Ok Go and Parabolas

If you haven't seen Ok Go's new music video of their song "Upside Down & Inside Out", definitely watch it first:  Ok Go-Upside Down & Inside Out

I am so excited to show this behind the scenes to my gr 11 math class (when I teach gr 10 again, I'll definitely be showing this video as well. Actually, I'll show this video to any grade!) and the role of a parabola in creating zero gravity. One of my favourite things about Ok Go is that I think they really want to inspire people to be creative and aren't afraid to talk the math and science behind their videos, and not just focus on "oh, look we made a cool video". 

I always show Ok Go music videos to my students and find that it really helps me with the process of inspiring my students to consider the sciences. (ex/ Ok Go worked with people who worked with NASA for their Rube Goldberg Machine "This Too Shall Pass" music video. You can read more about their involvement here)

But I also emphasize with my students that the beauty of what Ok Go does shows that with the combination of art and math/science, you can create something amazing. So no matter what type of work field and whatever path of education you choose, it is needed for every day life and a part of society.

I also like to talk about Andy Ross (guitarist) and how he started off as an engineer and in computer science and that even though now he's in this band, he also makes game apps as well. He's such a great example of how diverse anyone can be.

Ok Go is a great inspiration in music, maths, sciences and especially to me.  

Using Nearpod in Chemistry 11 to assess Bohr-Rutherford Diagrams and Lewis Structures

Today I was able to use Nearpod with my Chemistry 11 class and it went amazingly well! I wanted to assess them on drawing Bohr-Rutherford Diagrams and Lewis structures and students are able to draw on nearpad. So instead of having to collect paper work and give them feedback at a later time on their diagrams, with nearpod, I was able to give them instant feedback. To be able to see the students work instantly saves so much time in correcting work. Another bonus to using nearpod is being able to share students work anonymously and it'll appear on everyone's iPad. This way I was able to grab students' examples and discuss with the class about their drawing. The students really loved this idea of sharing their work that they started to get a bit more competitive and decided to "spice" up their drawing with beautiful colours and would get excited for me to share their work. Another bonus was that I didn't have to worry about calling out students in front of the class if their work was incorrect. Since I was able to see everyone's work on one screen when they submitted their drawing, I was able to quickly look at where they drew their diagrams incorrectly. Then I shared a correct drawing and created a little discussion on why it was correct and "what not to do" on  the diagram. And it just seemed like a little announcement and only the student who drew it incorrectly knew I was talking about his drawing. (Note: I printed the questions onto a sheet of paper as well so they're able write down their answers to keep) 

This is the teacher's view. You can see your student's drawing on your ipad/laptop once they've submitted them.

A few photos of my students working away on nearpod.