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Online Professional Development Opportunities
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This professional development is awarded through StudentWorldTeacher.net and has been developed by Dr. David R. Burgess. Dr. Burgess has taught chemistry, physics and physical science for over 30 years, has written several science textbooks and published in the area of Teaching and Learning in Science.

If you are looking for something about the nature of science, I suggest going through the "Crazy Ideas and Scientific Theories" course. It will expose you to some modern ideas that have been proposed as scientific theories, provide a way to evaluate whether an idea has merit as a scientific theory, and give a framework to evaluate which of two competing theories has more merit.

If you want a puzzle kind of activity, try to figure out how the think-a-majig works. Or work through the Sliding Box webpages (1 hr PD, Sign in here first, don't try to sign in to the Physical Science course.). I also recently wrote a Newton's second law demo.

Light and Color (3 hr PD)
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Excited Electrons and More!

Scientific Theories (10 hr PD)
Crazy Ideas and Scientific Theories

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Basic Electricity (1 hr PD)
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Move Those Charges!

Basic Pendulums (2 hr PD)
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Back and Forth!

Density (2 hr PD)
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Float or Sink?

Uncertainty in Numbers (1 Hour PD)
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All Data Has Uncertainty!

Cooling by Boiling! (2 hr PD)
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The Fast Ones Leave!

Making Ice Cream (2 hr PD)
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Lower That Freezing Point!

Atomic Theories (1 hr PD)
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Raisin Pudding Atoms?

Science Math (3 hr PD)
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Understand Those Graphs!

Floating Forks? (0.5 hr PD)
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Do "A Mathematical Model" Next

A Mathematical Model (0.5 hr PD)
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Do "Floating Forks?" First

Balls and Ramps (3 hr PD)
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Rolling, Rolling, Rolling

Moles to Molarity (5 hr PD)
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More Difficult Content

Making Compounds (1 hr PD)
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Transfer the Electrons!

Making Molecules (1 hr PD)
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Sharing Electrons

Two High Tides (3 hr PD)
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More Difficult Content

Intro Chem Course (10 hr PD)
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Basic Chemistry Course (More Difficult)

Certificates of Completion
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Complete the Course Before Requesting

Online Professional Development opportunities currently available (for K-8):

Light and Color (3 hr PD)

Participants will investigate some basic principles about light and color. Four ways to produce color will be investigated. Some questions that will be addressed are: Why is the sky blue? Why do we see red sunsets? Why are leaves green and tomatoes red? Why are lakes blue? How do sodium lamps work? How does a breath-a-lizer work? How do we test for lead in our water?

I. General Principles

  1. Monochromatic Light and our Eye
  2. Color Wheels
  3. Primary Colors
  4. Filters - Drawing Pictures

II. Selective Emission

  1. Creating Monochromatic Light - Background
  2. Gas Discharge Tubes and Color
  3. Determining Sodium in Water

III. Selective Absorption

  1. Red Tomatoes!
  2. Green Leaves, Blue Lakes
  3. Filters - uv-vis instrument?
  4. Breath-a-lizer
  5. IR

IV. Selective Scattering

  1. Scattering Light
  2. Blue Sky
  3. Red Sunset

V. Selective Reflection

  1. Gold
  2. Monitor Applications

Theories in Science

I.How Do We Know if a Theory Has Scientific Merit?
II.Cooling by Boiling
III.Making Ice Cream
IV.Floating and Sinking
V.Atomic Theories

Balls and Ramps

Motion along an incline is investigated.

Some Basic Chemical Principles

Participants will investigate some basic chemical principles that govern many everyday observations in the physical world.

I.Matter and Atoms
A. Matter and Elements
B. History of Atomic Theory to Raisin Pudding Model
C. Gold Foil Experiment
D. Discrete Energy Levels
E. Probability and Quantum Theory
II.Making Compounds
A. Charges and Charge Interactions
B. Elements and Atomic Number
C. Periodic Table Columns
D. Electrons and Reactions - Inert Gases
E. Transferring Electrons - Ions
F. Formulas for Ionic Compounds
G. Bases Using The Hydroxide Ion
III.Making Molecules
A. Covalent Bonds
B. Acids - Covalent, But Give Ions in Aqueous Solutions
C. Nonpolar Molecules
D. Polar Molecules
E. Intermolecular Forces

Math in Science

Participants will investigate basic mathematical principles as applied and used in the Physical Sciences. The ability to use mathematical concepts will be developed by using them to better understand physical phenomena. Students will better understand and appreciate the role of the following mathematical concepts as they apply to the physical sciences: numbers viewed as experimental data, tables, graphs, and equations.

