Scientifically Speaking

Hiya Kiddos,

Just thought I'd highlight this email I received from the head of Science at Sandringham.  Since we're going to start the AOK's in a week, this is really ideal that this lecture evening has come up.  How's that for a deterministic universe?  I would really like for as many of you to attend this as possible as I think the main feature lecture should be of real interest to what we'll be examining over the next several weeks.  I've copied the email after this little intro I've written to give you all the significant information about what, when and where its going to be held.  Hope to see you there.

Mrs. Mitchell


Dear all,
Monday March 15th is the beginning of National Science and Engineering Week and I want to highlight an event that may be of interest to you. Scientific Soapbox is an evening of short Science based lectures given by some of the staff at Sandringham on topics such as black holes, allergies in children and the impact of lucozade of sports performance.
The highlight and main feature of the evening is a lecture given by Dr. Tim Hunt who the main man (across the world) in cell division and cancer research. He won a Nobel Prize for his work in 2001 and these are not ten a penny as I'm sure you know. I'm told he is an excellent speaker and well worth watching.


The evening is being promoted to all 6th form Science classes at Sandringham and some Yr 11s but this is a public event so staff, students from your schools, friends and families are welcome. Tickets are free and can be collected from the Sandpit Theatre at Sandringham or by emailing the theatre (sandpit@sandringham.herts.sch.uk or rachel.lloyd@sandringham.herts.sch.uk) or by phoning the Box Office on 01727 370067.
It'd be great to see some of you there.
Lawrence Foster


Head of Science, Sandringham School

A Valentine for my Tokrophers

I hate (emotion) being ill (a state in which my particles are revolting against me)

Hey kiddos... well... here's the good news.  I finished marking your essays.  The bad news.  I am ill yet again and will not be in school to share your marked work with you.  More good news... I have work for you to do in my absence.

Here's what I want from your bloggy-wogs:

I'd like you to answer the following and reflect - it would be uber-amazing if we started a discussion thread on this blog about your different view points here - but failing that just blog it.

1. If you can recognise emotions in people’s faces how does it help your interactions with people?
2. Alternatively, if you cannot recognise emotions in people’s faces how does it hinder your interactions with people?
3. Can you think of examples where people cannot recognise ANY of the emotions they see in a person’s face while they interact with them (Hint - look this up).  Why is this difficult to imagine?
4. Imagine a person with no emotions. The world is neutral to him/her. That person does not engage with the world, as engagement implies one part is more important than another. That person would then have no interest in living or dying. Is that person really a person?
5. If you were emotionally limited how would it affect your access to the 8 areas of knowledge?
6. Are emotional limitations a lens or filter to our ability to “know” our world?
7. Why has emotion sometimes been seen as a less valuable way of knowing than, say, reason? Or does the value of emotion as a way of knowing depend on the kind of knowledge that is being pursued?

I expect that you will do this work during the time you would normally be in my lesson (1.5 hours) and in a homework (1 hour), so this should be easy peasy to get done.

TTFN

Lazy Tokrophers

Here's the link to your homework lazy bones!

http://www.queendom.com/tests/access_page/index.htm?idRegTest=1121


Do the quiz from the above link to see how emotionally intelligent you are and reflect on the results in your blog for this week.

Fallacies blog homework

For this week's blog work, I want you to find 5 examples of logical fallacies on the internet. They can be from any forum you like – the news, the blogosphere, twitter etc…all you have to do is copy them into your blog, identify the fallacy and reflect.  As I mentioned at the end of the lesson, there are several other types of fallacies out there, so if you'd like to do a little extra research you can use any type of fallacy you can find.

Sorry for the wackiness today...my brain hurts.

TTFN

TOK Essays

Ok kiddos, just as a reminder: 

Your holiday homework is to write your TOK essay on the title you chose.  You have until January 14th to write a 1200 to 1600 essay on the prescibed title of your choice.  It must contain page numbers, referencing and a bibliography (preferably one that does not cite TOK lesson material :-)) 

Have a great holiday and we'll meet back on January 8th. 

TTFN

PS -  no bloggy-wog work for the holidays!

Are our senses deceiving us...blip blip blip...

So we've finished off sense perception and I've left you all wondering whether or not our reality is 'real'.  I forgot to tell you that you are to check out the Matrix site I had you copy the address down for.  For those who are interested, here's a list of various sources that're out there to explore how our senses and perception can create different realities:

Film
Memento
The Matrix
The Truman Show
Dark City
The Thirteenth Floor
TV
The Prisoner (1960s tv show - brilliant!!!)
Lost
Star Trek 'The Menagerie'
Quantum Leap
On the Net
Simulated Reality Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulated_reality
Simulism Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulism#Precedents_in_popular_culture
Games
World of Warcraft (video game)
The Sims (2 and 3)
Books
Permutation City by Greg Egan
Time out of Joint by Phillip K. Dick

So here's your blog homework for next week.  Answer the following in your blogs:
1)  Which of the problems of perception limit human knowledge the most and the least? Why? Give examples.
2)  How might humans overcome these problems? What forms of technology do we use already? Do these forms have their limitations also? What other ways might we use?
 
TTFN