Monthly Archives: August 2014

Summer Reading

A good summer of reading. I didn’t read quite as much as I had hoped, but more than I feared I would. My focus this summer was influenced by my work on my district’s Science Curriculum Team who is incorporating the Next Generation Science Standards into our science curriculum. As part of my contribution to this team, I want to promote the development of a continuous narrative that students will find engaging throughout primary and secondary school. I’ll write more about this later, but I believe the history of science plays a crucial role in this endeavor.

**[Quantum Man](http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Man-Richard-Feynmans-Discoveries/dp/0393340651) by Lawrence Krauss**

I find Lawrence Krauss’ writing and speaking engaging. This biography of Richard Feyman focuses more on his pursuit of understanding through science than on his infamous antics.

**[Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World](http://www.amazon.com/Creating-Innovators-Making-People-Change/dp/1451611498) by Tony Wagner**

A committee I was on started reading this book last year. It was good and the case studies were interesting. I think it could have been condensed quite a bit without losing too much.

**[The Edge of Physics: A Journey to Earth’s Extremes to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe](http://www.amazon.com/Edge-Physics-Journey-Extremes-Universe/dp/0547394527) by Anil Ananthaswamy**

This book is amazing. Ananthaswamy travels around the world to explore the most interesting experiments in the field of cosmology. Reading how these scientists actually go about their experiments and the challenges they face due to their environment is fascinating. These are the types of stories that need to be shared with students.

**[Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb](http://www.amazon.com/Trinity-Graphic-History-First-Atomic/dp/0809093553) by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm**

An excellent graphic novel that captures the start of the Atomic Age. This book is a fantastic resource for students research the development of the atomic bomb.

**[The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments](http://www.amazon.com/Ten-Most-Beautiful-Experiments/dp/140003423X) by George Johnson**

This was my least favorite book of the summer. I just didn’t find the stories as engaging as others that capture the history of science.

**[A Short History of Nearly Everything](http://www.amazon.com/Short-History-Nearly-Everything/dp/076790818X) by Bill Bryson**

I read this book years ago, but read it again this summer in order to make annotations that can be incorporated in this narrative of science in which I’m interested. Bryson is an incredibly engaging writer and truly captures the wonder of how little we understand about the world (and beyond) in which we live.

I’m in the midst of two other books and hope to continue to make progress as the school year starts.

Chromebook Toolchain for AP Physics

This fall, my AP Physics 2 classes will be using Chromebooks as part of my school district’s 1:1 pilot. Chromebooks were new to me; so, it took some time this summer to find the apps to support the workflow I want for this class. While I’m sure the toolchain will change throughout the semester, and there will be surprises (both pleasant and otherwise), here is the starting toolchain:

* [Canvas](http://www.instructure.com/k-12/). Everything starts and ends with this learning-management system.

We will do a lot of lab activities. The workflow depends on the amount of data acquired and the level of graphical analysis required. The start of the workflow is the same:

* [LabQuest 2](http://www.vernier.com/products/interfaces/labq2/?lq2-home). Vernier’s LabQuest 2 can create its own ad-hoc network or connect to the school’s wireless network. The LabQuest 2 hosts its own web page as part of their [Connected Science System](http://www.vernier.com/products/wireless-solutions/connected-science-system/). Students can then access the device, the data, and graphs via Chrome. Data and graphs can be exported to the Chromebook via the web page.

The next tool depends upon the lab. For some labs, the data and graphs produced on the LabQuest 2 are sufficient. Students will import these into their [Google Document](http://www.google.com/docs/about/) and create whatever is required for their lab report. If additional analysis is required and the data sets are relatively small:

* [Desmos](https://www.desmos.com). A fantastic graphing app. For small data sets and [applying linear fits in a meaningful manner](https://www.desmos.com/calculator/w5a3shbzy4), it is fantastic. Graphs can be shared via a link and an image can be embedded in the Google document.

If data sets are large or more sophisticated analysis is required:

* [Plot.ly](https://plot.ly). Plot.ly seemed to explode onto the education scene this summer, or maybe I was just paying more attention. Data exported from the LabQuest 2 can easily be imported into Plot.ly. Like Desmos, graphs can be shared via a link and an image can be embedded in the Google document. Plot.ly can also embed its graphs in an iframe, but I couldn’t find a way to embed that in a Google document as opposed to a web page. Fran Poodry from Vernier made a great [screencast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBH2eSQ9DqY) demonstrating the integration of the LabQuest 2 and Ploy.ly.

Regardless of the analysis performed, in the end, students create their lab report in Google docs and submit it via Canvas.

Another important aspect of class is the exploration and modification of computational models. In the past, we’ve used [VPython](http://vpython.org). I had to find an alternative that would be compatible with Chromebooks:

* [Glowscript](http://www.glowscript.org). Glowscript is the up-and-coming platform for computational models with the advantage that it runs in a browser that supports WebGL. I’m not a huge fan of JavaScript syntax for novice programmers; so, we will be using [CoffeeScript](http://coffeescript.org) instead. I didn’t write as many starting models over the summer as I had hoped, but I did at least verify that [complicated models](http://www.glowscript.org/#/user/gcschmit/folder/My_Programs/program/Maxwell-Boltzmann) can be ported.

Peer instruction is one of the most effective and popular classroom activities that we do. In the past, I’ve used handheld clickers. This year, we will use the Chromebooks:

* [InfuseLearning](http://www.infuselearning.com). There are a number of web apps in this space, but I selected InfuseLearing because it allows the creation of spontaneous questions, supports a variety of answer methods including drawing and sort-in-order. [Pear Deck](https://peardeck.com) looks promising, but I don’t want to be forced to create my set of questions ahead of time.

