Bard Tech

A blog for Digital Games in Education and Directed Reading

[yorkwarren]

Lyrics for An Ion That I Used To Know

Verse 1

Now and then I think of when we were a compound

Told me you were so stable you could die

Said that you were right for me

I should have known from electronegativity

But that was love and it’s a bond I still remember

Verse 2

You can be addicted to a certain kind of charge

Like electrostatic force, always a force

So when you said that we could not share bonds

I was sad you took my electron

But I’ll admit that I was glad to be an ion

Chorus

But you didn’t have to take it all

Take away my electron like we were nothing

I don’t even need your charge

But I’m still attracted and it feels so hard

No, you didn’t have EN (electronegativity) so low

To become so negative and create a lattice

Guess we’ll be orthogonal

Now you’re just an ion that I used to know

Verse 3

Now and then I think of all the times I tried to share 

You had me believing it was something I could’ve undone 

But I don’t want to live that way

Not fitting my periodic space

Said that you could let e- (electron) go 

And you wouldn’t get too hung up on an ion that you used to know

[yorkwarren]

Lyrics for Kinetics Song

Verse 1

Step right in and I’ll tell you all about

The science of chemistry to turn your life around

First lesson gonna be about rates

All the factors about our reaction we can change

The first thing that you gotta know

Reactants can’t move too slow

That is to say they gotta have energy

Sufficient to get close and comfy

And overcome the repulsion they feel

From each other’s electron clouds, for real

Another thing that’ll make a reaction ring

Is orientation in space, you know I mean

They gotta align so the products are faced

They’ll become intermediates from a transition state

Then break apart to completion

Unless it’s equilibrium but that we ‘aint teachin’

Moving right along in this kinetics song

We talkin bout rates and their goings on

ortho, meta, para it don’t matter where we at

Chemistry is all and this is the chem attack

Number of particles is next on the list

The more there are the more they zip

Into each other increasing their chance

Of a good reaction in the atom dance

Temperature is a factor

That can lead particles to a power reactor

The hotter they are the faster they move

Brownian motion to continue their groove 

One more thing is surface area

To lead molecules to reaction hysteria

The more space the better where collisions occur

Increases the chances for energy transfer

Verse 2

Now let’s talk about intermediates

Products-reactants we gettin serious

They don’t stick around long before reacting again

Elementary steps of a full reaction

The overall energy is the enthalpy

But that’s thermodynamics and not talked about here

Kinetics and thermo are pretty tight

But they different as well you better get it right

Activated complex is really sick

Products and reactants getting in the mix

They’re merged into one but it’s existence is fast

Before it makes products or to reactants falls back

The name of the game is energy

Of activation variety for specificity

If reactants can overcome that barrier

They’ll fly through that hump and come out the exterior

Carbene, carbyne, carban, carbocation

Free radicals, tetrahedral companion

Only other thing more radical than free

Is anti-oxidants to make your body feel neat

To see intermediate you’ll need a fast laser

Femtosecond timescale and you can’t be lazier

That kind of time is shorter than a blink

It’s impossible to comprehend

 it’s too fast to think

Don’t forget that the easier to go forward

The bigger E-A for the reverse, it’s slower

That hill becomes so big it don’t seem like it’ll ever happen

But there’s a small proportion, it’s distribution is Gaussian

Breakdown

The rate of a reaction is defined as the change in concentration of a product or reactant divided by the change in time. Rates are always positive quantities and the rate of the forward reaction is equal to the rate of the reverse. In the forward case the concentration is decreasing (as reactants are used up) and in the reverse case the concentrations increase (as products are formed).

Verse 3

Now let’s look at catalysts

Speeding up reactions we on top of it

But these guys here don’t react overall

They’re regenerated or inert that’s all

These dudes be lowering barriers

For back and forth reactions you know they’re carriers

For reactants to find lower energy pathways

To get to products faster you know they always

Increase the amount of particles that can react

A big area below the curve: math attack

Maxwell-Boltzmann govern these gas

And catalysts allow more reactions from the graph

Hetero and homogeneous 

Two types of catalysts for you enthusiasts

Hetero exists in a different phase

Homo matches it’s surroundings because it’s the same

Acid catalyzed esterification

Homogenous catalysis they’re both in a liquid station

Platinum dioxide for hydrogenation

Be def hetero 2 phases in the equation

A biological example is in your enzymes

Their active sites give your body a good time

At breaking down food into smaller peptides

But watch out for inhibitors, they stop the ride! 

