DHS Web Media Class a finalist in a State Competiton

I thought this qualified as some "T" in my STEM goals for this blog, so I am sharing it here.  Our local Web Media class at Declo High School is a finalist for a contest sponsored by Zions Bank.  People can vote on Facebook for our school, and we get money if we win.  So go vote for them!  Thanks!  Social Media is a great way to get the STEM message out to students and families...but I don't think I will start tweeting anytime soon.

The DHS Web Media class created a video for the Zion's Bank Magic of Savings contest. Our video was selected as a finalist out of 120 videos! There will be three prizes given. The prize will be $1,000 for 1st place, $500 for 2nd place, and $250 for third place. The students in our class will share the prize and our school will get a matching amount. Please help us win by going to the Zion's Bank Idaho Magic of Saving Facebook page and giving our "Kingdom for Sale" video five stars. To vote, you have to "like" the page and then "allow the page to access basic information". You will then be taken to our video where you can give us five stars. Points are awarded based on the number of stars given to each video. You will have to do this from home, since we can't use Facebook at school and you can vote every 24 hours.

Update: Frozen Planet on Discovery Channel Tonight

(Well...I obviously don't read TV Guide.  When the Discovery Channel bought the series for American television, they replaced Sir David with Alec Baldwin.  Hmmm.  I am disappointed that they think we need a celebrity to tell us about the environment, but the footage is still amazing.  I will be buying the BBC version.) 

I have loved the beautiful cinematography and compelling stories in the recent documentaries like Planet Earth, Life, and now Frozen Planet.  I have listened to David Attenborough throughout my life, who did an amazing job on "The Private Life of Plants," among many other favorite shows of mine.
http://www.davidattenborough.co.uk/

"You knew what to expect before you switched on the telly. Extraordinary footage of natural wonders overlaid with swelling strings and that marvellous knowledgeable whisper. At first glance, Frozen Planet, the latest epic David Attenborough documentary series on BBC One, is nothing new: what it is, however, is brilliant."


So tune in tonight and every Sunday night for the next 6 weeks to see and hear another great nature documentary by BBC, narrated by the one and only David Attenborough.

FRC Competition in Utah today...Go Declo Robotics!! Here is the live stream!

"http://www.justin.tv/teamtators#r=-rid-&amp;s=em" class="trk" style="padding:2px 0px 4px; display:block; width:345px; font-weight:normal; font-size:10px; text-decoration:underline; text-align:center;">Watch live video from teamtators on www.justin.tv</a>

If the link doesn't work, go to justin.tv, then type in Utah in the search box.  The FRC Comp should be first choice.  The Declo team is Botwired, but all of these teams are amazing!  I will ask my friend to share pix when they get back so you can see their robots.

Earthquake Structures and Squishy Circuits

I have spent the week at my favorite junior high in Idaho.  :)   Teachers and students are busy with labs and projects and yearbooks and lessons and reports.  I had the opportunity to make squishy circuit play dough with one class, and then build the circuits with another class.  In yet another class, we built structures with clay and straws and tested them on homemade earthquake shaking platforms.  On Friday, I will return and add a strength test to their structures using a lesson plan I picked up from my friends at iSTEM.  It has been a great week, and I wanted to share some pictures.  One girl said, "This is SO awesome!"  when she was building her squishy circuits!  So that makes me happy!

Teachers...Great Interactive STEM Activity for your class!

STEM Opportunity:  Have your Students Travel Across the Pacific Without Leaving the Classroom!

On March 21, 2012 – a team of University of Idaho university researchers and graduate students will sail out of Cabo San Lucus, Baja headed for Nuku Hiva in French Polynesia where they’ll be making landfall on about April 12th. Through a satellite connection to Education Basecamp based in Moscow, ID, there will be daily uplinks to the expedition website for science classes regarding the natural and cultural history of the Pacific via an Iridium SAT phone and BGAN.  Classes that follow the trip across the Pacific will find value in tracking a variety of physical and biological ocean and atmospheric conditions: wildlife sightings of all types, air temperature, water and air clarity, particulates, wind speeds and directions, ocean currents, sea state (swell and wind waves), clarity, color, plankton counts and variety (day/night variations, plus latitudinal/location changes) etc.

This journey will kick off a series of expeditions focused on climate change across the world, directly looking at climate data from Northern Hemisphere latitudes and connecting with classrooms investigating the same ideas.  This will provide invaluable cause and content for teachers to follow an expedition, take measurements in their classrooms, and start their own Adventure Learning journey connected to the MATRIX of climate science principles. It will also inspire students to engage in science and to ask the question, “Where will you AL@?”

The development site for this project can be found here:

http://alatlatequator.wordpress.com/  and the full site launch will be March 1, 2012.  An example of a completed expedition can be found here- http://alatuimainsalmon.wordpress.com/  and includes many examples of the excitement that this approach elicits from students, teachers, and community members.

For more information please contact:

Dr. Crystal A. Kolden

Assistant Professor of Geography

University of Idaho

ckolden@uidaho.edu

Venus and Jupiter have aligned!

Have you been watching this??  This month, we can see 5 planets in the night sky, but tonight and tomorrow, those two headlights in the Western sky are Venus and Jupiter! 

Venus and Jupiter will be at their closest in mid-March 2012. By March 12 and 13, Venus and Jupiter will lie only three degrees apart. Then they’ll be like twin headlight beams shining down on us from the west after sunset. You’ll be able to hide both mighty worlds together behind two outstretched fingertips.

Here are Venus and Jupiter on March 14, 2012. They'll be at their closest and most spectacular in mid-March.

Don’t miss the moon near Venus and Jupiter in late March, 2012. But the show won’t be over yet. Around March 23, 2012 the young moon will once again return to the evening sky. Especially in the Northern Hemisphere, March is a great month to catch sight of an extremely slender crescent in the day or so after new moon. Start looking for the moon around March 23. Then on March 24 and 25, watch the moon move past Venus and Jupiter again.

Bottom line: Do you see two bright objects in the west after sunset? They are the sky’s two brightest planets – Venus and Jupiter – and you can see them simply by stepping outside and gazing toward the west in the hour after sunset. Venus and Jupiter are fantastic to see in late February 2012 and will be at their peak in mid-March 2012.

Jupiter, above, and Venus, as seen over Highland, California in mid-February 2012. They can be seen from around the world - from cities, suburbs and rural locations. Just look west after sunset! Image via EarthSky Facebook friend Lyle Evans

Moon, Venus, Jupiter Feb. 2012, from Brazil via Miquel Berredo

Fun Steve Spangler Visit to Ellen Show

This aired on Leap Day, but that was such a busy week for me that I am just posting the link.  This week I am trying out several new experiments with school kids.  I will let you know how those go!

Steve&#8217;s 13th Appearance on the Ellen Show &#8211; In Case You Missed It