Short, quick overview of OER

Here is a short but aesthetically pleasing animation/explanation of Open Education Resources. It covers many of the benefits previously explained  in earlier posts. For example, the ability for teachers to modify online materials.

Merck PTE as a Chemistry Reference

Often students taking chemistry classes will find a variety of data is needed to solve a problem. A great all-in one reference for chemistry data is found in the Application Merck PTE. Merck PTE is available at no charge and can be downloaded on both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

What is Merck PTE?

Merck PTE is essentially a three dimensional interactive periodic table. The periodic table is color coded for the type of element, such as Alkali metal or Halogens. Sliding your finger over each element pops up a window with the element's name, the original name (Greek, latin, etc...), and the atomic mass. This feature is  the simplest aspect of this App, but a very helpful one. If you click on an individual element, it provides three tabs of information, general, basic information, and discoverer.

In the tab labeled "general", information such as the designation, classification, group, period and relative atomic mass are provided. In addition, a brief summary of the element on where it is commonly found, and the element's daily uses are given.

In the "Basic Information" tab, there is more technical information given. (I know...I know it says "basic" but relative  to the general tab, it is more technical.) Information from electronegativity to ionization energy about the specific element is provided.

In the final tab labeled, "Discoverer" information about the year , the country  and the scientist which made the discovery is provided.

The three tabs above are the only tabs found inside an element on Merck's interactive periodic table. However, if you go on a side application tab from the periodic table, there are even more features.

The developers of this app  ranked all the properties of  the known elements. 

They created a molar mass calculator with elemental mass compositions.

They provided a glossary explaining many important chemistry terms and concepts.

You can filter the periodic table based on properties

Atomic Radius Chart

I strongly recommend both science enthusiasts and chemistry students to download this app because it is such a great all-in one tool! In addition it's a no cost app!

Have fun!

Why it is important for you and education to vote!

Seeing the title above makes you wonder why an article regarding the importance of voting would be present on an education blog. I decided to write about this because we are currently in voting season and  I had the honor of working a poll in my home district primaries this week. By connecting it with education, both myself and Ross Brenneman's article can explain why education is very much a part of politics. Everything which drives the progress of a school  is political. Politicians take part in funding, testing, and curriculum decisions. It is important to note that nothing in this world is obtained completely free. There may be many free online educational resources, but the research money behind each site is not a small amount. Many people have different opinions on funding priority on a government bill. Some politicians prioritize other government programs or prefer tax cuts and some politicians prefer raising funding for schools. However, a critical question pertaining to the correct amount and the most efficient method of support from the government is brought up. How much should the schools be receiving and how should this be done? This is for you to decide.

So why is it important to vote?

Representation- Our country was founded on the basis of democracy. The founders were upset that Great Britain taxed the colonists without providing representation from the Thirteen Colonies in the parliament. Hence, the famous phrase, "Taxation without Representation". After a war and several voting right bills over the last 240 years, American citizens can now select their representatives. It would be ludicrous for American citizens  not  to exercise a right which lives were taken to obtain. In education, especially at the local levels, many politicians, or so called representatives make critical decisions for the education of your children. Examine their views on education and their ability to represent people with similar views. Make an informed decision regarding their credibility and determine whether their decision is in the best interest of your children and the community. Every vote matters, and many elections at the local level can be decided by very slim margins. Local elections, even though not as advertised as national elections, are very significant to education. The fact that fewer people vote in these elections, makes each vote much more powerful. I'm not suggesting any type of opinion on school funding, but it is important to remember that education is POLITICAL! Politicians make direct impacts on funding, testing and curriculum. The easiest way to impact education is heading out to a school election and casting a vote free of charge.

How can I find out more about the candidates?

I would suggest directly calling the candidates or their representatives on the ballot several days before the elections. School elections are important and I'm sure they will gladly answer any questions you may have. If they dodge your questions, perhaps their credibility may be in question. Additionally, Google is a great tool for researching candidates. It may be more difficult to use at local level elections. However, at state and national elections, many websites provide an extensive view of each candidate's political ideals. If every citizen were to expect greater accountability from each politician, then the right leaders will find a position in our nation. Every vote counts for the spirit of quality education, your children and the community.       

A Great Research Resource for Country Statistics!

Happy Memorial Day! Speaking of Memorial Day, many people enjoy travelling to various destinations for vacation.  Some would like to spend their much needed break before finals or after APs completing their research projects. A great resource for a history, statistics or economics  project which involves the daily life of a country would be the website named Knoema.

Knoema provides country profiles, maps, country rankings, commodities of individual countries, and other topics of significant such as energy or national defense. All of these features on Knoema are free of charge and additionally, you can make a free account using your Google account. 

Country profiles are basically pages of each country which contain specific information regarding facets of daily life ranging  in subjects from the economy to crime to the environment. All of the information provided is statistically based  using trusted sources and because they only provide a statistical number, bias is limited and great for research. A good example of a global profile on Knoema would be the United States. 

All of the most important statistics are provided quickly and easily at the top of the profile. According to this profile statistically, the United States is quite a diverse nation.

Maps is another great feature of Knoema. Basically, Knoema has tons of statistics stored onto their servers for every nation. The maps features incorporate all of these statistics onto an easy to view map. These maps do not only apply to specific countries but also to individual states. This is great because it provides a more detailed view towards an issue because some nations such as the United States are quite large. 

Above is a color coordinated map  that shows the number of motor vehicles registered in each states. Several interpretations could be made by a raw, but simple map without any explanation. For example, the automobile industry is thriving in the mid-Atlantic where population is more dense than the Mid-Western states of North Dakota, South Dakota or Wyoming. A disclaimer for this argument is that an additional map with populations of each state would be more convincing. Click here to view a population map.