[yorkwarren]

Lyrics for Organic Rhythm

Verse 1

Science of life is the organic branch

Curly arrows follow the electrons expand

Into orbitals bonding or not

Cause instability molecular rot

Mechanism for cycloaddition shows 

protonation on the middle carbon, bros

Cycloalkene shows small carbanion

Nucleophilic organic abstraction

Grignard reagent is afraid of water

carbon-carbon bonds, conjugation means colour

Delocalize the electrolytes, hydrolize as it dries, then oxidize to polarize

Make an alcohol from an alkene

Get the reaction mixture and pump in some steam

Remove the product to increase the yield

Then party all night with the ethanol you wield

Chorus

Rap -Organic chemistry

Mostly only deals with main group elements

Yet it’s one of the largest branches of chemistry

hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon

Sung- nucleophilic substitution

Putting leaving groups into solution

Racemic mixture or complete inversion

You better keep track of which side it reacts on

Verse 2

Diels-Alder deals with dienes turning to cyclo

Electron-withdrawing helps make it go

Adding Lewis acid can bring it home

Like Cyclopentadiene reacts with cyclohexanone

Functional group role call 

to help us remember that all

Amines have nitrogen, amides do too, one has a carbonyl, try to guess who

Aldehyde is terminal, ketone is not, carbonyl just chills til nucleophile is brought

Oxygen means ester, ether as well both of these compounds will be volatile as hell

[yorkwarren]

Reflection on Media Project

I greatly enjoyed this part of the course. The main reason I wanted to do a media project was as a way to prove to myself that learning does not solely occur in formal settings. Making a song about a topic would be a great way to study for an exam or test because I found myself making word lists to try and help with rhyming. I feel that using media projects in school would be helpful and engaging for any subject. 

I also gained an appreciation for just how difficult it can be to write rap songs as I found myself thinking I had enough lyrics only to discover I still needed words for the other 3 minutes of audio. Writing the lyrics was the most challenging part of the project because it was the "bread and butter", which reaffirmed for me that this type of exercise is beneficial because the hardest part relates to school subject and not the actual process. Recording was very simple, I had the necessary cable to connect my guitar to my computer but Garageband has a large number of pre-recorded instruments, which could be used to create a song just as easily (as I did in Kinetics Song) if the user is not familiar with a musical instrument that can be plugged in and recorded. The majority of time was spent on the writing and recording the lyrics as I came up with simple music for Organic Rhythm and Kinetics Song and I already had music arranged for An Ion That I Used To Know. 

I could see a project like this as a small group project where the more musically inclined could record themselves, the more computer literate could compile and mix the audio, the visual artists could design cover artwork and they could all collaborate on the lyrics. A project like this is realistic and possible on a relatively short timescale (2 weeks) and it is interesting to note that 10 years ago this would only have been available to students who had recording equipment as opposed to anyone who owns a Mac. 

[yorkwarren]

Visit Original Link

The third and final song for my Media Project is a cover of Gotye's Somebody That I Used to Know with altered lyrics that focus on ionic bonds. The story is that of an Alkali metal and a Halogen getting upset with each other because the metal didn't realize that the electron wouldn't be shared. 

Music was recorded in Garageband and was recorded using an acoustic guitar and vocals (Warren Barden and Rebecca Taylor). I know I can't sing but I really wanted to do this song and at least you have Rebecca's nice voice at the end, so don't cringe too much. 

[yorkwarren]

Visit Original Link

The second entry in my Media Project is inspired by chemical kinetics (grade 12 chemistry). 

All music was made using Garageband except for vocals (Warren Barden) the rest were all samples from the software. 

[yorkwarren]

Visit Original Link

The first song for my Media Project, inspired by grade 12 organic chemistry (as well as some 1st and 2nd year university stuff). 

All music was recorded using Garageband and is either electric guitar, Garageband drum track, or vocals (Warren Barden and Rebecca Taylor). 

[yorkwarren]

Reflection Journal 5

These final readings connected significantly to past articles and were a good general overview of science education, science fiction and communication habits of teens with different technologies. Hal in the classroom focused primarily on tropes in science fiction films and how these could be brought up in school as means of media analysis, literary analysis or social studies. Looking at many different types of science fiction films from various decades and pointing out their defining characteristics that make them science fiction as opposed to fantasy the book seeks to inform teachers who can then make a lesson out of the information. The views espoused in this book reflect the findings of Reis and Galvao (2007) in that the popular image of the scientist working alone to create some kind of catastrophe is reflected in the writings of students. This popular image most likely comes from the science fiction genre and how it’s stories portray scientists. Peary’s article in Hal in the classroom specifically mentions the various types of representations found in both low and high budget science fiction films. The archetype is either an “idealist whose work is rejected by men in power[,] an idealist who works with power but fails or where the scientist is the institution and the goal is to create a more technocratic society” (p. 58).

