The Science of SODA!!!

Greetings again, fellow bloggers!

The topic of the day is . . .

. . . how might I incorporate the NYC soda ban into a lesson plan for my hypothetical physics class that just so happens to be filled with hypothetical, eager-to-learn, potentially soda-lovin' kiddies?

Seems like the possibilities here should be endless but, to be frank, I've struggled to find connections between soda and physics. Science, sure!  Maybe I'll explore that first:


My first thought involved chemists-in-training using lab supplies to investigate some of the chemical properties of soda and compare these data to the properties of, say, juice, water, tea, coffee or even energy drinks. As I'm no expert in chemistry, I'd be interested to hear suggestions or elaborations on this potential lab activity from anyone out there who might have a thought on the subject. I did some digging (and by digging, I mean I googled "soda chemistry lab") and here's a taste of a soda lab that is feasible for high school chemistry or physical science classrooms.


Also, I really enjoyed the example proposed during our class discussion (credit and kudos to Rachael) of having students engage in real science by conducting an experiment with mice investigating the long-term or immediate effects of soda as compared to some of the other beverages I listed earlier.

Speaking of mice, wasn't there a big news story going around recently asserting that Mountain Dew could dissolve the little critters if they just so happened to find themselves swimming in a sea of cola? Perhaps our future scientists could test these claims. I'd be interested to see what soda could dissolve, not limiting, or committing, ourselves to mice.

And if we're talking now about basic soda experiments, of course I must mention the infamous Diet Coke and Mentos reaction, guaranteed to draw some excitement from a class of rowdy, mess-making teenagers. And the science behind this phenomenon is appropriate for physics classrooms, including concepts related to thermodynamics, fluids and, of course, explosions.

So, there you have it. Kitchen science at its finest. And to drive it all home, the findings of these experiments could be discussed in the context of the NYC soda ban, particularly those labs pertaining to the long-term effects of soda consumption or exposure. To reinforce scientific literacy development, students could look up existing research on soda in order to form educated opinions on the health issues surrounding soda consumption. These evidence-based ideas could be debated in class amongst fellow student-researchers as preparation for discourse in the scientific community. Or students could use their findings to support claims made in letters written to politicians regarding soda policies in our area (or beyond), a task which allows students to explore their role as scientifically-literate members of the community.

Well, I suppose the possibilities truly are limitless. I'm anxious to see how these ideas compare to those of teachers in other disciplines, as well as those generated by my fellow science teachers-to-be. Oh, and I feel obliged to inform you all that this blog was actually fun to write. Maybe it's growing on me. And that's with just one tech. class under my belt. There's no telling where this semester will lead . . .

So, this is what it feels like to break into the world of blogging. I hate to disappoint any potential readers but I must confess outright that I am a tad skeptical of the world of blogs. But this could stem from my skepticism of technology in general, meaning that this tech course (and, thereby, this blog) required by my program could make for an interesting journey.

Prior to our first class meeting, I had never once considered how I might utilize the advancements of technology in my future classroom. Reading Sheskey's article, however, opened my eyes to simple ways a teacher can augment the level of engagement or motivation of her students with technology.  I found the article to be exciting; perhaps technology can do great things in a classroom, my classroom, even. Maybe my skepticism has been unjustified. My stance towards technology has always been that unless the benefits greatly outweigh the hassles AND the environmental impact, I wouldn't bother. In other words, I have no desire to use technology for the sake of using technology. As much as I love to read, you will never see me with a Kindle. And to be honest, I would be happy as pie if I could shut down my blog this very instance and write my reflection with pen and paper. But the example of the teacher whose digital camera revamped his students' attitudes towards learning made me question my assumption that technology hadn't much to offer my classroom. So I went to EDUC 504 with a slightly optimistic outlook, thinking that I was going to learn how to bridge the gap between myself and my students by learning to communicate with them through the means of the digital age.

But that's not how I left class. After our discussion concerning the ramifications of technology in the classroom, my outlook was dismal. There are dangerous implications for encouraging students to share their work in the public eye, for allowing students to engage in discourse with one another that is unsupervised and which has no explicit norms to guide conduct and behavior.  Technology opens doors that otherwise would remain closed, this is true. But reflecting back to my general outlook, are these benefits worth the hassles, the possibility of unchecked cyberbullying, of misuse and abuse of privileges by my students? Not to mention the additional stress caused to students unfamiliar with particular forms of technology, an example being myself and this blog, these wikispaces and online gadgets of which I have never heard before. Looking ahead, I hope this course can provide resolution to these fears of mine and help me to shift my focus to the benefits of technology while simultaneously preparing me to anticipate and handle any "hassles" that may arise.

First blog attempt?

Hello, world!