The legacy of Nelson Mandela: Science, Technology and Education

A recent article published by "New Scientist" reveals Mandela's unsung legacy of science in Africa.
 Nelson Mandela died recently at the age of 95.

"For much of the world Nelson Mandela was the icon of the age of modern liberation that started with Mahatma Gandhi and reached its height with South Africa's first democratic elections in 1994.

What is less well known is that the struggle for political freedom was closely associated with the desire to develop scientific and technological capacity.

Apartheid did not just separate races. Probably the most destructive of its legacies was to restrict non-whites from getting technical training. What is more, this exclusion was not unique to South Africa but part of a wider political culture that defined Africa as a region with low levels of technological expertise.

Mandela understood that exclusion from education was a major limiting factor to development. He said education was "the most powerful weapon with which you can change the world".

Motivated by this concern, Mandela lent his name to the creation of a new generation of African Institutes of Science and Technology, seen as the beginning of a new generation of African research universities."

Read the rest of the article here.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24712-mandelas-unsung-legacy-of-science-in-africa.html#.Uqe1eUoo74g

Education and Games

Technology plays a significant role in the modern learning and it can be very valuable in assisting all the students including English language learners, and special education students.
Learning and education should develop and change to reflect changes in society. An example of a technology learning resource are games. Games may appeal to many students because there are interactive and hands-on. Recently,  I was introduced to Scratch which is an educational programming language and multimedia that allows the students to create interactive stories, games, and animations. Scratch helps young people learn essential skills such as to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively. (scratch.mit.edu)

Here is an example of a Scratch project: http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/14574742/

Student Activity

  A potential activity for the lesson about the vision system and the light pathway through the eye.

Student activity: Group Activity (25-30 minutes)

The students divide into the groups randomly and handout is given. Each group will have a textbook. One person will get a textbook for each row opening the textbook. This will be graded as class work grade. The key grading criteria is working as a team (all members working), accurate/neat information, all members need to fill out their own chart. The teacher must explain the instruction clearly. The students should list the structures of the eye and give detailed information about its function. Each student will fill out the individual sheet of paper but the students should collaborate

Materials: Handout

 

Halloween Chemistry Demos

 

 



      When a holiday is approaching, make it a special day for your students, with activities and lessons that incorporate holidays such as Halloween into their science lesson. Halloween is not all about the candies, it can be about magic and a little bit of science too.  Here is a video showing "Dry Ice Crystal Ball" experiment that will keep the students intrigued and engaged.
      One of the challenges that the teachers encounter is how to keep students motivated. When the students are motivated and engaged, it leads to the improvement in performance and attendance and could positively affect exam grades. Some of the strategies that help to keep the students engaged in the classroom include pictures, videos, hands-on activities and demonstrations.
    
 "Magic's just science that we don't understand yet."

When science becomes fun!

 

 

Here is my fellow scientist who is creating Elephant's Toothpaste. This demonstration will keep the students motivated and even adults would be interested. All you need is hydrogen peroxide and concentrated soap solution. Peroxide will release oxygen, add food coloring to make even more unforgettable.

 

Important: Don't do this at home!

 

No matter where you go in New York, if you see trees there must be mushrooms!! What are mushrooms, you may ask? A mushroom is the spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus which is a member of a eukaryotic organisms. Typically mushrooms are collected in the late summer and fall. Mushroom hunting is a fun and interesting activity for the whole family to enjoy. However, be cautious when identifying mushrooms because there are edible as well as toxic types.

Blog's goals

Welcome to my Blog!

 

This blog focuses on the science education of high school students. The main topic of the blog is to spark an interest in everyone about science and to give suggestions to fellow future educators on how to keep the students motivated. The posts include general information about science and education and all of the related concepts. The blog is mainly intended to inspire young scientist to venture out of the confinements of their rooms and classrooms and explore the outdoor world near their houses or to visit a nearby botanical garden, etc. Explore! Discover! Enjoy!