The other book Science and the media points out how the modern person would find it difficult to be a master of the whole of science due to increased specialization. This is in contrast to someone alive around the time of Isaac Newton who would be more able to have an understanding of the intricacies of all science. The book points out that media can be a conversation as opposed to a one-way delivery method of scientific information that is not accessible to all people. The needs of society should reflect the scientific productions of the media and citizens should take an active interest and express concerns or needs. Work can be done on both sides to make difficult science accessible on the part of the science journalist and to engage in some type of academic research on the part of the concerned citizen.

Moving onto science education for young people, Jollis’ (1996) work outlined a summer science program whose curriculum was based around Michael Chrighton’s novel Jurassic Park (1991). The program was very effective and Jollis (1996) found that the book worked very well when it’s science was put under scrutiny. The issue in the book of whether or not scientists should perform research simply because they can was a very important theme used to generate discussion among many young potential scientists. Also about young people, Van Cleemput’s (2010) article looked at the social media and communication practices of Belgian teenagers. One of the most surprising findings from this article was that face-to-face communication was the most prominent mode overall. This article was very different in subject from the aim of the course but it still focused on young people and technology. It’s results reminded me of Robertson, Blain and Cowan’s (2005) finding that teenagers mostly looked to their parents over the media for behavioral practices and attitudes, contrary to what one would expect. 

[yorkwarren]

Science in Media Analysis 3 - Moving Forward: 21st Century teaching

“Life finds a way” - Ian Malcolm (Jurassic Park, 1991)

Based on the wealth of information contained within media and the willingness of students to watch/read/consume media, can any actual learning take place? Here we look at some works regarding science education and the media starting with school.

Using media in the classroom has been shown anecdotally to increase student engagement (Siegel, 2011; Stevens, 2001). Student engagement is an important first step in the pedagogical process and media can be viewed as a hook that leads into a lesson. Media should be trying to generate these kinds of hooks and educators should be picking up on them as tools for generating in-class learning. Media examples that are and have been in use as a means to increase student engagement include comics (Carter, 1988,1989; diRaddo, 2006; Szafran, Pike & Singh, 1994), Twister (Cavanaugh, 2002) and Avatar (Siegel, 2011). There are other examples of media in use in the classroom that have been shown to increase student performance in areas like literacy using Doctor Who (Harrett & Benjamin, 2009) as subject matter for story writing. There is also the possibility of extending the use of the science fiction television series to help create an interest in science. These examples are just some of the ways that informal learning can occur. Such learning occurs often and can have an impact on student learning if incorporated into the classroom (Perales-Palacios, & Vilchez-Gonzalez, 2002). Shifting focus to adults, parent’s media practices have been shown to have an effect on student performance in science (Notten & Kraaykamp, 2009). Other research has shown that parents remain a very strong influence on their children over popular media (Robertson, Blain & Cowan, 2005). So perhaps parents who are critical of the media they consume will inspire their children to be more critical and therefore be able to learn more. 

While looking at the role of teachers in these new pedagogical environments it is important to view the technological landscape facing them. Increasingly, there are school programs arising as a means to educate students using computer simulation with teacher facilitation (Kumar & Altschuld, 1999; Kiboss, Wekesa & Ndirangu, 2006; Bevilacqua & Bordoni, 1998; Cronje & Fouche, 2008). This growing awareness of the value of technology in pedagogy is part of the same framework of using popular media as a source of knowledge. As the deliverers of content, there is increasing pressure on teachers to become familiar with technology and media. Research has shown that teachers responded well to using social media as a means of communicating with other teachers in similar professional situations who weren’t in their own school (Luehmann & Tinelli, 2008). Similarly, Australian preservice teachers felt that learning how to create slow motion animations with digital cameras and computers was helpful and they would recommend using it as a classroom activity for other teachers who are comfortable making these “slowmations” (Hoban & Nielsen, 2011). As there is more of a shift toward using technology in teaching it is very worthwhile for teachers themselves to learn about the technology firsthand in order to improve their 21st century teaching. 

There is also a need to involve media studies into science education itself so students can critically read news articles and come to their own conclusions about controversial science presented in the media (Gardner, 2009). Kachan, Guilbert, and Bisanz (2006) found that a large proportion of Alberta science teachers (most dominantly biology and grade 10 general science) used media reports in their classrooms as a means of generating discussion, hooks to begin lessons, as assessment material, and more. Also, another important finding in their article revolves around the Alberta diploma exams and how there is regularly some kind of media sample on these exams and students are required to reflect on the science contained in the sample. Alberta is not the only province to have these province-wide exams. British Columbia also has a provincial exam for grade 10 science that regularly contains news articles or cartoons from newspapers that are about science. 

