 |
BB #3 - Education Archives
|
 |
| Have fun! Dig through the archives... we saved them just for you.
Loading
|
|
|
|
 |
Digging through the Archives - Education
|
 |
|
 NASA Discovers 7th Closest Star - from the practically-in-my-back-yard dept
Scientists using data from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) have discovered the coldest class of star-like bodies, with temperatures as cool as the human body. Astronomers hunted these dark orbs, termed Y dwarfs, for more than a decade without success. When viewed with a visible-light telescope, they are nearly impossible to see. WISE's infrared vision allowed the telescope to finally spot the faint glow of six Y dwarfs relatively close to our sun, within a distance of about 40 light-years... 'They are 5,000 times brighter at the longer infrared wavelengths WISE observed from space than those observable from the ground.'  slashdot 8-24-11
Rare Earth Deposit Discovered In US
Canada-based Quantum Rare Earths Developments Corp acquired a circular piece of land near Elk Creek, Nebraska (pop. 112), late last year... to poke, prod and drill to determine whether it holds any niobium (a steel strengthener used by the automotive and aerospace industries), which has never been mined in the U.S. ...or rare earths, which the U.S. has not mined in almost 10 years. Could this be the next gold rush?"... The obscure minerals are essential to a variety of modern gadgets such as magnets, laser pointers and miniature electronics, such as iPods.“Without these minerals, our cellphones would be 3 pounds,” Quantum CEO Peter Dickie said... Using niobium, “you get a thinner, lighter, stronger steel... to get lightened-up vehicles” ... also, rare earths are used in many aspects of “green” technology, including hybrid-engine cars and wind turbines. 8-3-11
 Study Sez Txt Msgs Make Kidz Gr8 Spellrz
"...researchers have found texting can improve literacy among pupils by giving them extra exposure to word composition outside the school day. According to the report, the association between spelling and text messaging may be explained by the 'highly phonetic nature' of the abbreviations used by children and the alphabetic awareness required for successfully decoding the words. 'It is also possible that textism use adds value because of the indirect way in which mobile phone use may be increasing children's exposure to print outside of school,' says the report. 'We are now starting to see consistent evidence that children's use of text message abbreviations has a positive impact on their spelling skills,' adds Professor Claire Wood. 'There is no evidence that children's language play when using mobile phones is damaging literacy development.'" 1-22-11 slashdot
 For you scientific buffs... Periodic Table Changes
For the first time in history, a change will be made to the Periodic Table of the chemical elements posted on walls of chemistry classrooms and on the inside covers of chemistry textbooks worldwide... In a new manner, the atomic weights of 10 elements - hydrogen, lithium, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, sulfur, chlorine and thallium - will reflect more accurately how these elements are found in nature. More... 12-15-10
Australian Schools Go iPad-Crazy
In Australia, virtually every state education department is trialling the tablet in schools — and some schools are even trialling it without the official support of their department. One university in Adelaide has even abolished textbooks for first year science students and is allocating free iPads to first year students instead. It will be interesting to see what happens when the inevitable wave of Android tablets hits over the next six months. Note: It has already hit four of California's largest school districts and their eighth-grade algebra students this year. 9-22-10
Teaching 5th graders Engineering
A NYT story reports: To compete in a global economy, some school districts are offering engineering lessons to students in kindergarten. " The story is about 5th graders working on a new experimental curriculum that is well beyond the egg drop of old... they plan multiday projects, often built around classic and popular stories like the Three Little Pigs, and take students step by step through the engineering process: design, build, test, evaluate. [Perfect example for kids, wouldn't you say?] ~ NYT 6-13-10
|
|
|
