Myth or Reality: Polar Ice Caps could flood the world

I conducted the experiment with the ice block and water and was more than a little surprised at the results. Firstly, the ice block did not cause the water to flow over the top of the container like I surmised it would, and secondly the block rose from the bottom to the top without melting or breaking apart. If one were to use the information gleaned from this experiment to theorize what would happen if the polar ice caps melted then one would have to assume that the effect would be the same in that the amount of space that is currently taken by the ice caps would be taken by the water produced by the melt. Therefore, there would be no flood effect and as such the world would be safe. However, one has to be careful not to generalize the results of this experiment to the polar ice caps as there may be variables at play in the real world that are not being accounted for in this experiment.

After having completed the inquiry for this week, I wonder if this effect has been tried on a much larger scale and were the results published? It would be interesting to note the results of such an experiment to note if they were the same as realized in my experiment.

Writing the STEM lesson plan

I was a feeling a bit overwhelmed when I first laid eyes on the lesson plan required for this week's application because it was so much more detailed than I normally am used to in my daily job. However, once I started completing it I found that it was no more difficult than a regular plan; it just required me to look a little more deeply into how I formulated my activities so as to create a positive scientific learning opportunity for the students. I found that I was quite comfortable with the differentiation piece due to having to always having to think about that aspect of my lesson due to the population that I serve as a teacher of Special Education students. What was new for me was the introduction of other pieces that asked me to think beyond my own classroom or state even and think about how the lesson I write conforms to what is considered required learning on a national scale.

The introduction of the 5E's was new for me but it made me have to think logically and creatively about how to design the lesson and really provided a guideline for me to use to ensure that I was meeting the needs of my students. I found myself checking back over what I had written once I started completing the section for the 5E's. While that action may have required more time on my part, I think it lends itself to a more cohesive, well thought out plan.

While I may not have the opportunity outside of this class to include the 5E's as a separate segment on the lesson plan that I currently am required to use in my school, it does provide a platform for me to think about those areas that it covers and write my plan based on those concepts.

I welcome this opportunity to add another technology piece to my toolkit. I hope to develop a greater comfort with using this tool and possibly become proficient enough to introduce it as a permanent tool that is used in the classroom, especially with my eighth graders. We all know how quickly children adapt to changing technology and that they more than adults are intrigued by and motivated to participate in activities purely because they are hosted online or are interactive in some way. The way to reach and teach in this generation is to use the trends that are most utilized by those we want to reach so here goes my blazing trail:)
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