Most boring lab ever

We are make the temperature vs time curve for water in hopes discovering the idea of heat of fusion and heat of vaporization.  The interesting part is the hypotheses of what the graph should look like. Most pick linear or exponential. I like it when it's not either. 

Collaboration Day

I got to work with Dan Brooks and Marti from the LMC on a grant. We made a video for updating our library. Here is our final product.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9TiJOm6fXbxeWlhaWRBYm1lWE0/edit?usp=sharing

PhETing.

Today we are PhETing. We are using gas properties and states of matter as an introduction to kinetic molecular theory. 

Egg drop day

Saw some intersting designs.  We even had a chicken being dropped. A bunch were successful but we had some good carnage. 

We drop tomorrow

Students were working on their egg drop projects. Let the carnage begin tomorrow.  

KMT

Today, we are doing some mini experiments to help us with the concepts of temperature and heat. The students experiment heat by dipping their hands in hot and cold water then documenting what they experience. We also use a couple of containers and shake them to see the difference in temperature. One is fairly full and the other half full. We also have some variation in particle size. It's a good way to ease into the semester. 

What to talk about?

Updating a blog every day requires a person to having something to talk about. No students today so we are on the library, which is above 60 degrees unlike yesterday, talking about instructional rounds. No progress on the go kart yet. That is all. I am out. 

Happy New Year

Of course one of my New Year's Resolutions is to update the blog more. My resolution is to get the go kart idea off the ground and running next fall. I need to thank Scott from Greeley on the go kart he donated over break. We have to get a new electric engine in it and figure out how to make it go, and get a seat. We need to do it ASAP the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest video is due at the beginning of February. I am struggling with two competing video ideas. I spent all break lamenting over the two and learning how to use Adobe Premiere. Luckily, there are tons of videos to help with that process. On another note, I am still struggling with the Standards Based Grading (SBG) implementation. I like it and it's cool but trying to convey that to parents and students is a bear given our current systems. I cannot do it the way I want to given these constraints. I also struggle with my grade distributions. What is the prefect way? Is there a perfect balance? If so someone let me in on it. As always this is my opinion and not my employers. Just sharing my feelings on it given this is a class blog.