Suffern Middle School Videoconferencing News Eleanor Funk Schuster, Library Media Specialist eschuster@ramapocentral.org 80 Hemion Road Suffern, NY 10901 845-357-7400

NASA’s Disrupting Innovations

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 09:51:48 -0500

Liza Medina's grade 7 English classes are participating in a videoconference with two NASA scientists about the connections between science fiction and actual scientific research and development.

This is Liza's brainchild, not a typical 'content' program delivered by NASA. Troy Merryfield and Donner Rigsby of NASA were so intrigued by Liza's idea that they are doing this as a special project for us.

Liza's title is:

"Disruptive Technology: How technology evolution changes the word we live in, often before we even know it"

“What's the difference between ignorance & stupidity? If you choose to be ignorant you are stupid!” (Donner and Troy) More pics later.

Interview with Director of Sharkwater

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 23:01:05 -0500

I was very lucky to meet Tyler Cave, the organizer of this event, through CILC. (The Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration) This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for our students. Two eighth grade classes will participate on March 5 at 1:30.
Tyler’s words about Sharkwater:
This is an internationally award winning film that has informed millions about the systematic destruction of our oldest and top ocean predator the shark.
... we are interviewing the Director of the film Sharkwater. Not only is the film an excellent learning tool, but it's also incredibly well done. Rob Stewart the director will be doing a QA with us through his VC set up and we will be able to speak directly with him. He is a marine biologist and obviously a film director, he also brings a lifetime of experience in activism and working with Greenpeace and the Sea Shepherd. If you'd like to learn more you can view an interview with him at: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr6Qh9zR6Lc .

What’s in that? Mixtures and Solutions

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 23:00:00 -0500

Grade 5 Montebello students participated in another conference with Liberty Science Center: “We all know that oil and water don't mix, but we encounter other mixtures every day. The milk and cereal you ate for breakfast and the ground we walk on are both mixtures. Explore with Science Center educators in the Pi Lab to learn about the properties of mixtures, how to separate components of mixture, and how mixtures and solutions differ.”

http://www.lsc.org/lsc/edprograms/studentprograms/eft/econnections

Rockland Read-In Day

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 08:30:32 -0500

Students from Suffern Middle School shared the reading of poems and picture books with Sloatsburg fourth graders and kindergartners.

Shocking Static Electricity

Thu, 5 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500

"Shocking Static Electricty"
Montebello Elementary grade 4 students walked over in the snow to visit Suffern Middle School and learn from the Liberty Science Center about “electrical currents, atoms and charges while exploring the positives and negatives of static electricity”....in a hair raising experiment!

http://www.cesa10.k12.wi.us/services/educational_technology/field_trips//lisc.htm