TL is on Facebook

Hey all, we're social networking now.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=52104059343
Or you can search for Technically Learning. Our group has grown quickly, so stay tuned for updates of pictures and other information on the Facebook Group page.

We're on twitter!

I just wanted to post a quick blog entry to let everybody know that we're now "tweeting" on twitter. Come to the blog for big news (like interviews, and new activity guides). Follow us on twitter to find out what's going on day to day at Technically Learning as well as little tidbits of news and information we find interesting in the STEM and education fields.

http://twitter.com/techlearn

UW Robotics

I just took a tour of Yoky Matsuoka's robotics lab at UW: http://www.cs.washington.edu/homes/yoky/

They're working on some super cool work, check it out: http://neurobotics.cs.washington.edu/projects.html

My interview with Idealist

During my interview with idealist.org, I learned more about their organization. My first introduction to Idealist was through some friends of mine I served in the Peace Corps with. Three of them now work for Idealist in Buenos Aires, and really like the organization. Idealist allows people and organizations to “exchange resources and ideas, locate opportunities and supporters, and take steps toward building a world where all people can lead free and dignified lives.” They have a huge database of non-profits and do a great job of connecting people and organizations. Some of their podcasts are very interesting, and I hope my interview falls into that category. It was fun doing the interview. It’s the first time I’ve ever been recorded and turned into a podcast, so I was a little nervous to do it. But I’m happy to have the opportunity to tell more people about Technically Learning and how they can get involved in science education. I’ll be sure to let you know when the interview is online.

Technically learning is now listed on idealist. Be sure to check out our listing when you visit them on the web.

http://www.idealist.org/if/i/en/av/Org/193790-176/c

Eric is being interviewed!

One of our board members, Eric, is getting interviewed today by Idealist for a new project they're doing featuring leaders in the nonprofit sector! Don't know yet when it will get published, but we'll post when it's up so you can check it out. Way to go Eric!

Robotic Zoo Activity Guide - Posted!

We just posted our new Activity Guide, Robotic Zoo - check it out on our Resources Page!

It integrates robotics challenges with biology concepts.... in other words, you make an Iguana-bot and mimic the behavior of cold-blooded animals - who wouldn't find that fun?!

Actually, I learned that "cold-blooded" is a misleading term that has fallen out of favor with scientists today; just shows how science has changed since I was in elementary school. So, we incorporated info on the more accurate term "ectotherms".

Some more interesting biology facts I learned:

• Possums are the only marsupial in North America, and they faint when scared. They're not just "playing" dead; they are unconscious!
• Speaking of "playing dead" - some snakes actually ooze drops of blood to make the act more convincing!
• Venus Flytraps have tiny hairs that trigger the snapping response when an insect lands on it. And multiple hairs in a row need to be touched before it triggers the snap - to prevent false alarms from non-moving (non-protein) objects other than insects. Pretty complex system for a plant!
• Dolphins' left & right rows of teeth are offset a little. Some scientists theorize that this helps dolphins interpret sonar data and detect whether objects are more to the left or right of them.