Science 360

Wow! This one has a lot of information in it. We get into all kinds of things about space and teaching astronomy. You may want to take notes!! If you like space, want to learn more OR if you teach science with an astronomy unit, then this one is for you!There was enough in here that I felt it would be a good idea to include a vocabulary list so that you could reference it, as I'm sure Bill or I used words that might be unfamiliar.So here's the list:Synodic Period - the time it takes to complete one orbit or revolution relative to the position of the SunEcliptic - the line that connect the Earth and the Sun. All planets orbit the Sun approximately on the plane of the eclipticSpectrometer - an instrument that measures a wavelength of light emitted by any sourceMare - the latin word for sea. Used to describe the dark areas on the Moon because ancient astronomers thought they were oceans (Plural: Maria)Occultation - when one celestial body crosses in front of or behind anotherHomogeneous - used to describe anything that is the same throughout La Grangian Point - a point between two objects where their respective gravities cancel out and you don't fall towards eitherInfrared - the radiation responsible for heat. Has a wavelength slightly longer than visible lightRedshift - the optical observation whereby lightwaves are stretched to a longer wavelength because the light source is moving away from youSidereal Period - the time to rotate or orbit relative to the background stars. Generally it is shorter than synodic time because the Sun is moving and the stars don't appear to, simply because they are so far awayElliptical orbit - all objects orbit the Sun in an orbit slightly non-circular. An Ellipse is like a circle that is flattened somewhatRegolith - this is what we call Moon dirtArtemis - the mission that is responsible for returning humans to the Moon and then eventually to MarsPlanisphere - a tool used by astronomers to identify stars and constellations above Earth. Click the link to make one and/or check your phone's App Store and download an interactive versionhttps://in-the-sky.org/planisphere/pdfs/planisphere_50N_en.pdfConnect with Bill by email for class visits, either virtual or in person, atbill@canadianplanetariums.comFind lots of astronomy resources on my YouTube channel:Science360-Beyond the Sky

In this episode, rather than interviewing a teacher from our school, I read a blog I wrote for the Teach Better Team. I'm sharing it as a word of encouragement and maybe a touch of "I needed that". I hope you have a wonderful summer and here's a few thoughts to kick it off.Science 360 Episode 54 - Burning Bright, Not Outhttps://open.spotify.com/episode/4Ua8IGz2INiLStxp6EwBPJ?si=1eb7c518951e4eaaEarthy Chats Episode 13https://open.spotify.com/episode/6f8I4ehCN6Q0aZRWmotrm2?si=85c74ac841ae4d7eTeach Better Teamhttps://www.teachbetter.com/blog/

One of the wonderful things about the PLN is getting to expand your horizons and meet teachers from all sorts of places. It was through connections, largely coming out of my work with the Teach Better Team, that I "met" Becky and Holly. Being super impressed by their work, as viewed through Twitter and Teach Better blogs and Becky's book, they seemed like a natural fit to have on the podcast.But speaking to them for selfish reasons and my own personal enjoyment were not the only reasons I set this up. I wanted to hold this conversation up as an example of how teaching ought to be. Full of love for the subject, getting a thrill out of learning new things yourself, and finding joy in bringing the relevance and meaning and purpose to our students. I knew that these would take centre stage in a conversation with Becky and Holly and I was not disappointed. Let me encourage everyone to find your "team". Being strong on your own in the classroom is not a sign of strength and reaching out to find energy from others is not a sign of weakness. I love listening to these two and speaking with them and finding commonalities in the way we teach. I hope you can relate to our conversation and that this episode helps you where you are at. And reach out to any of us, because we would actually love to have you join us in more of this sort of stimulating conversation.Find Becky's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Expedition-Science-Empowering-Learners-Exploration/dp/1951600827/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1NZX9STYONJNI&keywords=expedition+science&qid=1652056830&sprefix=expedition+science%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-1Becky is on Twitter at @schnekserHolly is on Twitter at @hollyastuart

One thing we can all use right now is a comforting conversation about stress (is that an oxymoron?) and stress management strategies. The comforting part is that the strategies are not actually that difficult. Jess LeBlanc explains why.The world we live in can be very stressful. From locally born issues such as family and work, our students and school settings...to global issues of politics, conflict, pandemics and climate change. But we are in this together and through community, Jess points out that great comfort will come. Her motto is Let's Burn Bright, Not Out. Here are some of the links you need to check out:Jess's website: https://www.jessleblanc.com Her course offerings: http://www.embodiedliving.ca/stressecourseJess's work with Dr. George Slavich: www.lifestresstest.comRoss Reid's work: https://www.youtube.com/c/NerdyAboutNatureRoss's latest podchat venture: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/nerdy-about-nature/id1616723640

