Fall 2004 Exploratorium Newsletter Items
These short articles appeared in the Fall 2004 Exploratorium newsletters.
- Show your students amazing new visualization tools for studying geography. After viewing a Webcast at the Exploratorium, zoom in to the site with Keyhole. Study the variety of maps for everyday life like shopping at the National Geographic Society. (Textbook maps may be out-of-date, not so at the Society.) Introduce Global Positioning Systems, the "compass" of the 21st century. Suppose 3 evil dictators could be placed the furthest apart from each other on earth, where would they live?
- How can opera singers hold their breath so long? Why does singing in the shower sound so great? Explore the science of music at the Exploratorium site. Then, create you own music in any style—jazz, classical or pop. Webproject, in particular, takes advantage of the Web's multi-media capacities and media production. Stunning new recording software showcases musical forms and instruments around the world.
- View the ancient observatory at Chaco Canyon at the Exploratorium. Learn more about combinations of new modeling tools applied to other ancient sites. Switch to a modern observatory where you can view Saturn from Mars, in case you don't get to Mars in your lifetime. The Web's power, too has been extended to more modern treks like Lewis and Clark, the Underground Railroad and other eyewitness accounts.
- Insects—billions. Type insect in the Exploratorium's site search field. On postage stamps or beneath your garden, songbird or sucker, the variety of insects is astounding. On-line, too, are butterflies and spiders. Searching for and studying insects sharpen observational skills.
- Study the life of scientists and inventors. Galileo (type Galileo in the search field on the Exploratorium's home page) is a favorite. History and Philosophy of Mathematics will link you to his actual facilities in Italy.
- Chemistry is a favorite at the Exploratorium and at the K-12 IMC. Whether chemistry through cooking or the contents of toothpaste or fireworks the Web brings new windows into this traditional subject. The new international boiling point project encourages students to collaborate with others around the globe to compare the impact of elevation upon this phenomenon. Imagine other global collaborative projects to better understand chemistry!
- Study the concepts of time—reaction time, clocks, memory, evolutionary changes in the goldfish at the Exploratorium. Understanding Time ranges from wrinkles in time to time zones around the world. Diversity uplifts student worldviews.
