A couple of weeks ago, as I was thinking about this project, I overheard my dad talking about an experience he had with one of his energy drinks. I mentioned in my last post how energy drinks make me a little nervous, but after hearing this story, I'm definitely never going to drink one.
My dad was excited to try a new energy drink that was being sold at the gym. It was a little pricey for him, but the drink was supposed to be one of the best energy drinks. There was a warning on the label that said something like, "Do not drink full can all at one time." Well... he did. He couldn't figure out what could be so dangerous about it, but he soon found out. A few minutes after finishing the can, he noticed he had an increased heart beat. Nothing devastating came from drinking the whole can, but I know that cannot be healthy. (Sorry if I dramatized this post and you thought something awful would happen... thank God it didn't!) Dad learned his lesson, but he still drinks his little energy drinks every morning and when he works out.
This story got me even more curious about energy drinks. What could be so powerful in that can that would increase my dad's heartbeat? Is it the amount of sugar? Protein? Caffeine? Something else? How much of that ingredient is found in other drinks or foods?
Monday, November 21, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Independent Project Post 1
My dad has been on a weight lifting kick for a while now, so he spends a lot of time at the gym with his buddies. Some of these guys are really into weight lifting and will put all kinds of money into energy supplements. My dad has bought some products the gym sells, but he tends to be a tight wad with his money, so he sticks to energy drinks now. It seems like every time I see him, he's chugging down a different brand of energy drink. Red Bull, Monster, Slap... I feel like I've seen them all!
Even though I'm a little leery about these drinks, I am curious about them. What ingredients in the drinks give a person energy? How much is needed for a real energy kick? How long do these kicks last? Which energy drink gives the most energy for the longest amount of time? I hope to answer all these questions and more as I test these energy drinks on my dad! It's been a long time since Daddy helped me with homework, so I'm very excited about this project!
Even though I'm a little leery about these drinks, I am curious about them. What ingredients in the drinks give a person energy? How much is needed for a real energy kick? How long do these kicks last? Which energy drink gives the most energy for the longest amount of time? I hope to answer all these questions and more as I test these energy drinks on my dad! It's been a long time since Daddy helped me with homework, so I'm very excited about this project!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Child Who Hates Math
I am honestly very much like the child who says, "I hate math! I'm not good at math, and I never will be!" I went through early elementary doing well in math. It wasn't until those darn multiplication tables in 3rd grade that I made my first ever C on my report card. Ever since that experience, I had a bad feeling toward math. I continued through middle school struggling somewhat, but not too much. I loved my pre-algebra class in 8th grade. Then came the real algebra, and I hated math all over again. I've thought about these experiences and how they are similar, and I realized something. In 3rd grade and high school algebra, the classes were so fast paced that I couldn't always keep up and I would often get behind. I was too intimidated to ask for help because I thought my teachers and peers would think I was an idiot for asking something that maybe everyone else understood. In 8th grade when I enjoyed pre-algebra, it was because my teacher had us practice and practice until we knew how to correctly complete each concept. This is what I needed.. a slow paced class that was focused on the success of each student.
I think many students have this same experience in school with a variety of subjects. If we want our students to learn, we have to get over the fact that we have so much to teach and so little time. For me, it would be better to make sure I did everything in my power to see my students succeed than to cover all the information I'm expected to cover. I know not everyone will agree with that statement, but I honestly believe that that quality is better than quantity in education.
I think many students have this same experience in school with a variety of subjects. If we want our students to learn, we have to get over the fact that we have so much to teach and so little time. For me, it would be better to make sure I did everything in my power to see my students succeed than to cover all the information I'm expected to cover. I know not everyone will agree with that statement, but I honestly believe that that quality is better than quantity in education.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Response to Pendulum Motion
I honestly had never invested much time into thinking about how a pendulum works or how it has affected the entire world until I read this article. Think of a world with no accurate way of keeping time. Appointments couldn't be specific because time wouldn't be kept to the minute. We wouldn't be able to clock in and out of work. How would MTSU schedule classes without accurate time? Life on earth would be absolutely chaotic without the pendulum. The article mentioned five investigations that couldn't be calculated without the pendulum, but there are many more investigations that couldn't take place without accurate time keeping. The pendulum really did change a lot for not only science, but also for the world over.
"The study of pendulum motion illustrates how science may be influenced by social and economic problems, and how science can in turn impact society.This mutual impact is not unusual, and is illustrated throughout historical and contemporary science and society." This quote from the article sums up how pendulum motion along with other scientific investigations can strongly impact life on earth. I may not be a scientist, and I have never had much of a cientific mind, but it amazes me how helpful science really is.
