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Virtual Teacher Newsletter No. 112 - 6TH AUGUST 2005 - BROWNIAN THE FREE ONLINE FORTNIGHTLY IT TEACHERS' NEWSLETTER ============================================== CONTENTS 1. Welcome 2. Mind Candy 3. WWWinfo ANSWERS.COM 4. New Printables - FREE REPORT WRITING PROGRAM 5. Technical Stuff – STEVE JOBS 6. Web Site Focus – BROWNIAN MOTION 7. MILLY MOLLY MAGGIE AND MAY 8. Great Sites 9. Readers' Requests/Comments 10 Next Issue 11. Code of 'Netizens' 12. Tips ============================================== 1. WELCOME EVERYONE. What a week, a great one. I went to the Australian Museum on Wednesday for a lecture on Forensics, only to discover an amazing sight. Mobs of folk demonstrating science experiments from different tertiary institutions, there was the 3D modeling, nano technology, the new uranium waste removal technology, psychology tests and much more. What a treat. Look out for these evenings at the Australian museum in the future, their twilight behind the scenes are also a knock out. I also attended the 3rd in the series of Einstein lectures on Friday night at Sydney UNI – great lecture, great insights. Don’t miss out on all these events happening for the International Year of Physics, look out for them and send your students and yourself along. 1.As Dr Karl said’ “Suppose you have a degree in Physics, and that you are being interviewed for your first paying job. To get the interview going , the interviewer might ask, “So , you have a degree in Physics?” the best answer is, “No, I have a degree in How to Solve Problems.” NOW WHO WOULDN’T WANT THAT 1.Course info booklet Physics at Sydney Uni 2005 ============================================== 2. MIND CANDY Legend of Bohrs "Describe how to determine the height of a skyscraper with a barometer." http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/bohrs.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics from Flanders and Swann
By Flanders and Swann Flanders (Spoken): One of the great problems in the world today is undoubtedly this problem of not being able to talk to scientists, because we don't understand science…. ……Snow says that nobody can consider themselves educated who doesn't know at least the basic language of science. I mean things like Sir Edward Boyle's Law, for example – the greater the external pressure, the greater the volume of hot air. The simple . . . or . . . the Second Law of Thermodynamics, this is very important. I wasn't so much shocked the other day to discover that my partner not only doesn't know the Second Law, he doesn't even know the First Law of Thermodynamics!
Going back to first principles, very briefly: thermodynamics, of course, is derived from two Greek words, thermos, meaning hot - if you don't drop it - and dynamics, meaning dynamic, work; and thermodynamics is simply the science of heat and work, and the relationships between the two as laid down in the Laws of Thermodynamics, which may be expressed in the following simple terms - after me, Donald.
[Flanders (spoken)]The First Law of Thermodymamics:
Heat is work and work is heat
[Swann (spoken)]Heat is work and work is heat
[Flanders (spoken)] Very good!
