TED Ed Featured Lesson on Science in the Renaissance: Galileo Discover's Moons of Jupiter

Hey there readers!
Want a fun lesson to share with your friends, family, children or pets?
TED Ed challenged me (yes, I was there with them at the TED Ed HQ in New York...was AWESOME!) to produce a "lesson flip" on the Renaissance.

I'm a science teacher, so my lesson was about Galileo. http://ed.ted.com/on/NGTNgZiC#watch

Each TED Ed flipped lesson has a video component, an online "quiz", additional links or online activities, a discussion question and some food for thought in the form of a famous quote on the topic.

This lesson was featured on the TED Ed blog:
http://blog.ed.ted.com/2013/09/16/top-five-videos-to-flip-the-renaissance/

TED Ed Featured Lesson on Science in the Renaissance: Galileo Discover's Moons of Jupiter

TED Publishes My Video on TED-Ed!

I haven't had a chance to post about the video production process much, but here is basically how it went down:

1. A friend nominated me on the TED-Ed website.  You can nominate your friends, too (or yourself!) by clicking the "Get Involved" link.
2. Jordan Reeves, head of TED Ed, sent me an email to set up a time to talk on the phone about possibilities.  At this point, they make it pretty clear that the whole thing is completely exploratory--no guarantees.
3. I agreed to try to write a script for a three minute video.  
4. Discovered that writing a script for a good three minute video is really, really challenging.
5. Sent the script to the editorial team.  Bit my nails for several weeks.
6. The editorial team decided that they liked the script!  Hooray!  I made it to round three.  This one's easy--all I have to do is take a look at their suggested edits and check for scientific accuracy.  
7. I have decided that all writers should have professional editors:  I am not a writer, but their editing added a certain je ne sais quoi to the wording in my script.  Definitely better than it was when I sent it.
8. Round Four:  record the voiceover.  Since I live close to New York City, and I was on vacation at the time, I made the trip down to the TED Ed offices in Chelsea to use their cute little recording booth.  Rose, the science journalist and voiceover editor, directed me through the recording. I did not have to go down to the office--if you live far away, they send you a 'portable recording studio'.
9. Then, I have to wait.  And bite nails more.  They send the voiceover and script out to a group of selected professional animators and wait until an animator chooses a voiceover.  If you don't get chosen, that's the end of that.  The reason the animators have the choice is because they often put in many MANY hours to put the videos together--and these are real professional who are volunteering their work hours (kind of like the teachers that put the lessons together).  Some of these guys/gals work for places like Pixar and Dreamworks.  Others just rock on their own.
10. Marc Christoforidis picks my script!  WOW!  I am so excited.  Here is his professional reel on Vimeo.
11. Then, we work together...emailing back and forth for weeks.  He sends me animated sketches (animatics) and stills to get my feedback and so I can check for accuracy.  He did an amazing job of interpreting some difficult places in the script.  I never even saw what he looked like until his picture was posted on the TED site!  He's got cool hair.

TED Publishes My Video on TED-Ed!

Edible Science Model Projects, Part 6: 2nd Annual Periodic Table of Cupcakes

Our Second Annual Periodic Table of Cupcakes was a success!

If you want to do this sort of project these are things to keep in mind:

1. Give students plenty of time to plan the project, shop for materials (parents don't like last minute requests) and to make the items that need to be made ahead of time (cupcakes/fondant icing).  We have used a full period to plan it two weeks in advance.  This gives you plenty of time to send a notice home, and plenty of time for parents and kids to shop and make things.
2. This year, it took a little longer to build the table.  I underestimated the difference in construction time that 4 fewer students would make--keep that in mind when you're doing this sort of project in your classroom.  I use our 90 minute block period for table construction (with the cupcakes and fondant icing already made).  Last year, with 11 students we finished it with time to take pictures and clean up.  This year, with 8, it took two hours, PLUS clean up time.  If you have a group of 20 students, with good planning you should be able to get it done in one class period.  
3. Make sure you have one copy of the periodic table per student.  If you want the names of the "newest" elements, check online.  Unununium has a new name now, and so do a few of the others!  Mendelevium, Livermorium and Copernicium are a few.
4. I suggest doing this project towards the end of a unit on the periodic table.  A great way to introduce the periodic table is by explaining why Dmitri Mendeleev's creation was so extraordinary...use this TED-Ed Video to start it off right!

Edible Science Model Projects, Part 6: 2nd Annual Periodic Table of Cupcakes

TED-Ed Invitation! The Lesson of My Life!

I am amazed!  I can't believe it!  Someone nominated me to do a TED-Ed Lesson and my nomination was chosen!

I was nominated to do a lesson on the "Reasons for the Seasons".  I am so excited that I can't even finish this post.

TED-Ed Invitation! The Lesson of My Life!

Broken Wine Glasses? Don't Fret; Model Gravitational Lensing, Instead!

Today, I purchased two very expensive crystal wine glasses to replace ones that I have broken.  On the way home, I broke them.  Accidentally.  Not to worry!  Now I can use the bases as very expensive crystal "gravitational lens" modeling tools.

In  this TED Ed video that I saw (amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing), physicist Patricia Burchat explains dark energy and dark matter in such a fascinating and interesting way.  I would love to have her as my physics professor.  In the video, she explains and demonstrates the use of a wine glass bases as a "gravitational lens" that bends space/time and light.
Watch it!  So good. 

Broken Wine Glasses? Don't Fret; Model Gravitational Lensing, Instead!

TED-Ed Cricket Beat Box. TED Talk Tuesdays just got a boost.

I do this thing in my science class called "TED Talk Tuesdays" where we watch TED talks that I've previewed or that students have recommended.  Then, we talk about them.  It's way more fun than science current events from the newspaper.

The newest one I've seen is from the new-ish? TED-Ed series.  Science teachers, take note!

TED-Ed Cricket Beat Box. TED Talk Tuesdays just got a boost.