Moving into 21st century teaching is gradually occurring but the need for teachers to be media and technologically literate is becoming very high, very fast. This paper seeks to point out the need to continue moving forward as well as provide some examples of those already moving. More research into the effectiveness of media on the learning of students needs to be examined, specifically quantitative research. Popular culture and technology continue to advance to new forms and educators need to somehow find a way to adapt to this rapidly changing landscape. I believe that this evolution can occur if educators simply immerse themselves in the environment with open minds. 

References

Bevilacqua, F., & Bordoni, S. (1998). New contents for new media: Pavia project physics. Science and Education, 7(5), 451-469.

British Columbia Ministry of Education. Provincial Exams. Retrieved from: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/exams/

Carter, H. A. (1988). Chemistry in the comics: Part 1- A survey of the comic book literature. Journal of Chemical Education, 65(12), 1029-1035.

Carter, H. A. (1989). Chemistry in the comics: Part 2- Classic chemistry. Journal of Chemical Education, 66(2), 118-118.

Cavanaugh, T. (2002). Science fiction and science education. Science Scope, 25(6), 64-69. 

Cronje, C. J., & Fouche, J. (2008). Alternatives in evaluating multimedia in secondary school science teaching. Computers & Education, 51(2), 559-583.

diRaddo, P. D. (2006). Teaching chemistry lab safety through comics. Journal of Chemical Education, 83(4), 571-573.

Gardner, G. E., Jones, G. M., & Ferzli, M. (2009). Popular media in the biology classroom: Viewing popular science skeptically. American Biology Teacher, 71(6), 332-335.

Harrett, J., & Benjamin, T. (2009). Travel with a time lord: Using media to enhance literacy. Literacy, 43(3), 134-142.

Hoban, G., Loughran, J., & Nielsen, W. (2011). Slowmation: Preservice elementary teachers representing science knowledge through creating multimodal digital animations. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 48(9), 985-1009.

Kachan, M. R., Guilbert, S. M., & Bisanz, G. L. (2006). Do teachers ask students to read news in secondary science?: Evidence from the canadian context. Science Education, 90(3), 496-521.

Kiboss, J., Wekesa, E., & Ndirangu, M. (2006). Improving students' understanding and perception of cell theory in school biology using a computer-based instruction simulation program. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 15(4), 397-410.

Kumar, D., & Altschuld, J. (1999). Evaluation of interactive media in science education. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 8(1), 55-65.

Luehmann, A. L., & Tinelli, L. (2008). Teacher professional identity development with social networking technologies: Learning reform through blogging. Educational Media International, 45(4), 323-333.

Notten, N., & Kraaykamp, G. (2009). Home media and science performance: A cross-national study. Educational Research and Evaluation, 15(4), 367-384.

Perales-Palacios, J., & Vilchez-Gonzalez, J. (2002). Teaching physics by means of cartoons: A qualitative study in secondary education. Physics Education, 37(5), 400-406.

Robertson, J. W., Blain, N., & Cowan, P. (2005). The influence of friends and family vs the simpsons: Scottish adolescents' media choices. Learning, Media & Technology, 30(1), 63-79.

Siegel, D. (2011). Avatar in the science classroom. Science Teacher, 78(6), 47-51.

Stevens, L. P. (2001). "South park" and society: Instructional and curricular implications of popular culture in the classroom. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 44(6), 548-555.

Szafran, Z., Pike, R. M., & Singh, M. M. (1994). Microscale chemistry in the comics. Journal of Chemical Education, 71(6), 0-A151.

[yorkwarren]

Science in the Media Analysis 2 - The Science of Change

“Chemistry is… Well, technically, chemistry is the study of matter. But I prefer to see it as the study of change. Now, just… Just think about this. Electrons. They change their energy levels. Molecules. Molecules change their bonds. Elements. They combine and change into compounds. Well, that's… That's all of life, right? I mean, it's just… It's the constant, it's the cycle. It's solution, dissolution, just over and over and over. It is growth, then decay, then transformation. It is fascinating, really.” - Walter White (Breaking Bad,2008)

While there may not be an apparent reason for the blue colour of the methamphetamine in the television show Breaking Bad, it does contain numerous references to chemistry that are factually correct. The show is centered around the drug trade in America and has a significant portion of it’s plot revolve around the chemistry behind the production of methamphetamine. While most viewers do not pick up on the subtle, often speedy, references to chemistry there are many people who are able to catch them and may choose to look into it further, creating a potential source of science education. 

