard and click on each blog individually, then go through all the random websites and comics.

I am still going through and finding the blogs and sites that will be helpful in my teacher career. But now I know what to do with such sites and how to keep track of everything!

The Purpose

We don't have class this week:

So I wasn't sure if we even needed to post. But I figured that I would introduce what this blog will be for. (Partly for you Mom).

This blog is indeed for a class! A teaching with technology class. The point of the class is to get us comfortable with finding and using new technologies that will help us in our classrooms.

I am starting to build up a list of resources that I can use in my future classroom. Technology specifically using online tools, resources, etc. that will enable the students to enhance their learning in and outside of the classroom.

I liked this article we read for class. Kids these days have grown up in a different world than I have. By the time I am in my own classroom teaching students of my own- it may be even more different. The hope is to stay current with technology. (Though I know I will shortly be passed by) Or at least staying comfortable with finding and using new technology.

Hello Everyone!

My name is Emmalyn.

I finally decided on a Chemistry Education major after taking enough chemistry classes that I didn't want to start over entirely in another subject. I realized after a couple of years being a straight chemistry major that I didn't really like research or the idea of working for a company. I TA'd for Chem105 all last year and LOVED it. I loved working with the students and seeing their eyes light up when they understood a concept. Changed my major to Chemistry Education and here I am! Ideally I want to teach high school chemistry.

I am the oldest of 6. The baby just turned 9. My brother is a freshman this year and I am so stoked that he is here!

I love collecting elephants. My favorite color is red. I am not coordinated so I only try things in which I am the only one who could possibly be injured. I was born in Utah but grew up in Maryland. I spent last spring in London studying abroad and having an utter blast!

I have actually been blogging for the last two years, while I have been away at college to show my parents what I am up to.

EL