Ron as Paracelsus for his high school Chemistry students

In 1994, Educational Innovations was founded by Ron Perkins, an award winning Chemistry Teacher from Greenwich High School. Along with a number of other awards, Ron was Connecticut’s first recipient of the President’s Award for Teaching.  He was not only a renowned educator, but Ron was also an incredibly creative presenter.  Ron’s passion for science and teaching took him around the globe, giving over 800 teacher workshops for teachers of elementary grades through college!  It was because of his impressive and dynamic presentations that Educational Innovations came to be.

When preparing for his classes and workshops, Ron would hatch ideas, gather materials, and then tinker in his basement.  His demonstrative presentations always generated Oooooooh’s and Aaaaaaaah’s from the people in attendance, whether young students or seasoned teachers.  When the smoke cleared and echoes stopped, teachers would crowd around him and ask where they could find the materials that he used to generate so much science excitement.

Responding to the needs of these other educators, Ron finally put together a two-page flier with the materials, and teachers would send checks or even cash through the mail, and Ron would send their packages.  In the early days, Ron would wait for the mailman to arrive, hoping for an order.  Now almost 20 years later, Educational Innovations supplies teachers, parents, schools, and workshop presenters from every state in the US and over 69 countries around the world!  We are proud to carry forward the spark that ignited interest in science for generations of students.

Ron's high school science fair entry

One of the more important traits a scientist can have is the ability to observe.  Helping our students become better observers can be tricky.  Observation is a soft-skill and can be difficult to teach directly.  In my experience I also find that students tend to rush through labs to obtain the answer quickly.  This desire for speed is contrary to the pace required for careful, precise observation.

My solution for helping students become better observers is the science journal.  The purpose of the science journal is to encourage students to observe the science happening all around them.  The scope of the project allows for careful observations to be made which can then proceed into conclusions and validations of hypotheses. As an added bonus, the journal integrates literacy into the science classroom.  I encourage my students to select topics that appeal to them to increase investment in the project.   I do provide a listing of sample topics to help them better formulate their own journal topics.  Some of the topics covered in the journals have included:
    Reviewing newspaper/magazine articles for cases of good or bad science reporting
    Looking for science principles in sports (excellent for physics)
    Studying the changes in an ecosystem (e.g. plant growth, goose behaviour)
    Astronomical observations
    A recording of chemical additives found in the food that the student has eaten
    Beginning a new exercise regime
    Following weather patterns

The ideas for the journal are limited only by the student’s imagination.  I normally have the journal topics last for a unit or two, providing the student with a chance to study a different topic that may appeal to them.

A fantastic twist on the journal idea is to have the students blog their observations.  The integration of technology with journaling tends to improve student engagement. Additionally, the project gains credibility as it is now open in the public space and is no longer private between the student and teacher.  This interaction between the student and other Internet users helps the student desire to improve their writing, as they are now writing for an audience.  The student’s posting obtaining its first comment is normally a momentous occasion that only further entices the student to dig deeper on their topic.

There are numerous free blog hosting sites on the Internet, including EduBlogs, WordPress and Blogger.  Students can create their own blog or record their thoughts on a communal class blog.   Before starting a blogging journal, teachers should review the activity with administrative staff and ensure that parents are properly informed.  If there are concerns about personal information being revealed on the Internet, students can create an Avatar (I like DoppelMe) and use a pseudonym to write under.  If this approach is used, the teacher should keep a master copy of the pseudonyms for reference purposes.

Journaling, when combined with blogging, can be an excellent approach to improving not just observation skills but general science skills such as reporting, hypothesizing and drawing conclusions.  As an added bonus, the science of the classroom begins to filter into the students everyday experiences.

About the author
Matthew Campbell is a certified Science and Mathematics teacher in Ontario.  He currently teaches at Conestoga College in Kitchener, Ontario.  His blog, http://shift-edblog.blogspot.com/ explores the usages of technology in the classroom.

Ron Perkins and I had the privilege of being invited to share some of our favorite EI products at GadgetOff 2009. GadgetOff is an exhibition that includes people on the cutting edge, not just of technology, but also science, the arts, education, and the future in general.

There were so many amazing presentations that I don’t know which one was my favorite. Much of what we saw was just plain fun. There were two variations on an amusement park carousel, only they were powered by pulse jets. We also got to see pumpkins hurled by a trebuchet that must have been eighteen times the size of our Advanced Trebuchet Kit. But perhaps the strangest sight there was eight-foot diameter mechanical spider brought by a team from Vancouver. This gas-powered, hydraulically actuated monster was driven around the field like a bulldozer. It made me want to build a robot in my basement…or buy a tarantula.

There were also more serious and life-changing presentations. Segway inventor, Dean Kamen, shared with us the progress on his latest project, a prosthetic arm unlike any other. It has fully articulated human-like fingers, not a simple clasp or hook. It allows the user to pick up an egg or a grape without crushing it, and  enable the user to tell the difference between the two. All the servos, processors, sensors and everything else associated with the prosthetic arm weigh in at under three pounds!

We met dreamers, visionaries, and inventors. One group specialized in projecting large-scale artwork onto the sides of buildings using lasers. Through this, they met an artist that has been struck with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.” This artist has been paralyzed below the chin for years. They developed and inexpensive eye-movement tracking system that has now given him a mean of communication, as well as the ability to make art again.

So, what did we share with these visionaries. It was a difficult choice. The other invitees showed great interest in our Mirage Illusion, especially when using it with a laser. They all knew that the image of the pig floating above the Mirage was an illusion, so were amazed that you could still hit it with the laser beam.

Ron also demonstrated his BB Board, a devise of his own design. With it you can easily explain how molecules reorganize when heat-treated, show movement of geological formations, and visualizing the motion of solid liquids and gas particles.

Everyone also loved the sneak preview of our new device for transmitting sound using a common laser pointer. This device will be available soon. Look for the announcement in our newsletter.

As always, one of the favorites was the FunFlyStick. This is our mini Van de Graaff generator with its floating toys that seem to defy gravity.

We truly appreciate the opportunity to attend GadgetOff and are grateful to Michael and Dan for extending yet another invitation to us this year!

Published in 1996, the National Science Standards were written with the hopes of guiding our nation toward becoming a more scientifically literate society. One key point made is that science is an active process. Science is something students do… it is not something done to them.

Science is a verb! Since the incorporation of Educational Innovations 15 years ago, this has been our mantra. The products we sell are selected because, as science teachers ourselves, we recognize the importance of motivating students of all ages and engaging them in the process of learning science safely, and in a way that when they return home after a long grueling day of school, the topic of discussion at their dinner table centers around the science activity that was experienced in your classroom! It just doesn’t get any better than that.