I.Understanding Basic Mathematical Reasoning in Physical Science
A. Arithmetic and Basic Algebra in physical science
B. Reporting Numbers - How do we know when data is significant?
C. Understanding Equations - Where do equations come from?
D. Tables, Graphs, and Equations - How are they connected?
II.Understanding Graphs in Physical Science
A. Basic Graphing Review
B. Interpreting Graphs in Physical Science
C. Predicting Graphs in Physical Science
D. Combining Graphs for real physical situations
III.Application: Investigating a car wreck.
A. Motion without acceleration.
B. Motion with acceleration due to friction.
IV.Application: Balls and Ramps

Physical Science Investigations

Participants will study puzzling observations drawn from the physical world and identify the physical science principles that underlie and describe the behavior of the phenomena in question. Strategies for scientific investigations will be developed as the course progresses. The role of intermediate theories and student beliefs will also be incorporated into the investigations.

I.How Do We Know if a Theory Has Scientific Merit?
II.Cooling by Boiling
III.Making Ice Cream
IV.Floating and Sinking
V.Atomic Theories
VI.Light and Color

Other online Professional Development opportunities (for 9-12):

Principles of Chemistry Content Outline

Building Matter – Compounds and Molecules

Matter and Atoms

  • Matter and Elements
  • Raisin Pudding Atom
  • Gold Foil Experiment
  • Energy Levels
  • Quantum Theory

Combining Atoms - Making Compounds

  • Charge Interactions
  • The Periodic Table
  • Ionic Compounds
  • The Hydroxide Ion

Combining Atoms - Making Molecules

  • Covalent Bonds
  • Acids and pH
  • Nonpolar Molecules
  • Polar Molecules
  • Intermolecular Forces

Rearranging Atoms to Form New Substances – Chemical Changes

Keeping Balance - Conserving Atoms

  • The Mole
  • Chemical Equations
  • Unit Conversions
  • Basic Stoichiometry

Categories of Reactions and Other Reaction Considerations

  • General Reaction Types
  • Oxidation-Reduction Reactions
  • Reaction Rates
  • Equilibrium

Applications and Odds and Ends

Solutions and Nuclear Chemistry

  • Nuclear Chemistry

Odds and Ends

  • Exponential Notation
  • Metric System
  • Temperature Scales
  • Energy Considerations

Biochemistry

Science Math

I.Understanding Basic Mathematical Reasoning in Physical Science
A. Arithmetic and Basic Algebra in physical science
B. Reporting Numbers - How do we know when data is significant?
C. Understanding Equations - Where do equations come from?
D. Tables, Graphs, and Equations - How are they connected?
II.Understanding Graphs in Physical Science
A. Basic Graphing Review
B. Interpreting Graphs in Physical Science
C. Predicting Graphs in Physical Science
D. Combining Graphs for real physical situations
III.Application: Investigating a car wreck.
A. Motion without acceleration.
B. Motion with acceleration due to friction.

Chemical Equations and Stoichiometry (Moles to Molarity)

Participants will build on basic chemical principles to investigate chemical equations.

I.The Mole
II.Chemical Equations
III.Unit Conversions
IV.Molar Mass
V.Simple Stoichiometry
VI.Limiting Reactants
VII.Molarity

High Tide Opposite the Moon

Participants will build a background to understand how a high tide can be formed on the side of the earth opposite the moon.

I.Linear Motion - Why does the coin roll so far?
A. Motion Without Acceleration - Why we slam into the windshield
B. Acceleration Due to Friction - Investigating car wrecks
C. Acceleration Due to Gravity - How to determine the depth of a deep hole
D. Combining Horizontal and Vertical Motion - Dropping CARE packages from airplanes
II.Circular Motion - How to deviate from straight line motion
A. Centripetal Force - How to keep dry under a rotating bucket of water
B. Centrifugal Force - Does it really exist?
III.Tides - The attraction between earth and moon?
A. Gravity - Is there gravity on the moon?
B. High Tide Opposite the Moon - How does that work?

Other online Professional Development ideas:

  1. Determining if a theory has scientific merit.
  2. Choosing between two theories that both have merit.
  3. How to generate scientific theories.
  4. The parameters of good science experiments.
  5. Balls racing down different shaped tracks.
  6. Bell and dropper experiment.
  7. Conservation of energy.
  8. Etc.