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“What is the average yearly rainfall for Phoenix?” A social studies assignment asked an extension question of this sort during my grade school years. The answer wasn’t in the text, so tracking down the answer required a trip to the local library, or a telephone call to the reference librarian. In either case, finding an answer took some time and involved hands-on searching by someone. I considered the same question while writing this column. Finding an answer did take some hands-on searching—hands on the laptop keyboard as I asked the question on the Google search engine. Second choice in the results list was a table of 30 years of annual and monthly precipitation data for cities around the country, including Phoenix. Think of nearly any question, and somewhere, someone has probably posted something about it on the Internet. It’s incredibly easy to find information, although reliability is another question entirely.
However, just because you found information at one Internet location at one point in time, doesn’t mean you’ll find it there again in the future. Ever notice the notation “Accessed Jan 2008”, when a Web site is cited in JCE articles? It lets you know that the author or someone on the staff was able to get that particular information from that particular Web site during that particular month. It’s no guarantee it will be there in the future. This hit home one month when I added a Web site to the student side of a JCE Classroom Activity. When I looked at the site, it was there; when the Activity went to the next stage in editing, literally days later, it had changed. Markwell and Brooks remind us of this, and report their study of the “link rot” phenomenon. They designed “a series of Web-based chemistry courses for high school teachers … the courses we developed contained numerous hyperlinks”. However, as time has gone by, “Some of the Web sites had surprising developments.” See the article for more information.
Markwell and Brooks also mention the Journal and its commitment toward preserving materials online. Indeed, all past issues beginning with 1924 are available on JCE Online (accessed Jan 2008). Past years, beginning with 1997, are also available on annual CD-ROMs. JCE CD 2007, which includes all material published in print, along with online supplements, is now available for purchase. That’s a lot of chemical education material packed into one disc!
Food for Thought
If you like to use food as a way to draw your students in to science concepts, don’t miss Diener’s Clasroom Activity Connections “No Apple Fool: Biochemistry and Taste” and Wink and Hwang-Choe’s “Pennies and Eggs: Inititation into Inquiry Learning for Preservice Elementary Education Teachers”. Diener discusses how she builds a biochemistry lesson around a JCE Classroom Activity, JCE Featured Molecules found online, and an artificial sweetener worksheet she created (available as an online supplement). Wink and Hwang-Choe’s article leads students into a thought-provoking investigation, simply by asking them to sort raw and hard-boiled eggs.
Laura’s Take on the Issue
Nuclear chemistry was the weakest area of my chemical training, but it is one area where students often ask all types of questions. High school level textbooks frequently present surface information, but teachers have often complained that they need more to answer student questions particularly when the questions focus on nuclear weapons. Reed provides a good analysis of uranium and plutonium isotopes as they relate to use in nuclear weapons. I have already transcribed his information into my notes for next year when I cover nuclear chemistry.
I hope to see you at the ACS National Meeting in New Orleans this year. The High School Teachers program on Sunday, April 6, looks really strong. Richard Goodman, this year’s Conant Award recipient, will start the day. JCE will be part of the afternoon session. Dorothy Gabel, a highly appreciated encourager and supporter of high school teachers, is receiving this year’s ACS Award for Achievement in Research for the Teaching and Learning of Chemistry and will be speaking on Monday, April 7. Erica is unable to make it to New Orleans, but will be in Boston at the NSTA meeting, and we will both be in Bloomington this summer at the 20th BCCE. We look forward to seeing you soon!
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