[irised] Animation of the Week

Wed Nov 28 05:11:50 PST 2007

Hi Craig,

Thanks for the feedback and ideas!  Our experience using the  
Earthquake Machine Lite set-up, with both teachers and students,  
suggests that the fact that there are so many variable that one can  
alter (try adding a salt to a patch of the sand paper, add weight to  
the blocks, change the thickness of the rubber bands, vary the  
sandpaper grit etc.)  is what makes this lab so exciting.  However,  
exploring these many variables and determining which data is worth  
collecting can quickly become overwhelming for first time users.  As  
a result, this can greatly distract from the core concepts that you  
ultimately want students to take away from the exercise.

Thus in the activities posted comprehensiveness was definitely what  
we were after.  Savvy teachers are very likely to modify anything you  
given them to fit their particular situation  (that is what makes  
them good).  Other teachers (the vast majority of ES teachers in the  
US are uncertified in ES) could probably use a bit more guidance  
along the way to help them get started understanding and using the  
model, and their students could use concepts that scale-up.   The  
activities are sequenced such that Activity 1 helps students gain an  
understanding of the model (like and unlike reality), and the elastic  
rebound theory, while Activity #2 does what you suggest (guided  
inquiry and data collection around the three hypothesis on the site)  
but only with one block.  If you do design a two block lab, please  
share it with us, as we would love to review it and explore how it  
might connect to the sequence.

Depending on the age of the students you are targeting for a two  
block lab, you might examine the open-ended two block lab that Jeff  
Barker of Binghamton University has designed for students in his 100  
level Earth's Dynamic Interior class.  Jeff uses the older, less  
convenient board with a crank apparatus version of the model but the  
lab would still apply to the version.  http://bingweb.binghamton.edu/ 
~jbarker/labs.html

Let us know how the experimenting goes!

Best Wishes,
Michael

---------------------------------
Michael Hubenthal
Education Specialist
IRIS Consortium
607-777-4612
www.IRIS.edu
hubenth at iris.edu

On Nov 17, 2007, at 1:39 PM, Craig Messerman wrote:

> Very nice website! The classroom activities, while very  
> comprehensive, are a bit too canned and touchy-feely for my tastes.  
> I see the earthquake machine as a perfect tool for open-ended or  
> guided inquiry. Why not guide students in collecting the data used  
> to create animation #2 and 3? Each cm of hand motion could  
> represent a year of time, and students could stop after each  
> earthquake to measure block motion. Use a spring scale or force  
> sensor to measure strain build-up and you've got huge potential for  
> a great inquiry lab. [Tom, let's start building!]
>
> Craig Messerman
> Sentinel High School, Missoula, Montana
>>>> John Lahr <johnjan at lahr.org> 11/16/07 11:41 AM >>>
> Jenda Johnson has started posting an "Animation of the Week" from the
> growing collection of video clips and animations that she has
> created.  See:  http://www.iris.edu/about/ENO/aotw/
>
> This week's animations and clips describe the block-and-sandpaper
> model and show how it can be used to teach the concept of "elastic
> rebound."   In addition to geology and tectonics, earthquakes can
> provide a useful context for teaching or reviewing many basic physics
> concepts, such as sliding and static friction, forms of energy and
> conversion from one form to another, and the elastic properties of  
> materials.
>
> Cheers,
> John
>
>
> #################################/ John C. Lahr
> ################################/ Emeritus Seismologist
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---------------------------------
Michael Hubenthal
Education Specialist
IRIS Consortium
607-777-4612
www.IRIS.edu
hubenth at iris.edu

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