Knoema is a great resource for any student needing detailed data for research. The fact that explanations are limited is great because it limits bias. The raw, but simple statistics places the role of interpretation on the viewer and allows the viewer to explain his/her reasoning in a report without outside influences.

Exploratorium!

The Exploratorium is a museum about science, art and human perception located in San Francisco. Annually, over 1 million visits are made to the Exploratorium! It is a very intriguing museum with many fun and exciting exhibits to educate the general public on science, art or human perception. However, I understand not everybody reading this blog lives within driving distance of San Francisco, which is why I am going to write about the Exploratorium's useful webpage!

Above: An image of the Exploratorium! Source: http://www.exploratorium.edu/

The great part about Exploratorium's website is that it does a great job of bringing a museum experience to the online user. They educate the user about many of the things which are also covered in the actual Exploratorium. Even better, using the online website is completely free of charge, unlike entering the museum which requires an admission ticket.

The Explore Section on the Webpage

In this section of the webpage, there are different websites, interactive activities and more.

One of the items in the explore section is  regarding tides on earth. It provides a short and clear explanation regarding the reasoning behind the cause of tides then provides a fun activity.  The activity is basically an instructions page regarding how you can build a paper model to better understand  tides. This is what makes this webpage stand out from all the others. Instead of a boring article, it provides a visual example for  visually learners.

There is a also a sub-section to explore named apps. In my opinion, this is where the website gets extremely cool. There is an app available for Androids called Total Solar Eclipse, so therefore, I downloaded the app on my phone and started playing around with it. They have cool videos on solar eclipses and they even did a live webcast in March during an eclipse with representatives from both NASA and the Exploratorium.

In addition, you can also search by categories. For example, I found a page about avalanches. The page features a video with a detailed explanation to how avalanches are triggered and provides a demonstration with sand.

The exploratorium is a great museum. However, it may not be accessible for all, so their amazing staff there decided to bring the experience online. This website provides a wide variety of educational resources. Best of all, many of these resources are backed by visual and audio resources, guaranteeing an education for learners of all types. 

Seriously, this webpage is interesting! Feel free to browse through and I guarantee you will learn something new!

Interested in Science? Need Science help or ideas?

Science is a subject which is loved by many for its unpredictable and interesting results. For many, curiosity is the driving force for research and development in science. However, science is not always an easy subject to study. Many concepts must be understood and applied, in addition, many exceptions exist. Success in science requires much more than just memorization, it requires interest and willingness to indulge in a concept for an extended period of time.

A useful science webpage for junior high students, teachers, or simply enthusiasts is The Science Spot. The Science Spot offers classroom activities for 16 different fields of science. For example, chemistry, astronomy or ecology. These classroom activities are rather interesting. There is an activity for balancing chemical equations. The activity is called "Snowman Challenge Game" and students are asked to work in pairs to match equations using snowman cards. Everything for this activity is provided, even the snowman cards, free to print!

Another great feature of The Science Spot, is the "Science Starters". Simply, they are short PowerPoints created to "reinforce" the most important concepts of a topic.

These Science Starters are great because they are short and to the point. In addition, they require some thinking at first and if you can't figure the answer out there is an answer key on the next slide. Science Starters are provided for General Science, Physical Science, Biology, Earth Science/ Astronomy, and Forensic Science. So obviously, a wide variety of subjects are covered. 

The next feature of The Science Spot is called "Science Club". On this page, users will find different project ideas. For example, the classic egg drop experiment is suggested on this page. A description of the project is specified on a pdf file provided. In addition, they even provide a score sheet to make this experiment a competition. Science is fun, but when made into a friendly competition, it can be even more intriguing! 

The final important part of this website is its puzzles! Studying straight from a textbook is boring!

Like usual, many topics are featured by using these great puzzles. A few  examples are chemistry, physics and biology. These puzzles are important items that will be useful for high school students studying  any of these subjects at an introductory level. 

Science is fun and interesting. However, The Science Spot makes it competitive and interactive. An activity always benefits students more than a lecture. Teachers must face the facts that young adults have a short attention span and many student will not be able to absorb 100% of the information in a lecture. An activity which requires the student to perform a simple task will keep a student's attention. Even better, if the activity is a competition such as the "egg drop" experiment, then the students will be encouraged to win and perform their best! 

Math.com for exam help

Math has long been one of the core subjects in school. I would say almost every school in the United States requires math to graduate. For some, math is easy to understand  for others, math is the most difficult subject in school. Since middle school, no class other than math has required me to study as much in order to get an excellent grade on a quiz or a test. It's not that I find math difficult, I find it to be alright, but the fact is math requires practice. The great thing about math is studying in the short term actually works. If you are familiar with the questions before an exam, you are bound to get a decent grade. In contrast, subjects such as English when critical readings are given,  short term studying has a minimal effect on your grade. English tests would require a long term studying of many books to enhance a person's ability to read more critically. 

There are many great non- profit sites that help students study for exams. However, math.com is a great tool. The site is simply designed but nonetheless very helpful. In addition, math does not change too much over time so information remains very reliable over a long stretch of time. 

Math.com provides resources from Basic Math to Calculus. In addition, each subject has its own variety of formulas. For example: 

Overall, the formulas provided are fairly complete. It is every thing a student needs to be prepared for taking a big final exam. 

My favorite thing about math.com is that it has links to other sites for test preparations and study tips. A section of their study tips even addresses math anxiety! In my opinion, their math anxiety page is actually pretty funny and effective, I would encourage anybody to check it out. 

One last great feature math.com  provides is a page on finding the right math tutor. The information given is fairly extensive and I agree with the page when it says, "A good math tutor will need to have mastery of the material that he or she is teaching". 

Feel free to check out math.com! There's a lot of useful resources on there both for parents and students. And remember, the site is absolutely  free!