There are many examples of popular media that contain accurate science, which function solely as entertainment and make no claim to be educational. Alan Moore’s graphic novel Watchmen contains numerous references to many aspects of science mainly through the character of Dr. Manhattan/Jon Osterman. Moore’s writing of the character shows many influences from quantum mechanics most notably the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle which, in philosophical terms, describes how one cannot fully know anything with absolute certainty. Other interesting scientific/philosophical notions include linearity/non-linearity of time, nuclear power (and the fear of nuclear threat) and cause and effect. Such broad philosophical-scientific ideas regarding time are also present in the motion picture Minority Report (based off the short story of the same name), whose plot revolves around psychic prediction of murder and the police force intervening to stop it from happening. Another notable feature of the film Minority Report is the visual portrayal of the United States in a realistic, not-too-distant future. The realism is presented as a blending of current technology with the addition of imaginative, futuristic artifacts. For example, there are scenes showing sprinklers watering lawns and characters using scissors to cut out newspaper clippings while there are space-ship like hover planes landing in parks to deploy police who utilize spider-like robots to find criminals in dense areas. While not wholly realistic, the main lesson to gain from Minority Report’s vision of the future is the blending of technology and how the future is always an amalgamation of old and new technologies and may not necessarily be too different from modern times (depending on how far into the future the story is set). An example of a setting in the distant future is in the video game Mass Effect 2, with many science fiction elements explained using scientific principles. The titular concept revolves around the ability of organisms to manipulate the physical world by altering gravity through use of some kind of “dark energy”, which is elusive to modern scientists but has been fully understood by the scientists in the Mass Effect universe. Use of the mass effect allows for faster-than-light travel as well as levitation and manipulation of extreme heat and cold. The game has many screens containing large amounts of text that explain the background behind various in-game features (such as the use of thermal clips instead of conventional ammunition) which would allow the player to learn about the justification for the science-fiction within the game. The game Mass Effect 2 does have elements which are wholly science fiction but it does have a solid theoretical basis for it’s fictions, which make it slightly more plausible to the scientifically literate. Thus, there are various media being created that can inform audiences about science in a passive way and this can facilitate learning. 

There is even science to be found in unlikely media such as within the lyrics of punk bands Dead Kennedys and Bad Religion. The song D.M.S.O. by Dead Kennedys stands for dimethyl sulfoxide (C2H6SO) and the song explains the various effects of the chemical. The song is meant to provide insight into the controversy of the chemical’s use in medicine. The Bad Religion song Part IV: The Index Fossil is also a social criticism that focuses on pollution and the unsustainable way humans live their lives. An index fossil is used to identify geologic period and the line from the song “we’ll be an index fossil buried in our own debris” (Graffin, 1988) is meant to show the potential bleak future of mass production and pollution. Use of such sophisticated scientific terms in two punk songs show the potential level of exposure to informal science education that young people could be getting. This shows the increasing knowledge of artists and their conscious choice to use real and accurate science in their works unless they are explicitly fantastic creations. There are many media consumers who may not be scientifically literate and false facts could be a detriment to their science education. So, it would be a good idea for more teachers to monitor current media for scientific fallacies so they can better inform their students. And on the media production side artists could try their best at using correct scientific references or failing that at least some effort should be used trying to avoid creating misconceptions by enlisting the help of a scientist to check facts. If time is taken to consult with scientists about the proper way to perform a fictional experiment or how to pronounce a difficult word it can increase the learning potential of the media under question. 

The examples listed above show the diversity of media that contain accurate scientific information that could serve as potential jump-off points for individual research or even a lesson in a science class. Graphic novels, video games, movies and punk rock songs are just some of the media types that school-aged youth consume in their spare time and they can contain a wealth of potential science lessons. 

References

Biafra, J. (1986). D.M.S.O. [Recorded by Dead Kennedys]. On Bedtime for Democracy [CD]. California: Alternative Tentacles.

Gilligan, V. (Creator). (2008). Breaking Bad [Television Series]. United States: AMC

Graffin, G. (1988). Part IV (The Index Fossil) [Recorded by Bad Religion]. On Suffer [CD]. California: Epitaph.

Hudson, C. (Director). (2011). Mass Effect 2 [Digital Game]. Edmonton: Bioware

Moore, A. (Writer), Gibbons, D. (Artist). (1995). Watchmen [Graphic Novel]. London: Titan Publishing Group

Spielberg, S. (Director). (2002). Minority Report [Motion Picture]. United States: Dreamworks Pictures

[yorkwarren]

Reflection Journal 4

This week’s readings discussed media choices and attitudes among young people as well as their views of the role and function of scientists in society. The readings concluded with an Archie comic about micro-scale chemistry and a lesson plan using the film Avatar. 