The Second Law of Thermodymamics:….. ………
That you can't pass heat from the cooler to the hotter
Try it if you like but you far better notter
[Together]'Cos the cold in the cooler will get hotter as a ruler
'Cos the hotter body's heat will pass to the cooler
Oh, you can't pass heat from the cooler to the hotter
You can try it if you like but you'll only look a fooler
'Cos the cold in the cooler will get hotter as a ruler
For the full version goto http://physics.about.com/cs/jokeoftheweek/a/flandersandswan.htm ============================================== 3. WWWinfo Want some answers get them here – this is a great site for students and it access many fantastic resources including Wiki This resource offers an encyclopedic responses to questions, and is continually updated. ===================================== 4. NEW PRINTABLES Ray’s Free Report Writing Program http://www.rayslearning.com/report.htm ============================================== 5. TECHNICAL STUFF Steve Jobs Stanford Report June 14 2005 "You've got to find what you love." http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html ============================================== 6. WEBSITE FOCUS - BROWNIAN MOTION Robert Brown was the botanist on Matthew Flinders voyage to Tasmania, be got the gig because had connections with Joseph Banks. He collected a large number of specimens, looking at these under a microscope he noticed the pollen moving about in a zig zag random fashion. This effect is the result of molecules bumping into the larger pollen particles, and can be seen under a microscope, how exciting, this was the first time atomic particles could be viewed – indirectly by their effects. The Brownian motion was later one of the 5 major papers delivered by Einstein in 1905. http://www.answers.com/main/ntquery?method=4&dsid=2040&dekey=Brownian&gwp=8&curtab=2040_1 http://www.phy.ntnu.edu.tw/java/gas2D/gas2D.html http://Galileo.phys.Virginia.EDU/classes/109N/more_stuff/Applets/brownian/brownian.html ============================================== 7. ee cummings maggie and milly and molly and may Love this poem. It has something in it for primary as well as year 12. See an animated version at http://www.hey-miki.com/MagMilMolMay_home.htm On the precision of ee cummings http://www.gvsu.edu/english/cummings/issue3/Weinst3.htm Poetry Lesson on Poem Structure and imagery including Maggie and mill... http://poetrylessons.org/poem_structure_part_1.html Hints for Reading Cummings http://www.nascitur.com/cummings/hints.html Message Board comments - scroll to the bottom http://www.abodetao.com/messages/messages/441.html
Check out Poets.org for a great range of poetry- easy to search. Onomatopoeia about and poem about http://clps.k12.mi.us/platte/9eng03/ninep/toppage7.htm ============================================== 8. GREAT SITES HOT SITES Online Learning Kids Net Au – all subjects covered from K-12 links to a vast array of resources http://www.kids.net.au/kidscategories/Kids_and_Teens/School_Time ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Purple Maths –Algebra Resource http://www.purplemath.com/modules/ ============================================== 9. READERS COMMENTS/REQUESTS
Teaching English is the online home for Australia's English teaching professionals. We provide teaching resources, news, professional learning opportunities and jobs. The most important commodity that English teachers have is time. Teaching English aims to save your time by providing a single point of access for all teaching resources. If you would like more information, do not hesitate to contact us. Regards, Alex Prior http://www.teachingenglish.com.au
This looks like a great resource. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hey Cathy.
I notice you get a few troubleshooting questions related to office.. If you get an questions about tech stuff feel free to pass on the email, as I have worked as a tech for 10 years, and in schools troubleshooting computer and software since 2000, I have seen just about everything.
Thanks for what you do, its the first place I look for resources. Almost finished uni, 1 more year.. :) Benjamin Ricketts Teacher Aide Miami Primary State School ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi Benjamin,
Would you like me to put this offer to the newsletter as a whole? Is that OK ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yeah for sure it is..
I am sure I have seen a large enough variety of problems and tricks to help out. And I can’t recall not being able to fix a problem. Plus I have had plenty of experience troubleshooting with telstra in the school system, and out of school with Dell and Acer, so I know how things work down the grapevine of computer support around the place. Happy to help, ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi Cathy, An idea for Sue Hall (asking about Excel ideas) - what about planning and budgeting for a trip around Australia. My class loved it and we also used Powerpoint to prepare presentations for Assembly. Hope this helps! Christine -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Cathy I have lost my black hat template and can't find your newsletter with the info on it. Could you please let me know where I can recover this from? Thanks Jo Critch Head of Library and Information Services Corpus Christi College Hi Jo, ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All hats can be found at: http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/teachtool.html just scroll own to templates ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Cathy, I'm not sure how you select the links to include in each newsletter - however I am a little perturbed by your link to "The Final Theory" in your 'Mind Candy' section. After reading some of the first chapter of this book, and some of the Q&A, I am led to believe that many of the "reviews" of this book must be false (or at least not from qualified physicist/mathematicians) and further that reading his work will contribute to ignorance among the general teaching community.
