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Energy, High Technology and Society
Instructor: David L. Zellmer, Ph.D.
Course Website: http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~davidz/ns116/ This public web site contains the course syllabus as well as links to some web resources you will need.
Blackboard: http://blackboard.csufresno.edu/ (save the final destination URL for faster access, which may look something like http://blackboard.csufresno.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp) Assignments, grades, handouts, and other materials for the course will be placed on this site, and is visible only to those in this course. Be sure to monitor the e-mail address you have given the University that is on the Blackboard mailing list.
Course description: The course addresses how the use of high-density energy sources and a revolution in the production of synthetic materials has transformed human society. As such it emphasizes the role that chemistry and physics play in shaping our world. Technological innovation has made possible an expanding population, but that population consumes resources at an exponentially growing rate. Society looks toward science and technology to find new energy sources and to solve future problems. This course asks students to understand the science and technology that underlies our society, and will occasionally have them "do the math" to explore the feasibility of technological fixes for current and future problems.
Course Prerequisites: Students are required to have completed Natural Science 1A and 1B in the Blended Liberal Studies program, or equivalent courses in introductory Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Earth Science. This background is required, since students will be expected to describe the science behind the technologies they will be presenting in class. Basic calculation and graphing skills are also required. If you do not have these prerequisites, DROP NOW and make room for others who are trying to get into this class.
Text (required): Robert A. Ristinen and Jack J. Kraushaar, Energy and the Environment, John Wiley & Sons, 1999
The book by Ristinen and Kraushaar provides factual information about energy resources and contains many examples of how to do the calculations involved with energy use. Don't panic, however, we will do only a small selection of the calculations featured in this text; just enough to show how useful a little math can be to make sense of energy policies. When your K-6 students ask why they have to learn math stuff, you will have an answer for them!
Information on the high technology part of this course will mostly come from the Web. As an example, see the website http://www.howstuffworks.com. This website also offers an inexpensive book, video, and CD-ROM package that you may wish to invest in. I sent them the $37.50 plus shipping and am very impressed with what I got. The book in particular is very well done. It would be a great resource for future instruction in grade school. (And no, I'm not putting my copy on reserve in the Library!)
Other Materials:
Each student must have a scientific calculator and access to a computer that can use the Internet. Significant course materials will be placed on Blackboard, for example. For student class presentations, the use of PowerPoint on a laptop computer is strongly recommended, since small posters will not be visible in a college lecture hall. We try to offer this course in a "Smart" classroom with computer projection. If you are able to prepare a PowerPoint presentation, but don't have a laptop to show it on, check with me about getting it transferred to my laptop, usually by sending it to me via the ÒDigital Drop BoxÓ in Blackboard. (Hint: DonÕt do this at the last moment! Errors happen.) Student presentations should also use appropriate physical "props" and hands-on examples. Handouts for the class are greatly appreciated. Remember, you are future K-6 instructors, so use whatever it takes to get your point across.
About the Blended Liberal Studies Program and the application of this course to K-6 instruction:
Many students who are training for K-6 instruction have the mistaken idea that they will be teaching a small class of cute little 3rd graders how to read. Some of you will be doing this, of course, especially after you have gained experience and earned your way into these more pleasant assignments. It is more likely you will be catapulted into teaching Math and Science when you first enter the K-6 classroom, since many instructors feel uncomfortable with these topics and hand them off to the new teachers. NSCI 1A and 1B gave you the basics of physical, biological and earth science. NSCI 116 is designed to give you some whiz-bang high-tech knowledge you can use to turn on those future doctors, engineers, and scientists in the elementary classroom. This course will also give you some perspective on how energy and technology policy choices made today will affect the lives of your future students as they are growing up.
Presentations, Presentation Summaries, and Written Evaluations:
Choosing and Reporting Your Topic: Each week (as scheduled) two teams will use the period to make two presentations to the class. The presentations will provide a weekly technology counterpoint to the ongoing flow of energy issues that form the backbone of the course. Don't pick an issue, pick a "gadget" or a K-6 science teaching kit instead! How does a cell phone work? What is an MP3 player? How does GPS work in the OnStar system? How does a "new technology" fluorescent light work? How do you use an electrical circuit hands-on teaching kit? A list of possible topics for the team presentation will be available on the course website or may be posted in class; other topics may be chosen with approval of the instructor. You will post your topic in class; everyone must have a different topic. Your team will be asked to submit a one-page topic description describing roughly what you plan to do; this will be due as scheduled, probably in the middle of the second week.
