RJ Stangherlin

Keystone Technology Integrator and STAR Discovery Educator

This site is for Mrs. Stangherlin's classes at Salisbury High School.

Need Technology Help?  See the Tech Wizards

As part of the online graduate course that I am taking, I promised to create a support system of students helping teachers.  Modeling our name after Lynn Fuini-Hetten’s Tech Wizards in the middle school, the high school now has its own tech wizards, and they are ready and willing to help.  The list is growing, and I will post additional support staff as students volunteer.  The tech help are listed with their study hall periods:

Evan Howard: 2, 3
Tony Hamane 2, 3
Alex Horn: 3
Pat Jacoby: 3
Tony Davis: B Lunch.

Chris Althouse and Kyle Gotthardt have no study halls but if you need help Period 8, please email me and I will try to get one of them to you.

Any student who is willing to join this list, please let me know your availability. 

Compete to Become DENs Science Teacher of the Year

I copied Lance Rougeux’s post to the Discovery Educator Network National Blog.

Discovery Education’s Young Scientist Challenge has officially launched and this year’s theme is “The Science of Space.” In addition to being to being the premier national science competition for students in grades 5 through 8, this year’s challenge is also open to Discovery Educators. Any Discovery Educator can enter the contest and compete to win an all-expense paid trip to Washington, DC, for the competition finals where one DEN member will be chosen as “DENs Science Teacher of the Year.”

If you are not a Discovery Educator, it is really easy to become one.  See Mrs. Stangherlin and to get your application started.  I promise you will love the benefits of being a member of one of the best organizations that supports teachers nationally.

In a nutshell, you have until June 18, 2008 to make a short video about one of the following scientific points:

1. Newton’s Laws of Motion: Just the term sounds a bit formidable to non-physics majors. Using common language, modest equipment and a creative methodology, produce a short, non-threatening video introducing one of Newton’s Laws of motion. Your choice!

2. Acceleration: What in the world is that? Is that something I can do? Create a video demonstrating the concept of acceleration.

3. The first A in NASA: Aeronautics: Many earth/space and physical science curricula incorporate student construction of a model or paper airplane, rocket, or other flying contraption to learn about the forces involved in flight. It is rare to find one that works reliably. Demonstrate your best example: a student made “flying” device that is inexpensive, safe, reliable, and satisfying.

4. Centrifugal and Centripetal Force: What are they and what’s the difference? They sound a bit alike. Are they the same thing? Create a video demonstrating or explaining either…. or both.

5. Scope and Scale: When working in an earth/space science curriculum, large numbers are often encountered. Demonstrate a novel or engaging classroom method for scaling large numbers, great distances, or massive quantities.

These topics are tough to teach, but extremely important for our students to understand. Do you have an interesting method for introducing these concepts in the classroom? We’re looking for the top teachers in the country to show us how they demonstrate these scientific topics. The best videos will be shared with teachers across the country and you might just be crowned “DENs Science Teacher of the Year.”

For all the details, visit the official Discovery Education’s Young Scientist Challenge website. Good luck!

At our National Leadership Council Webinar last week, Lance promised that the top five videos will receive a great prize. Lance never disappoints, so see if you can squeeze some “spare time” (I know, who has that...) to make the video that just might name you “DENs Science Teacher of the Year.”

The World’s Largest Classroom

Cross-posted at Changing Connections.

Welcome to the world’s largest classroom, Oprah’s Web Event featuring Eckhart Tolle‘s best selling book, A New Earth.  Not only does this book have global appeal; it has a global audience.  The numbers are staggering: 136 countries represented with 750,000 tuned in for the world’s largest live web event.  I had to be a part of it, so I joined the Oprah network (free) and reserved my seat for the class.  It’s not too late to join, because there are 9 more classes coming to you at 9:00 PM Eastern, but the doors open at 8:30.  If you missed the first class, you can watch it here.

You really would not need a press release to know that you were part of a world-wide unprecedented event, and that’s really why I joined.  I just did not want to let a ground-breaking technology event of this magnitude pass me by.  The bonus was the book; it either speaks to you--or not.  To me it said volumes about becoming a better person, living in the now, and finding a kind of spirituality.  Although this book may not find an audience in everyone, the event and being a part of it compels me to continue.

The fact that we are participating in this social networking globally, in real time, speaks volumes about the locus of our online culture.  What surprised me about the first meeting was the connectivity; I did not lose my connection until 57 minutes into the program, when the volume of overload had to create glitches for many of us.  But next Monday, I know where I’ll be, tuning in with the rest of the world, having completed my Week 2 homework online, ready to ask my question, if I get a chance.