PHYSICS EDUCATION NEWS (PEN) May 1994, No. 2 An electronic newsletter of the AIP Education
PHYSICS EDUCATION NEWS (PEN)
May 1994, No. 2
An electronic newsletter of the AIP Education Division
PROFESSIONALS SOUGHT FOR ASSISTANCE WITH RADIO SHOW
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is
searching for professional educators, scientists, and engineers to
volunteer as participants in the production of a science adventure
series for children's radio. The program, "Kinetic City Super
Crew," is aimed at 8 to 10-year-olds, but is designed for listening
by the entire family. The show's story lines will be based on
real-life experiences, including recent research and discoveries.
Help is needed in the following areas: Topic development, script
development, and the production of outreach materials.
(For more information, contact: Kinetic City Super Crew,
Professional Participant Program, 1333 H St., NW, Washington, DC
20005; 202-326-6647; 202-326-6630 (TDD); e-mail: kcsuper@aaas.org)
COMPUTER ACCESSIBLE MOVIES SUPPLEMENT PHYSICS COURSES
Robert W. Brown, a physics professor at Case Western Reserve
University, has put movies of himself and his teaching assistants
on the campus's computer network to assist students who want help
outside the classroom. The movies, which run for less than two
minutes each, show students how to solve the homework problems that
they have found to be most difficult. Students like the system
because they may not completely grasp an explanation the first time
it is given, but may be too embarrassed to ask for help. Tapping
into the campus network allows them to repeat the movies as often
as necessary to comprehend the concepts. The movies are accessible
to Case Western computer users, but not to people outside the
campus.
(For more information, contact: Mr. Robert Brown, Physics
Department, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44160;
216-368-4010; e-mail: RWB@PO.CWRU.EDU)
BOOKLET CONTAINS INFORMATION ON MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES CAREERS
"Career Information in the Mathematical Sciences: A Resource
Guide" is a free booklet listing career materials for parents,
counselors, and teachers of students in grades K-12. It is
published by the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences.
(For a free copy, contact: Conference Board of the Mathematical
Sciences, 1529 Eighteenth St., NW, Washington, DC 20036)
NEW ELECTRONIC BULLETIN BOARD FOR SCIENCE EDUCATORS
A new electronic bulletin board called IDEA (Inter-Disciplinary
Education Access) will soon be available on the Internet. The
bulletin board, created by the University of Massachusetts-Lowell
in conjunction with the National Park Service, will focus on
teaching about science, technology, and society from an
interdisciplinary perspective, incorporating social studies and
science education. IDEA will also list announcements of
professional development institutes, training courses, and teacher
workshops. Field testers are being sought to test IDEA.
(For more information, contact: Cooperative Park Education Unit,
c/o Tsongas Industrial History Center, 400 Foot of John St.,
Lowell, MA 01852; 508-970-5080)
NATIONAL SCIENCE STANDARDS UPDATE
The National Research Council's National Academy of Sciences, which
is overseeing the development of national science education
standards, has released what it calls a "Headline Summary" of the
standards. The eight-page summary provides an organizational
framework of the final standards document. The final draft of the
standards will not be available until at least this Summer.
Comments from the public will be accepted from late Summer through
early Fall. The final document is expected by early 1995.
(For a copy of the "Headline Summary," contact: National Committee
on Science Education Standards and Assessment, National Academy of
Sciences, National Research Council, HA 486, 2101 Constitution
Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20418; 202-334-1399)
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