Grabbing their Eyes: keeping students motivated and interested in science.

Getting students interested and motivated about Science is one of teacher’s newest concerns. Careers in the STEM’s field are in high demand as America is encouraged to keep up the latest discoveries.  So I first explored various web sites that provide opportunities for teacher to motivate and keep students interest.  NOVA is the highest rated science series on television and the most watched documentary series on public television. This is the most powerful website that I have encountered. Through PBS’s NOVA Science programming on air and online students can explore various topics of science. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ is the home page for PBS NOVA. The interactive pages, slideshows, interviews, inquiry activities, video segments and so forth are geared to motivate students about science. Various exploreable question such as “How did life begin, Is there life on Mars, and Are we alone? Teacher resources are available at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/.  I challenge you to explore the various topics such as  anthropology, earth science, physical science, engineering, forensic science, geography, health science, paleontology, space science, technology, environmental science and more.

An activity that I feel would be engaging for students is called “New Ways to Catch Rays.”  This activity is located at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/tech/new-ways-catch-rays.html.    The students would learn about the eight  latest solar technologies: thermal trough, mirrored dish, power tower, thin film, concentrated sunlight, solar paint, evacuated-tube collectors, and sun-grown biofuel. This would be explored during a unit on global change, global warming, solar and renewable energy The student would look at photos, an illustration, and text to investigate how these technologies can provide environmentally friendly solutions. Other online physical science interactive activities are located at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/search/results/page/1/include-teachers/only?&facet%5b%5d=dc.subject_teacher%3A%22Physical+Science%22.

Other websites and teacher resources to motivate students and promotes development of  21^st century skills are listed below:

http://www.discoveryeducation.com/search/page/6-8/science/-/-/index.cfm

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/5-8/index.html

http://ippex.pppl.gov/  Interactive Plasma Physic Educational Experience -Interactive lessons and activities about matter, energy and fusion.

http://energyquest.ca.gov/index.html  Energy Quest- History and sources of energy includes many illustrations and Flash animations. Extensive games page has many puzzles and crosswords that can be printed or completed online.

http://www.miamisci.org/af/sln/index.html  -The Atom’s Family- A series of interactive puzzles hosted by famous monsters. Various energy concepts are taught as the students solve the problem

http://www.learner.org/interactives/parkphysics/ Amusement Park Physic- Try to design a roller coaster that works in accordance with Newton's laws of physics.

If you can not take the heat-Get out the kitchen!

To start the experiment I use four glass mugs, a pot to boil water and a cup of room temperature water. The temperature of the water was 24˚C and after being boiled it 50+˚C.I would pour one cup of boiling water into each cup, covering it with specified material and seal with a rubber band. The four types of materials that I selected consist of aluminum foil, wax paper, a wash cloth and plastic sandwich bag.  I chose these materials they are commonly used in the homes of America. After 30 minute I would measure the temperature of the water for each cup and note observation of materials. Between measurements I place the thermometer into to the cup of sink water, which served as a reset or base temperature.

I then reflected on my prediction made for each mug and material. I predicted for cup1 the foil, would be a very good insulator of heat because the steam from the hot water would not be able to escape to cool the water, thus causing the water to remain hot. Cup 2 was cover with wax paper where I predicted it would somewhat be a good insulator because wax just like a candle would not allow the heat to escape. My predictions for cup 3 suggest that the plastic sandwich bag would be the best insulator because the water vapor could not escape. I then thought that the plastic might to thin and the heat might damage the plastic causing it to stretch or weaken and maybe tear/melt and allow the heat to escape. I was most concerned about cup 4. Cup 4 was covered with a wash cloth that I thought would be the worst insulator since the material was woven and had many escape wholes for the water vapors which would allow the water to cool off.

I was quiet surprise at my findings. All four did have condensation along the inside walls of the mug. The temperatures varied as well as the effect of the steam on the material. Below is chart of experiment observations:

Cup #	Material	Effect on materials after 30 minute wait: notes	Boiled water’s temp. after 30 minute of wait
Cup 1	Aluminum Foil	-Felt hot to touch                                                    –No condensation on the foil                                      -The foil was discolored, looked as if was burned; the foil was a metallic, foggy, cloudy, dusty graying bronze color.	50˚C
Cup 2	Wax Paper	-Felt warm to touch                                                -A lot of condensation on the wax paper               -Wax paper absorbed the water vapors making it weak.                                                                        –Wax paper tore when pressure was applied to the top.	48˚C
Cup 3	Plastic Sandwich Bag	-Felt very hot to touch                                          - A lot of condensation on the bag.                            –The plastic was more flexible when I applied pressure to the top.	54˚C
Cup 4	Wash Cloth	-Felt slightly warm to touch.                                        – There was no condensation on the towel; it did not retain any moisture from the vapors.	52˚C

The best insulator was the plastic sandwich bag followed by the wash cloth, which really surprised me.  These were the two best insulators because they allowed the water to remain at the highest temperatures. The wash cloth being a good insulator totally went against my prediction. If I had to conduct the experiment again I would use the same materials and add newspaper, wood and card board. I would like to explore if the vapor would be absorbed by the material.I know that on the inside of every cup (glass mug) there was once water that reached their boiling point and turned into vapors, then the vapors changed into liquid are known as condensation point (Tillery, Enger, & Ross, 2008). The second law of thermodynamic was also prevalent as the heat transferred to the objects with cooler temperatures such as the mugs and the materials. Throughout this experiment convection occurred. Convection took place on the stove when heat was transferred from the eye to the pot then to the water and into the cup, from the water to materials and so forth.  The biggest challenges I faced was how to organize my notes when making my observations.  This is how I came up the chart. I was not sure what information belonged in the chart or just into the side notes.

The experiment overall was a success I really enjoyed analyzing my own predictions and discovery what made more or less accurate. I did not expect the vapors to be absorbed by the wax paper, which cause it to not to be a good insulator. I was also intrigued by the aluminum foil changing colors as if burned. This was a stimulating experiment that I would one like to take to my class. Instead of using hot water I would like to use hot cocoa. The task would be for the student to best insulate the hot cocoa for the longest time period, or to make a cup using material that would do the same.