Scientix European Conference

6-8 May 2011, Brussels, Belgium.

My astronomical and physics classes

senior teacher of physics Tsetsa Tsolova Hristova, PG po KTS, Pravets, Bulgaria,
e-mail: tzetza@gmail.com

Scientix’s platform supports teachers’ networks by regular dissemination and sharing of progress, know-how, and the best practices in the field of science education.
Teachers can find new resources to stimulate their science classes; request translations of the teaching materials into any of 23 EU languages; suggest new projects, news or
events and make them known among other teachers; join the users’ community and share their experience with colleagues across Europe.
Very useful are possibilities to participate in online courses.

Our school is a computer school affiliated to Technical University – Sofia. My students are from 14 to 19
years old.
We participate in a lot of national and international competitions and projects and in national astronomical
Olympiads. For me it is very important to improve my knowledge and ICT skills and to make my classes
more interesting and attractive.
I. Scientix in my astronomical classes:
1. We were using EU-HOU project to find information how to build a spectroscope.
This could be used in physics and astronomical classes.
We built a very simple spectroscope, using everyday materials such as a toilet paper roll and small pieces of a broken old CD.
http://www.scientix.eu/web/guest/resources/resource-detail?TitleResource=How+to+build+a+spectroscope&resourceId=99999941
Physics knowledge is very important for my students as computer specialists.
Scientix project helped me to improve my ICT knowledge. It gives me possibilities to participate in online
courses and use online simulation to compare different teaching methodics. Using Scientix portal I learned
how to use moodle in my classes.
II. Scientix in my physics classes:
1. ITEMS (Improving Teacher Education in Maths and Science)
http://itemspro.net/courses/elec/electricity.html
The objective of this online course is to provide learning materials for
initial knowledge of electricity aimed at students aged between 12 and 16
years. The materials encourage them and enable them to learn by exploring.
They are available through the online learning platform Moodle. Simulations
and animations are embedded in the study using Phet simulations:
http://phet.colorado.edu/.
After this course teachers have a personal copy of the materials to be used
interactively with their students online, if they wish.

2. Using SalsaJ from EU-HOU project for measuring the diameter of Moon’s crater.
Step by step using of SalsaJ for measuring of diameter of Moon’s crater
2. XPLORA
XPLORA is the European gateway to science education, created
in May 2005. There you can find lots of ideas for labs, online
training, news and more.
http://www.xplora.org/ww/en/pub/xplora/index.htm

3. Inspire (Innovative Science Pedagogy in Research and Education

Inspire is one of the interesting projects related to animation and modeling of physical processes. I made a link to school
moodle and students made different experiments and enjoyed them a lot! They said they find physics as very interesting
3. Using SalsaJ for creating a film. subject.

A. One possibility is to create directly a film B. Another possibility is to create a film using single
pictures saved at SalsaJ .

4. Parsel is an interesting project related to energy efficiency and foster citizenship among students
http://www.parsel.uni-kiel.de/cms/index.php?id=118&L=0

We used this project to discuss about energy efficiency.

Using this project idea students made different reports
Following the commands from the instructions you can create a film directly or using the series of single pictures and uploaded them at school’s moodle.
(jpg, fit, or bmp ) frame-by-frame film and save as .avi.
4. Measuring distances in the Universe: Cepheids using again EU-HOU project resourses.

Teaching materials are available on this web page:

http://www.euhou.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=63&Itemid=13
5. Nanoyou project
Students study a little about Cepheids as cosmic candle. Using SalsaJ they can do photometric My student was inspired to make a presentation on
measurements. Following step by step instruction they can make Exel curve Lc/Ls and nanotechnology and the project with its online education
determine the period. By Cepheid luminosity (in solar units) as a function of pulsation period and using helped me to support my student with research in this
interesting area.
formula, students can calculate the distance of the

Cepheid from the Sun.

5. PhET Interactive Simulations We found very interesting teaching materials, posters, films. Tests helped us to check our knowledge in this new area.
You can download simulations & activities from the PhET website: “Time machine” was very interesting,too.
http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/gravity-and-orbits

6. Sun for All project: http://www.mat.uc.pt/sun4all/

Sun4all is a very interesting project to study the Sun,
it allows students from all over the world to work with real
solar images and accomplish scientific results.
Using project materials students can compare how big are
the Sun, the Solar System and some of the bother
big stars. They also can understand that the photosphere
is 16 times hotter than boiling water
6. Stella web portal
Our projects with students : "Dynamics", "Among the mysteries of Mars" and "Sirius" was published at
STELLA web portal: http://www.stella-science.eu/
There are some of Solar activities of Sun4all project with Salsa J :
- Study sun structure
- Sun Spots > Magnetic Cycle of the Sun
- Calculate of Wolf Index(R) using the following formula:
R = 10g + s
g - number of sunspots groups observed
s - total number of individual spots in all groups
- Calculate the dimensions (in km) of a
prominence using SalsaJ.
- Make a movie of this rotation and other..
- Determine the Sun’s rotation period
6. PhET Interactive Simulations in physics classes.
You can download simulations & activities from the PhET website:
http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/category/new
This are simulations, linked to our school moodle, helped students to improve
their knowledge.
CONCLUSIONS
Using new methods such as LR and ICT-based tools in the classroom has a positive impact on enhancing teacher ’s science
teaching and pupils’ learning in MST education.The Scientix project will help teachers to improve science education in Europe.
Students will be inspired to study science. This is an important asset and professors of physics and astronomy in our country
can use the opportunities for translation of materials in the Bulgarian language and participate in online training which will
make us better and more attractive to our students and this will surely increase the number of people willing to teach physics
and science.