Blogs

ChemEd X contributors offer their ideas and opinions on a broad spectrum of topics pertaining to chemical education.

Blogs at ChemEd X reflect the opinions of the contributors and are open to comments. Only selected contributors blog at ChemEd X. If you would like to blog regularly at ChemEd X, please use our Contribution form to request an invitation to do so from one of our editors.

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AND the Worst Happens Again
// Monday, January 6, 2014 • Deanna Cullen
It has happened again. We just published a “Lab Accidents” blog with a link to the US Chemical Safety Board’s video entitled “After the Rainbow” published December 10, 2013. Less than a month later, a young boy has experienced the same nightmare scenario as the one described in the video.
Conant Awards Inspire
// Monday, January 6, 2014 • Deanna Cullen
The national ACS James Bryant Conant award was established in 1965 to encourage and recognize outstanding high school chemistry teachers. Candidates are chosen based upon evidence of high quality teaching, ability to challenge and inspire, extracurricular activities that support their work and pursuit of continued improvement of their role as an educator.
Social Media
// Sunday, January 5, 2014 • Deanna Cullen
Chemistry teachers are always looking for new ideas to reach students. Social media is a new frontier to reach students AND collaborate with other chemistry teachers around the world 24/7. I hesitated to join Twitter because it seemed like "just one more thing to add to my plate".  I did finally log on and created an account.
Lab Accidents
// Wednesday, December 18, 2013 • Deanna Cullen
The US Chemical Safety Board is an independent federal agency in Washington DC. They investigate industrial accidents. They just released a video of a young woman speaking about a high school chemistry class accident she was a victim of.
Preview image - title: "Ice Clouds" image includes cloud of ice in front of house.
Ice clouds
// Monday, December 16, 2013 • Tom Kuntzleman
I get excited when I see the outside temperature drop below 0°F (-18°C). This is not because I enjoy cold weather. It is because when the outside temperature gets this cold, I can conduct a particular experiment that I think is quite beautiful. The experiment is easy to carry out: boil some water and throw the hot water into the frigid air. Check it out below:
Standards and Inquiry or Standards vs Inquiry?
// Friday, December 13, 2013 • Sarah Kong
In my grad program one of our discussions concerned how to teach science the way science is actually done.  This seems to be one of the core ideas in the Next Generation Science Standards.  The standards want to encourage students to think more like scientists and engineers as opposed to students seeking an A.  Please share your thoughts!
JCE Classroom Activity #92: Testing for Iodide in Table Salt
// Wednesday, November 20, 2013 • Tom Kuntzleman
JCE Classroom Activities are a collection of over 100 chemistry experiments and demonstrations that can be carried out using simple materials found around the house or at grocery store and hardware stores. For example, JCE Classroom Activity #92 describes how to test for the presence of iodide in iodized salt using only water, iodized salt, 3% hydrogen peroxide, vinegar and liquid laundry starch.