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Showing posts from September, 2017

Latitude and longitude

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Monday this week in physical science opened with a brief review of Friday's quiz answers. Armed with a globe, I then laid down the framework for latitude and longitude, explaining the existence of zero lines such as the equator and the prime meridian. I even mentioned the Paris meridian and the misuse of the Arago markers in Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code as the fictitious Rose line . Monday wrapped up with covering how the different GPS units work. The newer GPS units with the ability to receive both GPS and GLONASS (Globalnaya Navigazionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema) signals work differently from the older units. Tuesday I scouted out a location I had used a couple summers ago for a Binky hide. This term I wanted to be out deep and far. I was down in an area I think of as the swale. That's pwisehn malek barely visible in the background. Wednesday I slipped out into the hide without detection. Just after arriving rain fell, but I had brought an umbrella and I tucked

Noise levels in the B201 classroom used in algebra and trigonometry

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In 2002 the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) created ANSI S12.60-2002, an Acoustical Performance Criteria, Design Requirements and Guidelines for Schools standard. "...In 2004, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's (ASHA's) Working Group on Classroom Acoustics recommended that an appropriate acoustical environment be established in all classrooms and learning spaces. ASHA endorses the ANSI standard and recommends the following criteria for classroom acoustics: Unoccupied classroom levels must not exceed 35 dBA  The signal-to-noise ratio (the difference between the teacher's voice and the background noise) should be at least +15 dB at the child's ears.  Unoccupied classroom reverberation must not surpass 0.6 seconds in smaller classrooms or 0.7 seconds in larger rooms"  World Health Organization acoustic standards also recommend that "background sound levels should not exceed 35 dB LAeq." These guidelines are often r

Cooling curves

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Week six in physical science began with a series of videos on heat and temperature  on Monday. Wednesday focused on a demonstration of various temperatures from 0°C to 100°C. Noting that Desmos will regress against any arbitrary function with an arbitrary number of coefficients, I realized that the class could run a cooling curve experiment. I provided no scaffolding for the 8:00 class other than to ask how the temperature might change with the passing of time for a cooling cup of water. Trevalouva and Jayleen The groups worked with covered cups of boiling hot water. The cover was to reduce to convection as the equation for Newton's law of cooling does not strictly apply to convection. John and Rufus  The groups found that the decrease in temperature was slow, very slow. Rufus, Mike, John, Elisa, VanDamme, Yostrick Redsea and Jvida Redsea and Jvida started off with their cup covered, but became dismayed at the slow rate of change. They later chose to re

Ohigan

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On the college property is a Japanese village cemetery from the 1930s and 1940s. During Ohigan the ethnobotany class cleans up the Japanese cemetery. Due to rain attendance was taken photographically. Many thanks to Lino and the maintenance crew for the sharp knives. More was accomplished than every before due to the sharp machetes. At class start Kiyoe Sato led a chant appropriate to Ohigan in Japanese. The video ends before the chant due to heavy rain. Rain also meant that attendance would be taken using images. Johsper, Darion, Shanaleen, Kimsky, Kiyoe, Jamie (behind Kiyoe), Pelida, and Sandralynn assist with the chant Kiyoe cleans around the marker for Hoshino Noritake who passed away in 1945. Jamie, Sandralynn, and Pelida work with her. Kiyoe and Sandralynn cleaning up around the marker Jamie worked on clearing the Ischaemum polystachyum paddle grass Shane with Vincent and Johsper in the background Clayson Jamie, knife moving too fast for the