The author, although he may have READ Einstein, has clearly not understood him - particularly the passage in his pop "Relativity Paper" which says, "Of course this is not surprising, since the equations of the Lorentz transformation were derived conformably to this point of view". He further has misunderstand the general meaning of the word "theory" as opposed to "fact". Other "paradoxes" he claims to point out have also been clarified by many brilliant writers and mathematicians including Max Born who published an explanation of Einstein's relativity as early as 1920 - which points out that the "Astronaught returning to earth to find his brother much older" does not create a paradox when considered from the 'stationary' ship, but rather the "General Theory of Relativity" should be applied and not the "Special Theory of Relativity". Accelleration forces have a part to play when any hypothetical situations are raised.
What the author says in his first chapter is fairly relevant, but it has been written on by better and more established authors and philosophers such as Russell, Kuhn and Husserl - and his plug "all will be revealed in chapter 2" is an obvious ploy, trying to make people buy his book that he could not publish through any decent established publisher.
I know food for thought should include new theories etc, however this author whose work you have posted is equivalent to bogus scientists who claim that "global warming is a myth" because it makes them popular and helps gas companies. I feel that his work will spread ignorance and is nothing more than an empty marketing scam. Thank-you for your Time, Simon James ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is great Simon. Questioning scientific theory and defending it. I believe it is not only the ‘more established authors’ that should be discussing and writing about science, but everyone, I believe at best, science is all theory, and nothing is particularly ‘established’, it is all in a ‘move through’ state, till we get the next bit of info or insight. Not only do I love the fact that lay people are publishing their own ‘theories’ about science, and questioning established sources, I also love students to do the same thing. I think everyone should feel science is up for debate, and should be questioned. Remember when the stated scientific position was the world was flat, with a bit more info and thought we have now another theory about the shape of the world. In the early 20th Century there were a group of scientists who didn’t believe in theory of the existence of atoms, with a bit of a rethink and Einstein’s ideas when he was certainly not a ‘more established’ author but a patent clerk , it is now pretty well accepted. As to global warming the popularist view is way too glib and narrow given the available info, – I covered a bit of it in a previous newsletter http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/VT70.htm There is absolutely no hope for folk trying to deliver the ‘truth’ or absolute answers, theories are just that, everyone has a part to play in science, even Flanders and Swan, even students, even patent clerks ============================================== 10. NEXT ISSUE – I know I, I know, next newsletter more Primary School material will be included. Although I did work on the Brownian motion with kindergarten – great fun. Ciao Cathy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11. Code of the 'Netizens' This Newsletter is not free, despite the misleading advertising above. The Fee is now due. Each week you must help one colleague on the Internet who has less knowledge than you. Help that person even if you have to visit their classroom or do a little research and get back to them. Trust me, this will help a lot of people get their computer classrooms running better. OK I'm trusting you!!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12. TIPS 1. Double click on highlighted URLS to open in browser. 2. Send in your Questions, Questions will be published with Answers, send in your Answers, if you have expertise to share. 3. Nominate a brilliant site for review and inclusion in this newsletter. 4. Nominate a fantastic school site for review and inclusion in this newsletter. 5. Make contact with other schools using fantastic programs. 6. Prepare and innovative article for this newsletter. 7. Tell 2 colleagues about this newsletter. ============================================== The opinions expressed here are purely those of the editor, Cathy Brown. All other small print clauses apply. Such as: Use at your own risk. Nothing in life is guaranteed. If it doesn't work for you send me an email. Editor: cathy brown mailto:cathy@virtualteacher.com.aU ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Delivered FREE to your e-mail box every fortnight. Online Lesson Plans, Great Sites, Free Stuff, Tips, Time savers, and templates. Computer Solutions for Teachers. Subscribe today! It's totally Free! Just type subscribe in the subject and send it to me. ============================================== Reach a growing audience of teachers, by advertising in the Virtual Teacher Newsletter or on the Virtual Teacher site. For more information contact, For information about inservice and training contact me at ==============================================
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