Presentation Summary: On the day your team makes the presentation, provide the instructor with a written summary of what you are presenting, including the Sources (web sites, books, etc.) used in planning your presentation. You must have at least three sources for the presentation as a whole. This summary should be about three pages long (one page for each team member, describing what he or she did), plus the Bibliography. If you use PowerPoint, print out hard copy of the slides used and attach them to the summary. Any handouts (the class really appreciates handouts!) you may choose to use must be attached as well. These pages will not count toward your three written summary pages. Be sure the full name of the team member is on the page he or she writes. The summary will be counted as part of your presentation grade.
Technology Presentation: Each team of three students will choose a different topic. there will be a signup sheet in the classroom. The students are to choose one technology, then describe (1) how it works, (2) cover the underlying science, and (3) describe its impact on society. Presentations are 15-20 minutes. You are expected to use all of this time, with about 5 minutes for questions. "Quicky" presentations ("This is a battery. It has chemicals inside and makes electricity. Any questions?") will receive a very low score. Although you may choose to use something like a brief video as part of your presentation, the bulk of what is presented must be your own work. There are two presentations per 50 minute period, so plan your time carefully. There are three of you, so each will typically do one of the three required elements. PowerPoint is recommended for presentation of the basic ideas and for showing illustrations and graphics, but props and hands-on materials are welcome and will be needed if you wish to model explaining things in a K-6 classroom. Put your presentation together early enough to meet with your instructor for help filling any holes you find in your basic science background. I expect you to come to me for help in understanding the basic science; once I teach you, then you can go on to teach the rest of the class.
Science Teaching Kit Presentation: Instead of the technology presentation described above, your team can elect to present the use of a K-6 science teaching kit that is technology-related. For example, FOSS kits (see http://www.lhs.berkeley.edu/FOSS/) that explain magnets, electric circuits, electric motors, solar energy, etc. are available from our local school district, as are science kits from other vendors. Explain the science behind the Kit, and demonstrate how it would be used. Split the tasks up in your team as you see fit, but everyone must stand up and talk for about five minutes at some point! Your written summary still requires at least three sources as outlined above, since you will need to augment your science knowledge beyond the materials provided in the kit.
Written Evaluations: Those not making a presentation should take good notes on the science and technology presented, as this material will show up on the quizzes and hour exams. From your notes you are required to turn in evaluations of any five of the presentations. The evaluations must be word-processed, double-spaced, 12 point font, and no less than two and no more than three pages in length (about 800 words each evaluation, for a total of 5x800 or 4000 words -- the length of an upper division term paper.). Give the name of the topic, the names of the presenters, then summarize what each presenter did and critique how well they did it. "They did a good (or poor) job" will not be adequate. Tell where they were unclear or made errors, and make suggestions for improvement. Since presentations are made on Fridays, the Written Evaluation is due during the first ten minutes of class the following Monday. Late evaluations will not be accepted. That means you can't turn in an evaluation of an "old" presentation later on in the semester. It is strongly advised that you do your five evaluations early in the semester, as teams have been known to vanish as students drop and teams are reshuffled. If you find yourself short at the end, you will lose the points for the missed evaluations.
Grading: (these points may be revised)
Grading Scale: percent of possible points: 100-85 A; 84-70 B; 69-60 C; 59-50 D; 49-0 F
Make-ups: If an hour exam is missed for any reason, notify your instructor within one week of the missed exam and arrange for a makeup during the second hour of the final exam period. There are no make-ups for quizzes; I will drop the lowest quiz and re-compute the 100 pt total score. Other course material, missed for any reason, cannot be made up. You will simply lose the points. Note that there are 20-26 scheduled course presentations; you are required to submit written evaluations of any five of them. Get these done early in the semester, since teams near the end of the semester have been known to vanish as students drop and teams are reshuffled. If you wait until the end and find that there are not five presentations left for you to evaluate, you will simply lose the points on any missing evaluations. You cannot submit evaluations for "old" presentations.
Assignments, such as the written evaluations of the presentations, are due during the first ten minutes of the following class period. Late work will not be accepted and cannot be made up.
Cheating and Plagiarism: Each student is expected to perform his or her own work throughout the course. Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated and will be dealt with according to university policy. Please refer to the CSU Fresno catalog for further information.
Disabled Students: It is the responsibility of students with disabilities to identify themselves to the university and the instructor so reasonable accommodation for learning and evaluation within the course can be made.
Tentative Weekly Schedule Spring 2004 -- This schedule is tentative and is subject to revision. The topics listed for each week will probably change as the semester progresses and the Real World intrudes with current events. Because a lot of the material presented by the instructor and by your peers will not be in the text, regular attendance is required if you expect to pass this course. Take good notes, you will need them!
This syllabus is tentative and may be revised as needed during the course. Changes will be announced in lecture. If you are absent from class it is your responsibility to learn about any changes made. |
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