I started with Reis and Galvao (2007) who looked at science fiction writing samples of high school students as a means to gain insight into how youth view scientists and whether this view is influenced by media perception or not. Their study was only based on two students as their writing was taken from a larger study involving students and teachers and how they reacted to controversial issues in science. The article I read had excerpts of the stories the students wrote and analysis into their perceptions. They concluded that the writing samples showed considerable influence from media with the fictional scientists often working alone against some kind of catastrophe. The authors believe that the overall portrayal of scientists in the media is negative and that these perceptions are picked up and held by young people. 

Delving into the field of media studies Robertson, Blain and Cowan (2005) collected data on the media choices of Scottish youth and how influential the youths found media to be. Their results indicate that media is not the sole influence on youth with parents and teachers maintaining a considerable amount of influence. The study used surveys asking questions such as “I find out things most often from”, with the majority of respondents answering “strongly agree” for school (Robertson et al., 2005, figure 1). Media types included news media (newspaper, radio and television) and entertainment (television, radio, internet). On the topic of young people and media Stevens’ (2001) article raised interesting points about her observations in middle school classes such as how the students were not the passive consumers of media as is popularly believed. The article outlines how students seemed very aware of issues within the media they consumed and that they could think critically about how these issues related to the world around them. While these articles were not specifically about science they provide insight into the minds of young people and their media perceptions, which is part of the study of this course. 

Getting back to science in popular culture, Szafran, Pike and Singh (1994) describe a specific branch of science called micro-scale science, which is a new movement towards safer and more cost effective experimentation in schools. The link to pop culture comes from the appearance of micro-scale chemistry (as well as the authors of the article) in an Archie comic where micro-scale chemistry experiments are used to contrast the usual portrayal of science experiments in the comic (an explosion being set off by the chemically-inept titular character). This is an example of a science concept being specifically addressed in pop culture because the comic was explicitly about micr-scale chemistry as opposed to having the science be more of a background theme. The final article was also specifically about science and was simply an outline and rationalization for a school project designed and based from concepts in the movie Avatar (Siegel, 2011). 

[yorkwarren]

Reflection Journal 3

This week’s readings were more mixed than previous ones and overall I felt they were lower in quality than what I have been reading. Starting with Kumar and Altschuld’s(1999) article, it was an older study and although they didn’t define the word “interactive” I’m sure the perception of interactive media would be quite different now than it was 14 years ago. The whole article seemed to be an advertisement for Vanderbilt University (the school in which the study was conducted). This is because the imposed program was viewed as a success due to all the “unprecedented administrative support received within the university environment” (Kumar & Altschuld, 1999, p. 64). Their conclusions seemed to be that using video recordings of effective and non-effective classroom teaching strategies were very helpful to teacher candidates and active teachers in enhancing their own teaching strategies. A connection can be made to Luehmann and Tinnelli (2008) who describe how blogging can be an effective way to create a community of teachers that would otherwise not be able to find it. The study outlines how finding like-minded individuals can inspire teachers to work towards teaching reform specifically using social media. The article focused on teaching reform and changing the status quo but I feel that blogging can have a beneficial impact in addition to generating reform-minded teachers. That was it for articles related to teachers, there were two that focused on students and one that was general interest. 

Perales-Palaces and Vilchez-Gonzalez (2002) described a small study involving two televised cartoons: Pokemon and The Simpsons and their effect on science learning in students. They conclude that cartoons can be an effective way to increase interest in science (specifically physics) as well as make other conclusions regarding portrayals of scientists and effectiveness of visual learning. However, their conclusions were not remarkable and the small scale of the study casts doubt on how universal their findings are. Researching education in a more general sense and on a much larger scale Notten and Kraaykamp’s (2009) article looked at data from numerous countries regarding school performance of children, their parent’s socioeconomic status (SES) and how often they read, watch television and use a computer at home. The conclusions were that watching television at home has a negative effect on student performance in school, while reading and computer use at home has a positive effect on school performance. They do mention that some television is okay but excess television can be problematic. However, they do not explain exactly what excessive is. Also mentioned is how a low socioeconomic status can hinder a child’s performance at school. Part of the implication of the article was that parents with lower socioeconomic status do not read as much as parents with higher SES. Their interpretation of results seemed classist however their main point was how the media habits of parents tend to affect their children’s performance in school. 

