Sunday, June 17, 2012

Aviation geeks?

I just read an article on CNN about people who are aviation geeks. These are not necessarily aviation professionals, but music teachers, people who live near aircraft plants, or just ordinary people who wonder about flight. So are you an aviation geek? Are you curious enough about flight to go out of your way tho learn about flight various aircraft, or become a pilot? 

As a teacher of STEM, I want to know just how curious you really are about aviation & aerospace. Please post a response, & don't forget details matter.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Posts for students or anyone else who might benefit

Studying for a Master of Science Teaching has been an exercise in patience and determination. My first Master's Degree, Instructional Technology Ed., did not seem nearly as taxing as this one is. However, it could be that the space of time from 2006 to 2012 and my age have something to do with this. After all, when I finished my M.Ed IT, I was not a grandmother and I was not nearing the end of another decade.

The Master of Science Teaching degree from New Mexico Tech, aka, NM Institute of Mining and Technology will allow me to move further into the fields of science, engineering, technology and mathematics. However, it is the math that is kicking me from behind. 

Math..... as a freshman in high school, my math instructor was puzzled that I was not doing well in math. Mr. Rosson stated, "you are good at music; you should be good at math." Well, he obviously had just read something about the merging research at that time of music and math. What he did not know was that  a person with an excellent voice, did not necessarily, have an established background in music theory. I took Algebra I again in my senior year of high school. It wasn't until my freshman year at ECSU, Ada, OK, that I did well in math, and that only because the math teacher was a woman who understood the workings of the female brain in math. After my first bachelors degree, I could have taught Mr. Rosson something about the relationship of music and mathematics. As a person literate in spreadsheets and other math related software, I have always been able to place formulas in Excel(r) and make multiple calculations. However, many of the calculations that I missed in high school, I am now suffering through. 

Students, what I'm trying to say, it get all the help you can in middle school and high school to build your math skills. Throw the question, "What will I ever use this for?" out the window! Remember, this one fact, you will be using your math skills for the rest of your lives. 

Check out the links I have attached. These are free math, science, etc. help sites, some with video. www.khanacademy.org - Excellent videos for all subjects