Which contains more energy: a compressed car suspension spring or an ear of corn? In this BLOSSOMS video lesson, MIT Prof. Dan Frey helps you to answer this question and many more. Energy is the ability to do work. It comes in two basic flavors: kinetic or potential. Kinetic is happening now; potential is stored—in foods, in springs, at heights, etc. The two basic flavors have many sub-flavors. In this video the teacher and students will be 'tasting' five of them, and learning how to make rough engineering estimates of the amounts of energy stored or consumed in things all around us. It's an energetic eye opener! And it is very insightful about making rough order-of-magnitude estimates. Watch it now.
Project CPALMS, is building web-based infrastructure for standards-driven planning, instruction, and assessments. Each submitted BLOSSOMS module is reviewed carefully by a panel of content experts. Certified BLOSSOMS modules (6 to date) are posted on the system and on web pages of Florida's Department of Education. This disseminates all across Florida and beyond. The certified modules are also disseminated into the National Science Digital Library (NSDL).
BioBuilder is an open-access website offering informative animations and activities for anyone who wants to teach or learn about biological engineering. Short animations show the interaction between a lab scientist, Systems Sally, and an excited young learner, Device Dude. Their brainstorming sessions at the whiteboard and in the laboratory teach relevant topics: science, engineering, technology, and community. Educational materials include web-based animations, in-class discussion and laboratory activities, and a community forum for the exchange of data and best practices. Introductions and instructions for students as well as workflow and assessment tools for teachers are provided. Check it out.
We are delighted to have on the BLOSSOMS website the first two video lessons from our partners in Saudi Arabia: “Selfish Drivers: Braess Paradox and Traffic Planning” by Dr. Jawad Abuhlail; and “The Magic Picture: Steganography in Bitmap Files” by Abdullah Seddiq. Currently these lessons are available only in Arabic, but we look forward soon to having versions with English subtitles. These are the first two of 20 BLOSSOMS video lessons to be made by our Saudi partners.
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