Inquiry For AP Chemistry
I attended and presented at the National AP Conference in Las Vegas on July 18th and 19th! Adding Inquiry to the course is one of the major changes to how we will teach AP Chemistry. I shared some resources and gave tips during my presentation. I am sharing those resource in this post. I am also sharing items that I found especially helpful from presentations that I attended and conversations I had with other teachers.
ACS High School Chemistry Day in Indy
The American Chemical Society is hosting a special High School Chemistry Day for teachers at the ACS Fall National Meeting in Indianapolis, IN, on Sunday, September 8-12, 2013. Presentations will explore new methods of teaching, classroom tools, resources, activities on a range of topics. A special High School/College Interface Luncheon will provide an opportunity to exchange ideas and network. See the ACS High School Chemistry Day Web site for details and/or download the flyer.
The Thermodynamic Sinks of this World by Roald Hoffman
Nobelist Roald Hoffman usually chooses an intriguing topic for his regular contributions to the Sigma Xi bimonthly, American Scientist. For the current issue, he has chosen to examine the question, "What would be the result of mixing a collection of the elements we find on earth and its nearby environment and heating them up enough to encourage them to react?" This "Gedankenexperiment"
Who Owns the Future? by Jaron Lanier
One of the pioneers in digital media and networks is disquieted by the dominance of the digital landscape by a few Siren Servers, who capitalized not on their superior products or expertise, but solely on their ability to extract a profit from each of the bits that make up Big Data. He thinks we all should be paid for our contributions, or at least the system be changed so as to provide incentives real contributions.
Summer Inquiry Fun!
Summer is one of my favorite times as a teacher! Like most teachers I like to take a little time away from school, but, once I've rested a bit, its my favorite time to do research as well. I encourage you to take time this summer to explore labs and activities that you think may work for your classroom, but just didn't have time to examine with your busy teaching schedule.
JCE 90.06—June 2013 Issue Highlights
The June 2013 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education is now available online [http://pubs.acs.org/toc/jceda8/90/6]. Some highlights from this issue are discussed. This latest issue of JCE plus the content of all past issues, volumes 1 through 90, are available at http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc.
BCCE 2014 Call for Symposia and Workshops
Call for Symposia and Workshops for the 23rd BCCE at Grand Valley State University – Greener on the Grand: Empowering Chemical Educators for a Greener Tomorrow, August 3 – 7, 2014
Social Media Used as an Effective Tool in an Organic Chemistry Lab Course
Social media is getting a lot of attention as a way to disseminate information and to get students involved in chemistry classes.
Using MOOCs to Create a Flipped Classroom
Universities, community colleges, and high schools can use MOOCs to create an environment to enhance student learning. Last fall a professor at San Jose State used recorded MOOC lectures in an introductory electrical engineering course to create a flipped classroom. Students passed at a much higher rate than usual—91%, compared with 59% and 55% in two other, more traditional sections of the s
JCE 90.05—May 2013 Issue Highlights
The May 2013 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education is now available online. Some highlights from this issue are listed. This latest issue of JCE plus the content of all past issues, volumes 1 through 90, are also available.