"The study of pendulum motion illustrates how science may be influenced by social and economic problems, and how science can in turn impact society.This mutual impact is not unusual, and is illustrated throughout historical and contemporary science and society." This quote from the article sums up how pendulum motion along with other scientific investigations can strongly impact life on earth. I may not be a scientist, and I have never had much of a cientific mind, but it amazes me how helpful science really is.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Flashlight Experiment
My group (OWLS!) was determined that a "fuzzy pathway of light" could be present under the right circumstances, so in my experiment, I was determined to prove us right. First, I chose to go outside with three flashlights. The first one I used was a $1 cheap flashlight that my parents bought me when I went to camp in middle school. It surprisingly was actually very bright. I think this may be because of the textured mirror. Next I used a very large mag-lite. This light was very dim and made it difficult to see anything further than the ground. The last light I used was a similar mag-lite with a brighter light. I tried shining all three flashlights up, down, straight, and to the side, but I never once saw a pathway of light.
From there I went back inside and tried shining it in my parents bedroom (It was the only large room not in use.). Using all three flashlights, I tried shining the lights in the dark at short and long distances and in all the directions I experimented with outside, but I still couldn't see a path of light. I did, however, see a little dust particle floating through the air when I used the bright mag-lite and made it shine upwards. I noticed that the light couldn't travel very far in my parents' room because there were too many objects that broke the pathway.
On a side note, when I was at work the other day, the sun was shining through one of the doors in the gymnasium. The gym was filled with lights from the fluorescents and the sun, but there were several dust particles visible in the pathway of light from the sun.
From these three experiments, I have come to the conclusion that:
1. A pathway of light cannot be seen in short distances or when the light is disrupted by an object.
2. The strength of the light determines whether or not there will be a pathway of light. None of my flashlights were strong enough.
3. Dust particles can be seen with the right strength of light. The sun is an extremely bright source of light, which is most likely why I could see dust particles at work!
From there I went back inside and tried shining it in my parents bedroom (It was the only large room not in use.). Using all three flashlights, I tried shining the lights in the dark at short and long distances and in all the directions I experimented with outside, but I still couldn't see a path of light. I did, however, see a little dust particle floating through the air when I used the bright mag-lite and made it shine upwards. I noticed that the light couldn't travel very far in my parents' room because there were too many objects that broke the pathway.
On a side note, when I was at work the other day, the sun was shining through one of the doors in the gymnasium. The gym was filled with lights from the fluorescents and the sun, but there were several dust particles visible in the pathway of light from the sun.
From these three experiments, I have come to the conclusion that:
1. A pathway of light cannot be seen in short distances or when the light is disrupted by an object.
2. The strength of the light determines whether or not there will be a pathway of light. None of my flashlights were strong enough.
3. Dust particles can be seen with the right strength of light. The sun is an extremely bright source of light, which is most likely why I could see dust particles at work!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Response to The Virtues of Not Knowing
I've often thought that in a perfect world, I would always have the right answer to every problem, but that wouldn't be so perfect, would it? There would be no adventure or "risks" as the excerpt says. I personally spend too much time trying to be "perfect"... the perfect student, daughter, fiancee, friend... but I have found that when I try to be perfect and answer every problem or issue the "right" way, my life is not as much fun as it could be. This article was most certainly written to benefit people like me!
I agree with the reading for many reasons. I, like many teachers and future teachers, detest standardized tests. They attempt to label a child, they pay no attention to how a student attempted to answer a question, and they put too much pressure on the student and teacher. The "right" answer on these tests may be right according to the people creating them, but what if a child sees something differently than the test makers? It doesn't matter because the child is told he or she is wrong if the answer doesn't match the key. As the text says, those tests don't really measure intelligence.
I can relate to the children who went along with Alec's answer each time. I was like that in school. I never wanted to speak up even when I knew the answer to a question. There was always that chance I would be wrong, so I stayed quiet. I hope I learn as a teacher to be accepting of all answers and to give my students time to discover for themselves what they think the "right" answer is to every question in life.
I agree with the reading for many reasons. I, like many teachers and future teachers, detest standardized tests. They attempt to label a child, they pay no attention to how a student attempted to answer a question, and they put too much pressure on the student and teacher. The "right" answer on these tests may be right according to the people creating them, but what if a child sees something differently than the test makers? It doesn't matter because the child is told he or she is wrong if the answer doesn't match the key. As the text says, those tests don't really measure intelligence.
I can relate to the children who went along with Alec's answer each time. I was like that in school. I never wanted to speak up even when I knew the answer to a question. There was always that chance I would be wrong, so I stayed quiet. I hope I learn as a teacher to be accepting of all answers and to give my students time to discover for themselves what they think the "right" answer is to every question in life.
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