Science and Technology Education @ U.C. Faculty of Education

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Did you know?

BIOGRAPHY of Hedy Lamarr, (1914- 2000) actress and inventor

Often called “The Most Beautiful Woman in Films,” Hedy Lamarr’s beauty and screen presence made her one of the most popular actresses of her day.

She was born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler on November 9, 1914 in Vienna, Austria. At 17 years old Hedy starred in her first film, a German project called Geld Auf Der Strase. Hedy continued her film career by working on both German and Czechoslavakian productions. The 1932 German film Exstase brought her to the attention of Hollywood producers, and she soon signed a contract with MGM.

Once in Hollywood, she officially changed her name to Hedy Lamarr and starred in her first Hollywood film, Algiers (1938), opposite Charles Boyer. She continued to land parts opposite the most popular and talented actors of the day, including Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart. Some of her films include an adaptation of John Steinbeck’s Tortilla Flat (1942), White Cargo (1942), Cecil B. DeMille’s Samson and Delilah (1949) and The Female Animal (1957).

As if being a beautiful, talented actress was not enough, Hedy was also extremely intelligent. In addition to her film accomplishments, Hedy patented an idea that later became the crutch of both secure military communications and mobile phone technology. In 1942, Hedy and composer George Antheil patented what they called the “Secret Communication System.” The original idea, meant to solve the problem of enemies blocking signals from radio-controlled missiles during World War II, involved changing radio frequencies simultaneously to prevent enemies from being able to detect the messages. While the technology of the time prevented the feasibility of the idea at first, the advent of the transistor and its later downsizing made Hedy’s idea very important to both the military and the cell phone industry.

This impressive technological achievement combined with her acting talent and star quality to make “the most beautiful woman in film” one of the most interesting and intelligent women in the movie industry.

Iain Hay: Accessed from http://www.hedylamarr.com/about/biography.htm - 21/12/07

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

UC teaching students take science to primary school

Story and photo by Edward O'Daly

Patrick Miller admires his handmade thermometer - part of the science program.

11 September 2007: Young scientists at Majura Primary School in Watson have been getting to grips with the complexities of the weather thanks to University of Canberra teaching students.

The teachers-to-be visited the school over four weeks to test their skills and deliver special classes to small groups of seven year one pupils. Run for the first time, the program required 20 students of the University's 'science education' unit to develop resources and lesson plans for the primary school children. The classes were designed to improve the pupils' literacy as well as their science knowledge.

"We place a lot of emphasis on giving our students practical on the job experience to help them hit the ground running in their teaching career," the lecturer behind the program, Iain Hay said.
"It's also great for the primary school kids to get a taste of science."

Student Amie Dever agreed the program gave her a valuable, hands-on classroom experience.
"It's a great confidence builder to apply the theory and to know the lessons I'm preparing are engaging and see the children learning from them," she said.

Following the success of the pilot program at Majura Primary School, Mr Hay hopes to significantly expand the program next year when a cohort of 140 students will take the University's science education course. He is inviting other schools in the capital to volunteer.

Majura Primary School principal Coralie McAlister said primary schools had a vested interest in helping pre-service teachers get used to the classroom, while the program gave her pupils an valuable introduction to science.

"It was great. Our students were able to work in small groups with hands on science equipment learning different science topics," she said.

"Our students are always keen to know how things work and they really liked it. It was a great way to introduce them to science."

She added she would encourage other schools to get involve in similar programs. Schools that are interested in working with the University 2008 should contact Mr Hay on 02 6201 5910.

Every chance to learn - SciTech Curriculum Framework

ACT Science Curriculum Framework and Technology Curriculum Framwork are located within Every chance to learn - Curriculum framework for ACT schools (Pre-school to year 10 students).

Supporting SciTech - Quality Teacher Program

The purpose of Supporting SciTech professional development CD ROM is to:

establish a deeper understanding in teachers about technology education and science education with a particular focus on the processes of designing and making and investigating (scientifically)

focus on assisting schools to establish a progression of student learning for Science and Technology from Kindergarten to Year 6

provide a whole school planning approach for the development of a school progression of learning support teachers in the development of effective teaching programs.

The professional development package Supporting SciTech is a collaborative project produced by the NSW Department of Education and Training, the Catholic Education Commission and the Association of Independent Schools, under the Commonwealth-funded Quality Teacher Project 2000-2003.