Not really fitting in with the other readings Ober and Krebs (2009) had an interesting article about fictional elements that appear in different media but there was no analysis of any kind. It was a short article who’s purpose was to provide descriptions of three different examples of these fictitious elements. 

[yorkwarren]

Science in Media Analysis 1 - Equivalent Exchange: An Introduction

Alchemy; the science of understanding the structure of matter, breaking it down, then reconstructing it as something else. It can even make gold from lead. But alchemy is a science, so it must follow the natural laws: To create, something of equal value must be lost. This is the principle of Equivalent Exchange - Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)

The world of Fullmetal Alchemist is one where people can manipulate the physical world to whatever end they choose. Alchemy is a sort of magic that can generate a fireball, destroy walls or create weapons out of sand. The interesting aspect of Alchemy is that it is limited by the composition of the matter being manipulated. So, a fireball is simply plasma being formed by the Alchemist into a ball shape that first requires an ignition source (such as a spark from flint). Openings in walls can be created by turning bricks into sand and sand can be turned into a quartz weapon by manipulating the silica. The fantasy manga (and later anime) is of interest because it does not use standard magic for it’s fantasy elements, rather it relies heavily on science.  The show makes numerous references to various elements and the materials they compose but most of all the show adheres to the law of Equivalent Exchange. This is another way of saying that mass is conserved for any reaction, a concept that applies to the field of chemistry. However, Fullmetal Alchemist does not limit itself to only chemical reactions because alchemists can also transmute elements into any other element they desire. Transmutation initially was the realm of real world alchemists until it was revealed to in fact be the realm of nuclear physics. 

Fullmetal Alchemist is an example of a form of media that is accessible to learners that contains a large amount of scientific terms and concepts. Both the manga (print comic) and the anime (television program and movies) have this scientific backbone as alchemy is a crucial plot point that shares it’s name with the real world precursor to modern chemistry. These media are important to analyze due to the potential they have to promote science literacy in an informal fashion. Informal science learning is important to all kinds of educators (Fenichel & Schweingruber, 2010) and can be found in various types of media (television, movies, comics, music, video games, etc.). A recent report by the National Research Council (2011) recently looked into the potential for learning through the use of video games and simulations and found that more research was needed to reveal the full potential of this new learning medium. Also, teachers have been using other media for years as a way to teach science and increase engagement (Cavanaugh, 2002; diRaddo, 2006). Media is an excellent way to familiarize learners with science while also maintaining their interest. 

Recent reports (Kachan, Guilbert, & Bisanz, 2006) have found that learners tend to view science education as nothing more than memorizing facts, which is in stark contrast to the desired outcomes of all educators (Gardner, Jones & Ferzli, 2009). Informal science learning is a potential way to separate the view that science is only a fact-based subject because it hooks the learner in a way that is not bogged down with facts. Using media such as Fullmetal Alchemist for educational purposes is not a new idea but there needs to be a new perspective to realize its full potential as a learning tool. 

References

Arakawa, H. (Creator). (2004). Fullmetal Alchemist [Television Series]. United States: Funimation

Cavanaugh, T. (2002). Science fiction and science education. Science Scope, 25(6), 64-69.

diRaddo, P. D. (2006). Teaching chemistry lab safety through comics. Journal of Chemical Education, 83(4), 571-573.

Fenichel, M., & Schweingruber, H. A. (2010). Surrounded by science: Learning science in informal environments National Academies Press. 500 Fifth Street NW, Washington, DC 20001.

Gardner, G. E., Jones, G. M., & Ferzli, M. (2009). Popular media in the biology classroom: Viewing popular science skeptically. American Biology Teacher, 71(6), 332-335.

Kachan, M. R., Guilbert, S. M., & Bisanz, G. L. (2006). Do teachers ask students to read news in secondary science?: Evidence from the canadian context. Science Education, 90(3), 496-521.

National Research Council. (2011). Learning science through computer games and simulations. M. Honey & M. Hilton (Eds.). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

[yorkwarren]

Reflection Journal 2

Kiboss, Wekesa and Ndirangu’s (2006) article looked at using a computer program to teach cell division and how this improved students’ understanding of the subject. Similar to Bevilacqua and Bordoni (1998) who designed an interface to teach physics which allowed the learner to move around freely and at their own pace. Bevilacqua and Bordoni (1998) can be related to Cronje and Fouche’s (2008) article where they analyzed the mental modes of users of a computer program designed to teach basic electricity. Findings include that the intent of the designer was overall in line with how the user used the program but also found that too much open endedness could be confusing for weaker students. These readings were very statistic based, eager to explain the program and theoretical, respectively. Kiboss, Wekesa and Ndirangu (2006) had a lot of statistical data that could be confusing because they changed their abbreviation (perhaps by mistake). With Bevilacqua and Bordoni (1998) they seemed more intent on explaining how to use the computer program instead of actually researching how it affects users. Also, Cronje and Fouche’s (2008) article was confusing because they went into a lot of detail about mental models without giving a full and deep explanation of what a mental model is.

