The exhibit hall is like a science teacher’s paradise! There are so many new things, as well as some tried and true ones. All of the major textbook and trade book publishers are here as well as many of the lab equipment and supply companies. The reps are eager to share their catalogs and demo their products. Some even have elaborate seating areas for the presentations and drawings for prizes. I was dazzled by all of the cool stuff! Being a bird watcher, one of my favorites is a motion-sensitive, all-weather camera that can be aimed at your birdfeeders to snap pictures remotely! Lots of microscopes, robotics, probes, models, software, and calculators, too. From maps and posters to pens, magnets, bookmarks, and rulers, there are also many “freebies” to take home. When I would get home, my students would always ask, “What did you bring us, Ms B?” What they didn’t know was that the most important things I brought home (in addition to the goodies for them) were new knowledge, lots of information, suggestions for improving my instruction, and memories of new friends.

Virginie Chokouanga, the SciLinks database administrator, did a session on using SciLink’s online assignment tool. This tool allows the teacher to create assignments based on the websites in SciLinks. The students can show what they’ve learned. Check out this feature at the SciLinks site.

Is it madness to give away $150,000 worth of science equipment and supplies? No way! Cheryl A. Miller, a high school science department chair from Murrieta, California, was one of four winners in NSTA’s Ultimate Science Giveaway. Miller said winning a slew of prizes donated by exhibitors—including a trip for two to Costa Rica—made the money she spent to come to Boston all worthwhile.
I’ve seen and met a lot of happy teachers during the conference, but I nominate Cheryl as the happiest. I think she will be smiling in her sleep tonight!

Page Keeley, NSTA’s President-Elect, guided us through the use of probes (the written kind, not the electronic ones!) to uncover student’s knowledge and misconceptions about science concepts. She shared several examples of the probes: Ice Cubes in a Bag, The Mirror on the Wall, Is It Food for Plants. She also shared a list of non-threatening formative assessments to get students involved and to find out what they are learning. By the time the final exam or the state test is given, some misconceptions get set in stone unless we get inside the students heads.

OK, I’ve been to a number of sessions on topics that I’m familiar with. It’s time to stretch my mind and venture into unfamiliar territory to learn something new. Dr. Gibor Basri from Berkeley gave a presentation on The Search for Earth-Sized Planets Around Other Stars. He described NASA’s Kepler mission, designed to search for earth-like planets by using a telescope to monitor stars and look for “the telltale dip in their light cause when a planet crosses in front of them.” Astronomy is something I never had any formal coursework in, and judging from the sophisticated level of questions from those in the audience, I was definitely the new (and semi-clueless) kid on the block!
But Dr. Basri is a wonderful example of how someone who is passionate about his topic and who has excellent presentation skills can motivate someone who is a novice learner in a topic (in this case, me) to get excited enough to want to learn more! I’ve bookmarked the Kepler Mission website and put Kepler’s tentative launch date (next February) on my calendar.

At the NSTA conference bookstore, the current books are on display and available for purchase (but you can get a great bargain – free shipping and no sales tax for orders placed at the conference). I was going to fill out an order blank for the book Using Science Notebooks in Elementary Classrooms after being inspired yesterday, but then I saw that the author himself was there to sign books! So I purchased one on the spot and Michael Klentschy autographed it for me. No, I won’t let anyone borrow this copy!

I saw teachers lining up to spin the Fisher Science Education wheel to try for a “grand slam” of prizes, including balances, a forensic entomology kit, and videos. Consolation prizes included mini baseballs and baseball bats.

Eugenie Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education, told a packed room of educators that “it is their duty” to step in when they discover a colleague who is teaching creationist theory in a science classroom. Scott detailed the many ways creationists are continuing to denigrate evolution in the wake of the 2005 Kitsmiller v. Dover trial. She presented a variety of resources for supporting the teaching of evolution, including NCSE’s new Facebook page.

Unfortunately, with hundreds of sessions at a conference this size, not all are going to be terrific. I was at a clunker this morning. The presenter (who shall remain nameless) was not very prepared and really didn’t explain the point very well. But it was a learning experience in what should be done to have an effective presentation: introduce yourself, be very clear what the point of the session is, be up-to-date on the research, have the materials in order, be open to questions from the audience, and relax! But then again, one person’s clunker could be someone else’s motivation!
Later this afternoon, I went to another session whose presenter was at the opposite end of the spectrum. More to follow on this.

You can watch a few Presentations on Ustream.tv.  Watch and chat with us!
Current Presentation Schedule:
Eugenie Scott: After Dover: The New Creationism
Friday, March 28 3:30–4:30 PM EST
Bill Nye: (The Planetary Society Lecture) Planetary Citizenship in the Next Space Age
Saturday, March 29 8:30–10:30 AM EST