Comments for OSTA

Comment on EOI Calculator Policy Changed by Bill S.

Bill S. — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:13:59 +0000

Is the HP-50G permitted? I don’t see it listed here but I think it has built-in CAS (unless it can be disabled). I’m hoping to find a graphing calculator that uses RPN entry.

Comment on Science Inquiry Institutes on OKC and Tulsa by Bob

Bob — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 19:34:18 +0000

Hmmm. I just copied and pasted from the OSDE application pdf on their website. Caution, the application associated with the article was obtained from the OSDE website and has the incorrect addresses. Anyway, I got it fixed with the correct addresses in the correct spaces in the article.

Bob

Comment on Science Inquiry Institutes on OKC and Tulsa by OklahomaMuseumNetwork

OklahomaMuseumNetwork — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:25:43 +0000

Please note – Dates listed above for training are correct, but the addresses are switched. Science Museum Oklahoma’s address is 2100 NE 52nd Street, OKC, OK 73111.

Tulsa’s Address is – 3624 North 74th East Avenue Oklahoma City, OK 73111

These professional development workshops are provided by the State Department of Education and presented by the Oklahoma Museum Network.

Comment on SB 834 Passes Oklahoma Senate by clfleharty

clfleharty — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:39:40 +0000

I am very concerned about this bill. I would like Senator Ford and everyone else that voted for this bill come and teach for a week. Come teach in the urban setting with 30 kids in a classroom who don’t want to be there, and who have no parental guidance to help them understand that education is important.

The kids I see everyday barely have an attention span of more than ten minutes. These kids expect nothing of themselves, or what they can achieve. They do not
have a sense of responsibility for attending school, paying attention during class, or doing their school work. With 30 students in the classroom the discipline will not exist. Each student has needs, and will need that one-on-one
attention from their teacher in understanding concepts. With 20 or less students that can happen, but with more students equal less time, and less education. What do you want?

Come visit with the counselors and see why they are needed. Our school has parents in jail, some parents are working 2-3 jobs, and some students are being passed from relative to relative. Our students even in the wealthier communities are abused, physically, mentally, and verbally. Some students are homeless, and some are living on their own. The kids who live in poverty situations have nothing to read, are not read to, and lack reading and literacy skills.

Think through this bill very carefully. For if you want the State’s test scores to decrease and learning to stop then yes, you need to vote for this. But if you want to make this Great State even better then you need to vote no. Educated people are so much better, and provide more income for the state than the uneducated, and illiterate. If you don’t think that this will happen, then I suggest that you go visit a school for one week at least. Take one week and teach 6 hours a day during that week.

Come visit your school today.

Comment on OSTA Board Meeting Saturday, February 7 by DeAnn Deason

DeAnn Deason — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 17:20:44 +0000

Thanks for setting up the SKYPE. It was very convenient.

Comment on New Anti-Science Bill Introduced by Bob

Bob — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:00:14 +0000

Good comment Terry. However I’m not sure it’s a benign bill. The language is similar to that that’s popping up in “teach the controversy” measures across the country. The Supreme Court has already spoken on a number of the points presented and this bill is daring a lawsuit. Speaking of which, if a school district reprimands a teacher for saying that evolution was widely supported, they should be sued (in my humble opinion). But it appears the main focus of the bill in question is that it would provide cover for teachers to present creationism and allow full credit for a creationist response by a student, neither of which is appropriate in a science class. Folks can read more about these on-going legislative shenanigans on the National Center for Science Education web site and the Oklahomans for Excellence in Science Education web site linked on left.

Comment on New Anti-Science Bill Introduced by DrShell

DrShell — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:13:57 +0000

I wish I agreed that this bill were benign, but the problem is in not being “penalized in any way because the student may subscribe to a particular position on scientific theories.” Just as with Kern’s attempt (and many others across the country–this is the new Discovery Institute line, “academic freedom”) this bill would allow students to answer scientific questions with religious dogma and disallow teachers from telling them they’re wrong. The whole thing is designed to undermine our ability to claim scientific truth.

I object viscerally to the state’s sanctioning statements like “biological evolution [and] the chemical origins of life” cause “controversy.” I’m sorry to say this so bluntly, but they only create “controversy” for people who are wrong. I don’t want these people using the state legal system to cast doubt on science so they can wedge in their mythology.

Comment on New Anti-Science Bill Introduced by terryshaw

terryshaw — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:12:58 +0000

Are we over-reacting here? I haven’t read Sally Kern’s bill (I can only imagine, given her history), but this bill seems reasonable. I taught with a teacher who was severely reprimanded for telling his students that there was overwhelming support for the theory of evolution. Unless there is some hidden message in this bill or I am being very naive, it seems like the bill would protect teachers against such situations. This bill doesn’t say anything about “all viewpoint must be presented” or that the “weakness of the theories must be covered,” etc. Instead it states that “teacher shall be permitted to help students understand, analyze, critique and review in an objective manner….” It doesn’t really bother me that students will be evaluated on their understanding of the scientific content, but will not be penalized for their religious beliefs.

Comment on Oklahoma NASA Space Grant’s Mission To Planet Earth 2009 by jbowie

jbowie — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 00:05:39 +0000

I have been to this workshop. It was pre-service for me, but it was a great workshop and very worth my while. I highly recommend this to anyone who has the opportunity to attend it.

Comment on How was YOUR Summer Workshop? by shaunaevans

shaunaevans — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:22:05 +0000

Having a hard time reaching your goals in the classroom in new and exciting ways? Wish you had time to collaborate with other educators and leading specialists in the field of education, science and math? Would you like to have proven effective research based lessons that are interdisciplinary in your classroom? Then DIMACS (Center for Discrete Mathematics) teacher workshop at Rutgers University is for you! This workshop pairs biology teachers with math teachers to write curriculum for biology classes.
You work with leaders in the field of education, epidemiology, biology, mathematics and other areas of research to write and field test lessons in your classroom. The stipend is very generous. Fully paid airfare, hotel and great food for the week. And in your free time you can travel to New York City to enjoy the sites.
I will be field testing the lesson along with my math partner in November. Our module was “Computer Modeling of Disease Outbreaks”. The lesson takes a hard look at disease at the disease outbreak process and the variables that affect it. Students look at incidence, prevalence, susceptibility, recoverability and many other mathematical statistics that are relevant.
I highly recommend this workshop for those of you who want to move your students beyond simple retention of factual data to application of knowledge in science.