Gardner, Jones and Ferzli (2009) had an article looking at popular news media and biology subjects that were presented indicating that teachers of biology have a need to address media in their classrooms. Kachan, Gilbert and Bison (2006) looked at how and if secondary teachers were using news media in their classrooms and found that newspapers and other types of news were used predominantly in biology classes. Both articles were well written, of particular note is the idea of media framing (Gardner, Jones & Ferzli, 2009) and how important it is for science instruction to incorporate media. At the time of its writing the article by Kachan, Gilbert and Bison (2006) indicated that there was no explicit mention of using news media in any curriculum policy documents for the province of Alberta. This is despite the fact that the province’s diploma exams will often have some type of news media for the student to analyze. They recommend including the use of news media as a requirement in the curriculum (presumably for all science courses). 

And finally there was Dorion’s (2009) article about how drama could be used to teach science. Since drama allows for a more virtual style of learning it was concluded that it would be a benefit to a subject such as science that could benefit forma virtual and multi-modal form of delivery. This article was different from most others focusing on science and media in that it focused more on the drama side than on the science. This article was very different in scope from the others and the only real connection was the mention of science as a school subject. 

[yorkwarren]

Reflection Journal 1

Comics were a popular medium in this weeks readings with several readings looking at lab safety and how it can be communicated to students using comics. Carter (1988, 1989) and diRaddo’s (2006) articles showed examples of older comics that had instances of laboratory settings and how characters behaved in these settings. The idea was to engage students while teaching them the “dry” subject of lab safety. I agree that this is a great way to engage students however the way that the articles presented using comics for teaching lab safety seemed like they were only one-off instances with no lasting value. Other than simply showing the panel(s) of the comic and discussing what characters are doing wrong or right there isn’t much depth to the idea. I was anticipating more detailed study but the articles were anecdotal. I feel that using comics would be a strong hook for the full lab safety lesson but no more than that. 

Other articles looked at science fiction in general to get students interested in science (Cavanaugh, 2002) and Doctor Who to get students writing more (Harrett & Benjamin, 2009). An interesting idea from Cavanaugh’s (2002) article was to not show an entire science fiction film in one day rather to break it down into smaller sections so appropriate discussion about the science presented can occur. I can see this being annoying to students and might only end up working against engagement if it is a movie they have never seen before. However, if it is a movie that most or all of the class has seen then it might be more practical. 

The final article discussed a particular technique as a means for students to get interested in science. Hoban, Loughran and Nielsen (2011) used slow motion animation as their focus and had pre-service teachers make “slowmations” to describe the lifecycle of a ladybird (ladybug) beetle. This was the first article to talk about students potentially making their own media as a way to facilitate science learning. 

The book Surrounded by Science looked at different ways for informal learning environments to improve and reflect on their practice by going over literature on informal environments and learning. Besides a chapter about collaboration between museums/after-school programs and schools themselves there wasn’t much information regarding classroom teachers or schools themselves. Some interesting points from the book revolved around museum exhibit design and how new technologies can enhance the experience for all learners. For example, by being able to offer multiple languages for exhibit description using video monitors instead of printed text. This way users can select their language and read about the exhibit instead of just passing by. I was hopeful that the book would make mention of video games/simulations more than it did but the section about the game Wolfquest was interesting and was in line with other articles I have read regarding informal learning and video games. For instance, Surrounded by Science mentions that substantial learning occurs in the online message boards for the game which also happens with World of Warcraft (Steinkeuhler, 2008). 

[yorkwarren]

Book #1 - Surrounded by science

My impressions of the book so far are fairly good. I just finished chapter 3 and wanted to record my thoughts about the segment on Dragonfly TV. oF interest to me was how television shows/media are still effective learning tools despite their lower amounts of interactivity compared to a museum exhibit or after school program. 

A question I had was about video games and where they sit on the scale of interactivity. The book mentions video games as an informal way to learn science but there has not been much mention of it yet. However, chapter 3 did focus primarily on museums or science centres so the addition of Dragonfly TV and TV/movies seemed a bit out of place. 

[yorkwarren]

Intellectual Production #7

A mindmap for the whole course