Space Age Tech

Yesterday, my dad and I drove down to Cocoa to witness a truly amazing event: the launch of the space orbital Discovery’s last mission. As the countdown ensued, T minus 9 . . . the thousands of people gathered cheered. Smoke billowed on the horizon, and over a million pounds of metal, technology, and six people implausibly launched into space in a matter of minutes. Now, the idea of herding 25 second graders to a launch is slightly intimidating, and depending on location, impractical. However, the experience was so amazing, and left my feeling so patriotic and proud, I would be remiss to not share at least part of it with students. If technology can send a 27-year-old space ship 143 million miles, 5,628 orbits, over 363 days, in 13 trips, technology can bring the launch into my classroom. Beyond watching the live broadcast of the launch, students can use books, models, and the Internet to develop an understanding of space and some of the trials astronauts face. NASA has websites and TV channels that steam live video from ISS, so students could actually see people living in space. Students can perform experiments and projects with items as simple as rocks, flour and a pie tin to recreate the surface of the moon. There are also numerous computer simulations for operating spacecraft. (I assure you neither my dad or I will be operating any space craft anytime soon, talk about your crash and burn!) Technology in the classroom is not only advantageous for presenting information to students, but also providing an experience as well. Different media and materials deliver different reactions and responses, and therefore provide a broader opportunity of experience and learning.