For notes in class, I’ll leave it up to students to use whatever tool works best for them (including paper and pencil). I’ll suggest they at least take a look at:

* [Evernote](https://evernote.com). I love Evernote and use it all the time for all sorts of stuff.

I do provide students with PDFs of my slides. I can envision that students may want to annotate these PDFs or other handouts. Surprisingly, this was the hardest tool to find:

* [Crocodoc](http://personal.crocodoc.com). The free personal version allows students to upload a PDF, annotate it, and export their annotated version. Other tools I explored are [Notable PDF](http://www.notablepdf.com). This requires paid licenses to be useful. We may try this out if we find Crocodoc lacking.

A couple of other tools that looks interesting, but I’m not sure if they fits into the toolchain for my class is:

* [Doctopus](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/doctopus/ffhegaddkjpkfiemhhnphmnadfbkdhbf?hl=en). I think Canvas assignments and SpeedGrader cover everything that I personally would do with this app.

* [81Dash](http://81dash.com). Private back-channeling app.

I’m sure I will learn of new tools throughout the semester and I’ll make adjustments to the toolchain. If you are using Chromebooks, please share your favorite apps below in the comments!

AP Physics 2 Syllabus, Units, Labs, and Pacing

I previously [shared](https://pedagoguepadawan.net/368/standards-for-ap-physics-2/) how I will be using the AP Physics 2 Big Ideas and Enduring Understandings as the standards for my flavor of standards-based assessment and reporting for AP Physics 2. Since then, I’ve been working on outlining my sequence of units, pacing, and labs. This allowed me to finish the syllabus to submit for the College Board Audit. I based my syllabus heavily on [Dolores Gende’s syllabus](http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/ap/ap-course-audit/ap-physics-2-sample-syllabus-2-id-1066440v1.pdf). My syllabus is [1252560v1](https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5k4nSZVwLtDSlhqNm9DUkFhN2M/edit?usp=sharing), in case anyone finds it helpful in preparing theirs.

[The syllabus](https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5k4nSZVwLtDOElHWDNuRXdoNG8/edit?usp=sharing) that I share with students and parents provides all of the specifics on the structure of the course.

My sequence of units and pacing is based on a fall semester of 15 weeks and 2 days (plus finals) and a spring semester of 13 weeks to April 22nd (at which point we start reviewing for the exam). We will be using College Physics, 3rd Edition, by Knight, Jones, and Field. My pacing reflects our first year physics courses which cover more of electrostatics and circuits than the minimum required by AP Physics 1.

Please share any feedback or questions that you have!

Fall Semester
====

Unit 1: Relativity and Computational Modeling
—-

* time: 1 week
* Knight: Chapter 27
* computational model:
* frames of reference

Unit 2: Fluid Mechanics
—-

* time: 3 weeks
* Knight: Chapter 13 (sections 13.1-13.6)
* computational models:
* buoyancy
* Torricelli projectile
* labs:
* pressure beneath the surface
* hydrometer
* Archimedes
* Bernoulli/Venturi
* water projectile

Unit 3: Thermodynamics
—-

* time: 4 weeks
* Knight: Chapters 10.5; 12.1-12.4, 12.8; 11.1, 11.3-11.8
* computational model:
* kinetic theory
* heat transfer between liquids of different temperatures (thermal equilibrium)
* entropy
* labs:
* heat engine
* heat transfer
* temperature and kinetic theory
* entropy activity

Unit 4: Electrostatics
—-

* time: 4 weeks
* Knight: Chapters 20, 21
* computational model:
* electric field/potential maps (3D?)
* labs:
* Millikan Movies
* electric potential mapping
* dielectric constant and parallel plate capacitor lab
* simulations (field hockey, fields and potentials)

Unit 5: Electric Circuits
—-

* time: 2.6 weeks
* Knight: Chapters 22, 23 (23.1-23.7)
* labs:
* conductivity/resistivity lab
* Experimenting with constant current and voltage sources
* RC circuits

Capstone
—-

* time: 4 days

Spring Semester
====

Unit 6: Magnetostatics and Electromagnetism
—-

* time: 4 weeks
* Knight: Chapters 24, 25
* computational models:
* charged particle in an external magnetic field
* labs:
* magnetism activities
* mass of the electron
* measurement of a magnetic field
* electromagnetic induction activities
* Faraday’s Law
* electric motors
* determine number of loops in solenoid
* Lenz’s Law Demonstration Using an Ultrasound Position Sensor

Unit 7: Geometric and Physical Optics
—-

* time: 4 weeks
* Knight: Chapters 17, 18
* labs:
* reflection activities
* mirrors lab
* refraction activities
* refraction/total internal reflection lab
* lenses activity
* lenses lab
* diffraction and interference
* thin film interference lab
* interferometer thermal expansion
* holograms
* Determining the Thickness and Refractive Index of a Mirror

Unit 8: Quantum, Atomic, Nuclear Physics
—-

* time: 4 weeks
* Knight: Chapters 28, 29, 30
* computational model:
* half life
* labs:
* hydrogen spectrum
* photoelectric effect
* half life
* stochastic nature of radiation
* LED lab for Planck’s constant

Review
—-

* time: (4 days for final exam) + 6.5 days for analysis and review
* April 23-24, 27-28: final exam

Unit 9: Particle Physics and Cosmology
—-

* time: 2 weeks