Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Jupiter Watching

With the new school year upon us, students may be asking, "What was that bright star in the sky last night?"

Well, yeah, probably not. But this school year presents a great opportunity to get kids looking at the night sky, as Jupiter is putting on quite a show this summer. And sometimes we all get lucky and astronomy is the way to reach that one student that just won't relate.

The really easy way to answer such questions is to have the excellent free, open source planetarium software, Stellarium, or a good commercial program such as Starry Night installed on your computer. With either you can preview (or postview) the night sky (and for me, end up looking a lot smarter about astronomy than I really am).

This is a Stellarium view of the southern night sky around 9:30 P.M. (EST) from central Indiana. Since the moon is approaching a full moon (full on Saturday), Jupiter is somewhat diminished. But as the moon wanes to the new moon on the 30th, the separation between the moon and Jupiter will increase. The view below from Stellarium is for August 30, 2008, at around 9:30 P.M. (EST).

And of course the night sky will be darkening as we move through the month, allowing students a good view Jupiter earlier in the evening.

California Homeschooling Decision Reversed

The California Second District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles has reversed its decision on requiring homeschooling parents to be licensed educators. Parents may home-school children without teaching credential, California court says tells the story. Following up: A home school lesson provides a quick review of the story also.

In other follow-up news, the California decision to test (and presumably teach) algebra at eighth grade is going to cost a bit. Algebra expansion cost pegged at $3.1 billion tells of the bill resulting from the decision.

College Support for Autistic Students

An interesting AP story, Living with autism in college, tells of how AHEADD (Achieving in Higher Education with Autism/Developmental Disabilities) works with college students with disabilities. AHEADD is available is just four areas now, but it sound like something that may grow.

Online Game for Learning Chinese

eSchool News carried word of a "new online role-playing game" that "aims to help students and adults learn more about the culture and languages of China." Free online game teaches students about Chinese language, culture tells about Zon, a browser-based environment where "students are exposed to Chinese language and cultural knowledge; everything they do in the game is another chance to learn new words, phrases, and cultural information."

Succession

Even though our plantings of green beans didn't germinate well this year, we're beginning to have some pickable beans at last. Usually by this time of year we've canned quarts and quarts of beans. But this year, we'll probably only have enough for some steamed vegetables from time to time.

We have great green peppers and onions this year that go great in those steamed or grilled vegetables. I planted a mix of green, yellow, and red peppers, but we really haven't had any turn color this year. I guess we pick and eat them up a bit too soon before the yellow and red ones fully ripen!

Our sweet onions, Walla Walla's, are about all gone, other than the ones I chopped and froze. They just don't keep very well, but we love the flavor of them, so I grow a row or two each year.

Our first harvest of storage onions, this year Pulsar and Milestone, have dried on the porch, been sorted and bagged, and have gone to a cool, dark room in the basement. We have a second planting of them just getting going. I don't really know if they'll beat the frost or not. If they mature in time, they should store well into the winter for us.

Oh, yeah, I titled this section succession. Succession in the garden is one of those things I really have trouble doing. I get busy (and lazy) taking care of things outside and forget to get plants started inside for fall harvest. This year I was late again, but was gratified this morning to see that some of our lettuce had germinated.

Double Brocade and Empress gloxinias in my science classroom.	Gloxinias growing under plant lights.

I also started some cauliflower and broccoli, although I've not had much luck with fall plantings of either. Maybe starting the plants under the lights in our cool basement will help this time around.

It was also time to start my all time favorite pot plant, gloxinias. I started one pot of saved seed that my students had produced by hand pollinating the gloxinia plants in our science classroom years ago. I also started a pot some commercial seed of the Empress variety.

I was really happy to see that there is finally a US supplier for the Double Brocade variety of gloxinias again, Pase Seeds. It's my favorite variety of gloxinia to grow under plant lights, but Park Seed quit carrying the variety several years ago.

Getting back to succession in the garden, I find it a bit sad when I clear garden sections, renovate the soil, and then begin replanting.

Our intensive garden section in June with onions, beets, carrots, and more onions. And of course, we frequently use flowers as row markers!	The same bed after the first harvest and renovation now has a planting of spinach (watered area at top) and room for lettuce when the plants are ready. I also moved our compost heap into this area, as it will be spread over it when it's done "cooking."

While the garden takes a good bit of time, it's a satisfying feeling to look out the office window and see the garden and the cornfield next door.

Thermal Shock for Tomatoes!

I really didn't think much about the heat a week or so ago when I was picking some grape tomatoes. I was careful to pitch any split fruit into the cornfield next door as I picked. I brought the tomatoes inside and filled the picking container with cold water to rinse off the fruit. Then I dumped them into a strainer, but noticed many of the fruit were cracked along their longitudinal axis.

With one of those "Ah hah" smacks to the head I realized that the fruit was quite warm coming in from the garden and the cold rinse water had thermal shocked it, just like glass will do. Since then I've been careful to let the grape tomatoes sit a bit and cool off before rinsing them. Doing so has reduced split fruit to almost zero.

And if you were wondering, yes, the green beans, sugar snap peas, peppers, onions, and carrots from the garden are in the steamer right now, along with some yellow squash and mushrooms from the grocery.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Four-day Week in Education?

Four-day week on the rise in education on eSchool News discusses the rise of the shorter work week (with longer days, of course) in both K-12 and higher education. Teachers and students appear to like the change while parents, faced with child care issues, aren't so sure about it.

Environmental Education in California

Three R's go green, starting with recycle is a nice article by Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle about the push for "increased environmental education and ecological awareness in California classrooms."

Working with Non-English Speaking Parents

Trying to ‘esplain’ is an interesting story that tells of author Mary Wiltenburg's efforts with non-English speaking parents in Georgia.

Tips for (old and) New Teachers

Teacher Magazine is currently running a series of articles by veteran educator Jane Fung on tips for new teachers:

• Teaching Secrets: The First Days of School (Part 1)
• Teaching Secrets: The First Days of School (Part 2)

Disruptive Behavior of People with Autism Discussed

AP writer Dave Kolpack has a good article in Disruptive behavior by autistic kids stirs furor. Kolpack looks at the issue from all sides, including the recent cases that have spilled into the court system.

Good Editorial

AFT President Randi Weingarten has an excellent editorial in the Dallas Morning News. McCain, stop putting teachers in corner will be a breath of fresh air if you are weary of all the teacher bashing that's going around.

Have a great weekend!

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