In this episode, I discuss the highs and the lows, the pros and the cons, the areas for growth for schools with my guest, Callum Neily. Callum is a grade 12 student in my school and if you listen long enough, you will hear that he is an asset to our building. Likely he could be an asset win any building.Once we establish our conversation and theme, we really get to thinking about what school could be like. We realize that every aspect of society is changing at light speed, but schools are lagging behind. We decide that there may be legitimate reasons for that, but those shouldn't stop us from being agents of change.We also see that schools have changed during the pandemic, but it's the rate of change compared to other aspects of society that is most noticeable. I hope this episode challenges the way we "do" school. Thanks Callum for being part of the driving force towards a better education for all of us.Find Callum on his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk_vcsTMb97FRDgaiUGJllg/featuredAnd check out his latest venture to connect like-minded youth: https://wecoapp.org/Home

This is a re-run of my first interview on Science360, from back in the spring of 2020. I've been re-listening to a few of these and I really feel they hold a lot of value, but most of my listeners won't have heard the older episodes.In this talk, Chris explains the whole life cycle of the salmon, an integral species to the Pacific Northwest. He describes their relationship to the whole ecosystem and how human interactions have had a negative effect on their viability. I am a strong believer that education should be highly relevant, informative and worth remembering. This topic, explained by Chris, is all of that. It's what I try to provide on this podcast. You've heard of salmon, probably eaten some, but can you speak confidently about it with your students? I hope after listening to this, you will be able to.

Recently, I have been creating a YouTube channel called Science360 - Beyond the Sky. This comes on the heels of my podcast Science360 (this one obviously), a book I wrote called Beyond the Classroom and many, many blog posts found on the Teach Better website.Why do I do these things? That's what this episode is about. But it's also about why everybody should be adding to the body of knowledge so we can all benefit from your expertise.Here are the podcasts that I mention in the episode. I'm not linking to them because not everyone uses Apple and/or Spotify and they are all easy to find with a simple search:The Rich Roll podcastThe Tim Ferris ShowThe Jordan Harbinger ShowSingularity RadioFuture PositiveExponential WisdomGravity AssistA Bit of OptimismThe Dave Burgess ShowThe Adam Welcome PodcastLasting LearningFresh Air at FiveTeachers on FireThe Chey and Pav ShowThe Good News, Brad News PodcastOthers not mentioned but worth listening to:The Science PawdcastFrom Earning to LearningMy YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAn8Je8wqnTYGj6GNvai02gMy Blogs: https://astrostephenson11.wixsite.com/beyond-the-sky/resources-1My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=65073927

Last year on this day, I featured Britt Buirs (go find that one). But this year, I've selected Lilly Woodbury. I first recorded this episode in September of 2020 and I have always felt this is one of my favourite episodes. Lilly's articulate way of expressing complex issues surrounding the climate, the health of the oceans, sustainability and good, healthy living is just so impressive.I would recommend following Lilly on Social accounts and read some of her blog posts on lillywoodbury.com...and happy International Women's Day!Please rate, review and share this episode and others on Science360.

How far outside the box are you willing to take your classroom? How about far enough that you enter a virtual world, where your students use their own avatar to manipulate the concepts you're teaching. This is what Jennifer Brown does in her math classroom. She uses a curriculum developed by Prisms of Reality (link to their website below) to teach her students about algebra. This requires wearing a headset and "leaving" the room to enter a virtual space. Would you be willing to let your students do this? To discover and control their environment in order to learn and gain mastery over graphs and equations? This is a bold move, but I predict that this is one of many, many more classrooms that will be teaching this way. They say that cell phones of the 2000s and the advent of the smart phone will be as VR goggles will be as we move through this decade into the 2030s. Hold on teachers, it's going to get wild and sooner than later!Check out the work of Prisms of Reality at their website:https://www.prismsvr.comI would also suggest you check out a book by Jaime Donally called The Immersive Classroom available on Amazon. Find her on twitter: @JaimeDonally

