Wired Science will air for ten weeks with one-hour shows broken into approximately four segments. This October, the show offers stories on computer hacking, robotic doctors, mind readers, gun shot detectors, the demise of the home chemistry lab, lie detection systems, ocean currents, unmanned aerial vehicles, infrasound, and other cool topics. Interspersed throughout the program are interviews with renowned scientists as well as explanations of how ordinary things work. Accompanying the show will be an educational Web site featuring lesson plan ideas from outstanding teachers across the nation, articles about exceptional science teachers and students and, coming soon, a “Careers in Science” section and a student video contest. I encourage you to visit the Web site and blog with some of the experts there. In the meantime, hang with me here as I focus on things that worked for me in the classroom.

Let’s start the month by reviewing the first four episodes of week number one.

World War 2.0

Episode one begins with “World War 2.0.” In this segment, students will learn about “botnets” and how a crippling cyber-attack on Estonia’s banks and newspapers was launched. Cyber-crime and secrecy are catchy topics teachers can introduce to raise student interest in computers, and I know this segment will transfix students as they watch what can be done with technology.

Truly, lessons in computers start at the very basic level, and I like to use this kind of show as a motivator to learn the more mundane things, like binary math! All computer codes are based on these strings of ones and zeros, which are at the heart of what is being transferred back and forth. I might start a lesson on binary arithmetic with the kids learning how much data it takes to store a name and then talk about memory storage in an electronic chip. Then we would watch the Wired Science segment and talk about just how big a virus must be in order to start a cyber-attack.

I like The Most Complex Machine Labs & Software site for its interactive java applets. Scroll down to the applet section and you will see some novel ways to grab students’ attention, including an applet to help kids understand what a string of binary data can actually store. Another excellent resource on computers, created by the Intel Corporation, is called The Journey Inside. I highly recommend these online lessons to explain to kids how computers work.

As an electronics teacher, I also enjoy reading Nuts and Volts Magazine, which has wonderful “how to build it” ideas and lessons on computer interfacing, especially with the popular basic stamp. This is a high school level electronic processor that I use a lot in my classroom, and while it has limited power, it is a good way for kids to learn fundamental programming skills. I often suggest to parents at open houses that a great way for them to get their kids interested in programming and electronics is to get their children a subscription to a tech magazine.

If it’s cyber-war that you’re interested in, you might want to look into student competitions such as DefCon 15. This hackers Web site challenges students to learn how computers security systems work and motivates them with cash prizes. Or you might want to set a more friendly type of competition in your classroom along the lines of the old MIT robotic competitions. A great way to introduce the MIT contest is with the teaching guide for Scientific American Frontiers: Robo Wars.

Face Reader

The second segment, Face Reader, follows scientists who are using mathematics and face recognition software to tell what mood a person is in. Some of you may have experience teaching children with Asperger’s Syndrome and know how wonderfully gifted they are and how interesting their expressions can be. I was astounded when one of my students with Asperger’s was able to memorize “pi” to five hundred places. The breakthroughs made by the scientists featured in this segment could have profound implications for helping this population of students.

Another student at our school built a fantastic science experiment in which he could track a person’s face while they watched a television screen. He used a very inexpensive two-way mirror with a video camera. More information on face recognition research can be found at the Face Recognition Homepage.

The teaching guide for Scientific American Frontiers: Growing Up Different offers an excellent lesson in which students learn about autism and how the brain works to identify faces. You can also perform an Advanced Search at PBS Teachers to locate related lesson plans, such as Secret Life of the Brain: Disorders of the Brain. Another exceptional resource is P.O.V.: Refrigerator Mothers, a program that explores how mothers deal with autistic children.

For more suggestions on using Face Reader in your classroom, check out the In Your Classroom feature at the Wired Science site, where expert teacher Sharon Radford shares her thoughts.

Dangerous Science

The third segment, Dangerous Science, is devoted to the demise of the old-fashioned chemistry kit. This is a topic that has to hit home with all you Chemistry teachers. I remember when I once had a student try to distil acetone out of solution (who knows why I tried this!) and it burst into flames and nearly set her afire, or when I gave an elementary student some ammonium dichromate (a known carcinogen) to take home to make a volcano, or when a student laid down on a bed of nails I built and impaled himself. Many of us do stupid, unsafe things as science teachers, yet we have a huge responsibility to keep our students out of harm’s way. I would use this segment as a discussion starter during the first week of school in Chemistry class when I do my science safety lessons.

After students viewed the Wired Science story, I would relate stories of stupid things I have done, or stupid ideas one can get from the Internet. Much of the controversy discussed in the show has been put to the test by the United Nuclear Web site, which many of my students already access, or in You Tube videos. Videos demonstrating how to destroy objects or cause bodily injury should definitely be censored in the school. However, there are also good lessons to be learned at these sites, and I do feel that some stunts practiced in a safe way provide good science education. I encourage teachers to read about safety at Flinn Scientific. Flinn’s attention to safety is the standard in the high school classroom and their beautifully designed Web site is a treasure.

If you’re looking for more on-air programs about chemistry, both NOVA and NOVA scienceNOW offer a wide range of programs and teacher’s guides on chemistry topics. And don’t forget to spice up your digital content with Chemistry Applets!

RoboDoc

The final segment, RoboDoc, is a must for all you FIRST robotic coaches. (I coach team 1087 out here in Oregon.) For those teachers new to this, you really ought to consider forming a team. This is an exciting way for kids to come together and solve a common problem. Teams compete by building a robot that must complete several tasks, such as playing tic tac toe, lifting an opponent, or stacking objects. It is an exciting event to watch, and the rules are never disclosed until the January kickoff.

This segment will inspire kids to see the future possibilities of robotics. If you get a chance, check out Toshiba-NSTA ExploraVision. This is a great science contest for K-12 students with some large scholarships. There have been several entries that won using robotics as a theme.

PBS offers a wealth of other programs about robotics. Scientific American Frontiers: 21st Century Medicine offers an excellent teaching guide on robotic medicine. Or, if you are interested in just robotics, check out the teaching guides for several older Scientific American Frontiers shows: Robots Alive! and Natural Born Robots. Another show I remember well is Inventing the Future, where robots demonstrate facial recognition at MIT’s Media Lab. I strongly recommend using the Media Lab Web site to introduce kids to the revolution in robotics.

I try my best to encourage girls to get into science, especially robotics. PBS’s DragonflyTV: SciGirls offers good activities and lesson plans for middle school students. Another resource along the lines of Make Magazine is PBS’s Design Squad, which provides lessons and ideas for middle school engineering projects.

You can also remind those dreamy-eyed kids who will be graduating from college in the next six years that they could be recipients of the recently announced X-Prize Foundation prize of $20 million for the first private company to land a rover on the moon. This was one of many cool opportunities students learned about at Wired Magazine’s NEXT FEST education days.

Well, that’s the first week’s line-up. There is a lot more to come. I encourage you to visit the Wired Science Web site, particularly the section for Educators. This week, the featured teacher is an expert in computer programming, and the featured student is an exceptional student diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. Also, you will find comments from Sharon Radford, our expert in biology, who can guide you into some really great lessons. And you’ll find the “Careers in Science” section and some interesting sidebars not shown on TV.

I would love to hear about how the show inspires you and lesson ideas that come to your mind. Of course, I’m happy to answer questions and offer additional suggestions as well.