Where’s Bill Nye When We Need Him?

November 22, 2010

Climate Change Skeptics vs. 21st Century Skills Movement in Schools

I’ve got Bill Nye on the brain. I miss seeing him on PBS and now he keeps popping up in unlikely (online) places. Recently he was featured in an Utne Reader blog post (“Bill Nye is the Archbishop of Scientism”) that described his take on the current climate change debate. Having been awarded the 2010 Humanist Award, he was extolled for his “unflappable faith in science.”In his words:"Climate change is going to affect the world in ways that are truly hard to imagine. And it’s this hard-to-imagine nature that’s costing us so dearly in time. We’re losing valuable time because of disbelief in the scientific method."

Math + Science = Future

A couple weeks ago Bill joined Al Gore and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in a Global Online Town Hall forum called "Math, Science and the Future of Our Nation." More than a thousand students joined in the live discussion about the future of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education.Other panelists included astronaut Sally Ride, inventor Dean Kamen, and the stars of Discovery Channel's MythBusters. The program was just one small piece of Connect a Million Minds (CMM), Time Warner Cable's $100 million philanthropic initiative to advance education and careers in STEM fields.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

In October the National Journal reported that 19 of the 20 GOP Senate challengers deemed climate change a non-issue, declaring the science behind it either inconclusive or wrong. Some of those same politicians are now gunning for seats on the House Energy Committee, and pledging to attack existing environmental policies, discredit scientists, and do away with the EPA's authority to tighten emissions controls on coal, oil and other carbon fuels.This flies against the findings of the National Academy of Sciences and 97 percent of the world's climate scientists.

Separation of Science and State?

As a citizen and parent, I find this disconnect deeply disturbing. As someone who writes about science, technology and trends in K-12 education, I find it mind-boggling.Science is a key focus of the 21st Century Skills movement. STEM skills are in demand around the globe, and teachers, students and professionals are being challenged to deepen knowledge and keep on the cutting edge of scientific advances.The Partnership for 21st Century Skills outlines recommended outcomes for core subjects and relevant interdisciplinary themes, e.g., Environmental Literacy. In K-12 classrooms, students engage in authentic learning online with real scientists and government groups like NOAA, NASA and, ironically, the EPA.So while students and schools are ramping up science, government officials are dumbing it down. It doesn't make sense.

Call for Alternative Energy

Today I searched on YouTube for a video clip I’d seen a couple years ago. Nye's call to invest in wind and solar energy seems especially prescient right about now. Check it out:Repower America: Bill Nye the Science Guy

Voice of reason

Okay, so here's the other reason we need Bill Nye: He's a reasonable, even-tempered guy who's trying to help us reach across the aisle here. In his words:We all have a tendency to dismiss people who believe other things, who are outsiders, or who speak other languages. I constantly have to fight the urge to say, “You don’t know what you’re talking about! That’s crazy!”My advice is just try to listen and see if you can figure out what it is that makes a person not want to believe in climate change, not want to accept that Venus is like Earth only a little different, not want to question things....So try asking instead of telling. Ask people, “What is it about science that you don’t like?”Sounds like we could all read a page from his book. Click here to read more from his entertaining acceptance speech for the 2010 Humanist Award.

Closing thoughts...

"It is through science, and the discovery of scientific processes, that I came to be a skeptic and came to really embrace critical thinking. I came to embrace the idea that you probably only get one shot at life, so, roughly, don’t blow it."

-- Bill Nye the Science Guy

The Seeds of Global Citizenship: From Snail Mail to Skype

July 19, 2010

As a suburban school kid in the ‘70s, pen pals were the closest we came to cross-cultural exchange. These days we’d likely describe it as an authentic experiential-learning exercise, albeit a slow-motion one.

Pen pals | e-Pals

I still remember the name of my sixth grade pen pal: Riz Zainal Abadin. The name sounded so exotic and, well, peculiar. All those Z’s. Was the middle name a real middle name, or should I tack it onto the first name in salutations? Living south of Boston in a small town full of Smiths and Sullivans, my frame of reference was rather slim.My friend Lydia and I would giggle when we got our bimonthly letters in the mail. We would repeat the names of our pen pals over and over, always in full.“It’s a letter from Riz Zainal Abadin! Maybe someday I’ll marry him and move to Malaysia!”Our exchanges went something like this:

Dear Sally:

How are you? Do you wear American blue jeans?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dear Riz:

Yes, I wear Levi’s.

Do you eat lychee fruit? Have you ever been caught in a monsoon?

Aerogram | Aerogramme

The letters were always printed with neat ballpoint pen on an aerogram. We’d use a letter opener to cut the crease at the top of the ultra-thin blue paper, or carefully peel one of the gummed tabs on the side, so as not to tear any of the words.I think I still have a couple of those aerograms, tucked away in a box of old correspondence and birthday cards somewhere in my barn. (Note to self: Must call Lydia to see if she remembers the name of her pen pal.)I cringe when I think how sheltered and politically incorrect I was back then. Thankfully today’s students are far more worldly and with it. The recent push for “global citizenship” in American schools and society is making an impact. So is the technology that's enabling it.Although the old-school purist in me is thrilled that some still send handwritten letters via snail mail, I have to admit that the use of technology in this area is brilliant. This is not technology for technology’s sake; it’s technology with a true purpose.Engaging in real-time video conferences with students on the other side of the world is a powerful thing. It opens minds in ways previously unimaginable. Even in the smallest of small towns.Here's a post I wrote on the subject for the TECH TIPS blog on Discovery Education's "Web 20.10" site:

TECH TIPS BLOG | Web 2.0: Break Out of Your Bubble

There's been a lot of buzz about global citizenship lately. But with tight budgets and time constraints, this critical concept can seem like a daunting one to incorporate into your curriculum. Thankfully new Web 2.0 tools make it simpler and more efficient than ever to connect and collaborate with students and schools around the world--for free.Online tools like wikis and web conferencing enable students to engage in cross-cultural exchange without ever leaving the classroom. Students spark friendships with virtual pen pals, immerse themselves in foreign languages with native speakers, and trek through virtual field trips without leaving their desks.When students interact with real people from real places in real time, it makes for a meaningful, authentic experience and adds new dimensions of understanding. Kids begin to make connections between their own lives and those of kids in different parts of the world. They begin to challenge stereotypes, break out of their bubbles, and really get what it means to be interconnected.

Read full article here…