I've known BJ since he was a grade 9 student in my science class. I knew there was something special about him back then because he gained international attention by challenging the system over a flag. Seriously, look it up. But every tech question I had, BJ had the answer. As I watched him over the next couple of years, I knew this was a special individual. He started to explain to me the ins and outs of cryptocurrency and I thought teachers need to know something about this. But I have to admit, I conduct this interview and still wonder what it all means. But I did, in fact, learn several things and gained an insight into the way our world is heading. And I always think that it's not just my world, but it's also the world my students are heading into. We all need to speak the language of the ages to come and BJ can help you with that.Take it in and replay it a couple of times as this interview is complex. And don't forget, my guest today is 17 years old! This is the age we live in, everybody. Get ready.Find BJ on Twitter: @figmasimp

In the summer of 2021, I had the fun opportunity to be on the Out of the Trenches podcast with Dana Goodier. We had a great chat about teaching, but then Dana gave me this glorious chance to talk space! She asked me, "what do people get wrong about space?" and off I went. I asked Dana for the audio because I wanted to share my answer with my audience on Science 360. So this is a clip from that talk.It's more than just space though. As much as I want to help teachers teach about space, I also want to inspire creative education where we recognize that our students are heading into an incredible world where there is much work to be done. So as the episode unfolds, I give my take on why we have a responsibility to teach to their future.So I guess this episode is about the past, that is the origin of the universe, but it's also about the future, which is what we can influence every day as a teacher. So, ready to take some notes? Hit play!Find Dana on Twitter: @danagoodierFind the podcast Out of the Trenches: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/episode-119-tim-stephenson/id1514020148?i=1000539933493

In this episode, I take a swing at the way we teach science. To me, it is a subject that needs a major shake up. There is just too much going on in the world today that demand a new understanding of scientific principals to continue with the status quo.I give some examples from elementary grades and high school grades of science topics that cannot be taught the same way anymore. I give practical examples of how it could be taught and focus in on the result, which in my experience, is students who are motivated, driven by purpose and seeking deeper understanding.All of this requires the teacher to be learning too! And always thinking of ways to bring meaning to science. I even give an example of the rock cycle and how if Ii were to teach it, that's how I would do it. And it wouldn't be by using rock charts and memorizing words. Are you ready to be challenged to think differently about the way you teach? This episode could possibly "rock" your socks, but when the whole world is changing, it's our responsibility to change along with it.Reach out to me on twitter (@astrostephenson) if you have thoughts or ideas about what you hear. And leave me a rating and a review on the podcast platform you listen to. I like 5 stars :)

There has been a lot of research and speculation on what that star was and if it really was a star at all. In this episode, I explain the common understanding of the Heaven's at the time of Christ and what they thought they saw in the night sky. I touch on many aspects of the history of astronomy, from Pythagorus through Newton and Einstein. But sometimes you have to do that to get the whole perspective. And when it comes to something such as this, where science and religion intersect, I believe it takes a bit more care to give it its fair share. I offer up my perspective at the end, and I hope that it influences the way you think about the stars.

This is a very informative talk with Zack Rago, star of the Netflix film Chasing Coral. We talk about his education and what motivated him to pursue a Ph.D. degree in marine science in Hawaii. But it shouldn't come as a big surprise that there was an event when he was in high school that spurred him on to this love and fascination with the oceans and in particular, the coral reefs.If you teach high school biology or chemistry, this episode will teach you a lot of practical applications of the content you've always delivered. But with what you hear in this episode, you can now frame your teaching around something that will connect your students to the natural world, a place where they will have an emotional attachment. So be ready to take notes!!If you haven't seen the documentary Chasing Coral on Netflix and Youtube yet, be sure to watch it. It is a film with stunningly beautiful underwater scenes yet heart wrenchingly horrific scenes of what's going on beneath the ocean's surface due to human influence. And Zack is central to the whole story. You can get to know him here.Chasing Coral - https://youtu.be/aGGBGcjdjXASchool Resources - https://www.chasingcoral.com/in-the-classroom/

In this episode, you will hear the results of a library research day attended by two Grade 6 and 7 classes from a nearby elementary school. I hosted over 50 of them in our high school library where we taught them about online resources, file sharing, collaboration and content creation in print and audio.I gave the students several topics to pick from for their research. So in this episode, I reflect on the process, we then listen to the students' recordings, and I follow up with some comments. My final analysis is process over product wins the day. The content they produced was good, but the process to arrive at that content was fantastic. Don't be afraid to let students have the time needed to process. I know you could get them there faster, but the quality of the result depends on a slow simmer sometimes. So listen and be impressed by what these students cooked up.

Craig Leeson is an international film-maker/journalist/adventurer and director of the Netflix film "A Plastic Ocean". He joined me for this episode to discuss his perspective on the state of plastic pollution, climate, COP26 and the future of our planet. Craig has another film coming out on IMAX in March '22. It's called "The Last Glaciers" and highlights the reality of climate change by filming on location of some of the world's largest glaciers, from the alpine summit of the Alps to the Antarctic and Greenland. This will be a very important documentary containing essential information for educators.You should follow Craig and all that he is involved with on the social media platforms. And why should you? Because he is providing riveting and relevant information that needs to be brought to the classrooms of the world. Our climate issues won't fix themselves. They need motivated, curious and educated young people to emerge from the schools inspired and equipped to make a difference and bring about change. I'm proud to be an educator with the opportunity to effect change on the planet and affect the future through my students. Craig Leeson does the same through film. Our goals are one and the same: with knowing comes caring and with caring comes change.Find Craig on Instagram:@therealcraigleeson@thelastglaciersFind Craig on Twitter:@CraigLeeson

In this episode, I have to admit...I kind of ramble on a bit. It really is me thinking through these big issues of energy, transportation, climate, resources. But really, I think everybody should sit and ramble in their own minds about these things and engage in conversation with others, in order to come to some very important conclusions.Stick with me on this one. Let my thoughts affect yours. I don't need to "change your mind". I just want you to make up your mind on what could be one of the biggest global issues we face. Long after the pandemic, there will still be climate change issues that need to be addressed.

Paul Rosolie is an Amazon conservationist, author and rain forest educator. His story found in his book "Mother of God" is a must read, but if you like to get to know the author first, then check this out. Paul and I talk about how he got his education in spite of the school system and now is the author of two books. He operates an eco-tourism company in the upper Amazon of Peru called Tamandua Expeditions. Want to experience the Amazonian rainforest firsthand? Now you know who to call! Paul swims with piranhas, hunts anacondas, has spent multiple nights alone in the jungle and is now on my podcast to talk about it. His message is clear...we know what to do to stop the destruction of Earth's ecosystems, so we just need to do it! In this episode we mention several resources and I'll list them here:Instagram accounts connected to Paul: @paulrosolie, @junglekeepers, @ageofunion, @tamanduaexpeditions, @darkgreen_filmInstagram accounts mentioned in the podcast: @johnemarriott, @therealcraigleeson, @tjwattVideos mentioned in the podcast: A Plastic Ocean (Netflix), In the Cross Hairs: The Road to Recovery for Alberta's Threatened Grizzly Bears by John E Marriott (YouTube)

In this episode, you will hear from Bob Hansen, who is the pacific rim coordinator of WildSafeBC. Bob was described to me as the "bear expert" of the west coast of Vancouver Island and as I spoke with him, I found this to be true. If you find yourself fearful of wildlife encounters, you should listen to Bob in this episode. I wanted to bring this episode because as a resident of this magnificent west coast wilderness, I commonly hear people asking questions about bears in the mountains. Wanting to equip myself with a greater understanding, I started to ask questions of anyone I could find who knew more than me about bears. The result is that the more I learned, the less fear I had. Not that anyone wants to be face to face with a bear, but at least I understood their behaviour better, and this understanding will guide my behaviour when I encounter one.Bob talks about WARP (Wildlife Alert Reporting Program) and encourages all back-country travellers to report any sightings of bear, cougar, or wolf. You can do so at 1-877-952-7277 or on your cell phone at #7277The following links are mentioned in the podcast:https://wildsafebc.comhttps://warp.wildsafebc.comhttps://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/bc/pacificrim

If you've ever wondered what you're seeing in the night sky as you lie on the dock or in a hammock in the backyard, then this episode is for you! I take you on a summer sky star-hopping adventure, as we identify stars and constellations, starting in the northern sky then swinging around to the south.After listening carefully to this episode, you will be able to identify the major stars and constellations. Once you feel confident, my advice is to go share your new knowledge with someone else. Knowledge is meant to be shared, and knowing the stars is something everyone is interested in.So get comfy in a reclining chair, grab a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate...plug in the headphones, and let me walk you through the stars.If you have further questions about other space-related themes, or would like to suggest a topic for a future podcast, please connect with me via any of the following:Twitter: @astrostephensonEmail: astrostephenson11@gmail.comWebsite: www.astrostephenson.ca