Teachmeet:Physics - Perth, Thursday 19th March 2009

This event is now well-established and we have attracted a good number of speakers, lurkers and supporters:

 

• Date: Thursday 19th March 2009.

• Time: 6 for 6:30pm till about 9 p.m. then the plenary at the Manzil Indian restaurant (see below).

• Venue: Dewar's Ice Rink, Perth kindly provided by the Institute of Physics

• Nibbles: a finger buffet will be available to keep us going

• Flashmeeting: organised by Sinclair Mackenzie

• Wifi - now confirmed, available free throughout the centre

 

What's a Teachmeet?

 

Learn something new, be amazed, amused and enthused. This is an informal gathering of those involved in teaching physics. Anyone can share cool ideas they have or great ideas they've trialled in their classrooms.

 

'What can you do?'

 

You can come along to linger, loiter, contribute, chat, meet new people, or 'give a seven minute talk' or a 'two minute nano presentation'.

 

Rules for the talk:

 

• It's only seven minutes long
• Your setup is part of the seven minutes
• it must be about something that has happened, or is happening now in classrooms - no blue-sky thinking!
• no sales pitches

 

Seven minute micropresentations or roundtables

Add your name

 

1. Nick Hood - A proposal for "Mathematical Modelling in the new Higher".

2. Sinclair Mackenzie - "iPod my Physics"

3. Ollie Bray - Geography and Physics: Ideas for Cross Curricular Working

4. Jaye Richards - Teaching sound and light with the Nintendo Wii

5. Dave Spittal - things that can be achieved using cheap web cams in demonstrations (or similar)

6. Tom Dickson - How about me doing a session on using voting systems in the science class

7. Bob Kibble - 'Just a moment, aren't they simultaneous equations?' Impress your maths colleagues with wooden beams 

8. Drew Burrett - Using Glow in the Physics Classroom (ought to be up and running by then)

 

See below about Flashmeeting - the presenters will be video broadcast over the internet, live. To enable others to benefit from the event, it's possible to record the flashmeeting for later viewing. Not everyone is comfortable with this but it is more important that the event itself gets the benefit of you - if you'd rather not be recorded, please let Sinclair or Nick know and it will be quietly restricted to the live showing only.

 

Two minute nano presentations

 

Add your name

 

1. Drew Burrett - National Glow Group for Physics Teachers

2. Iain Lawrie - A cup of tea and a chocolate digestive (encouraging pupil engagement with Latent Heat) 

 

See above about recording of the flashmeeting.

 

Every Flashmeeting needs a Random Name Picker - it's traditional!

 

 

Enthusiastic Lurkers

 

add your name

 

1. Mark Robertson (Portlethen Academy)

2. Peter Darmady (Wick High School in the Glorious North!)

3. Adam Stevens (Also Wick High - maybe I can get a lift from ^him?)

4. Stuart Farmer (Robert Gordon's College, IOP, ASE etc)

5. Derek Noble (Plockton High School) - Good luck from the storm lashed west

6. Iain Lawrie (George Watson's College)  

7. Stuart Blair (Bladragon Academy) 

8. Lauren Boath (High School of Dundee)

9. Rhona Duncan (Menzieshill High)

10. Billy Reid (St. Maurice's High School, Cumbernauld)

11. Adrian Sudworth (Holy Rood High School, Edinburgh) 

12. Michael Walker (Robert Gordon's College)

13. Sean Duffy (Kirkcaldy High)

14. Neil Taylor (UoD)

15. Jennifer Kettle (St. Columba's, Perth)

16. Sarah Hewett (Kilgraston, Bridge of Earn)

17. Colin Oates (Kinross High School)

18. Craig McEwan (Robert Gordon's College)

 

Promises, promises

 

these people have told me they're planning to attend, subject to, etc., but haven't got round to editing themselves here. If you're one of these, register and edit this page to add yourself to the 7-minute list, the 2-minute list, or the Enthusiastic Lurkers above.

 

1. Sinclair Mackenzie (Thurso, subject to holidays, etc) added above - still subject to travel time
2. Dave Spittal (Kinross)
3. Tom Dickson (IoP, Fife Council) has put his hand up for many aspects of teachmeet:physics
4. Ollie Bray (Musselburgh Grammar) - added above, should be able to make it (still need to double check date)
5. Martin Cunningham (Queensferry)
6. Drew Barrett Burrett (Hermitage Academy) -  a (former) misspelt youth and born again 'Glow' evangelist
7. Graham Dane (St. Augustine's, Edinburgh)
8. James Cluckie (St.  Aloysuis' College)
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Flashmeeting

 

For those unable to attend in person, a Flashmeeting has been booked from 5.30-9.30.  Click on the following link to join in.  http://flashmeeting.e2bn.net/fm/a30412-4648  There is a limit of 25 participants (24 + 1 attendee from the actual meeting).  Please add your name below.  

 

A beginners' guide to using Flashmeeting is available here.

 

1. Nancy Hunter (Shetland)

2. Jan Lyne (Aberdeen)

3. Nick Forwood (Fortrose) 

4. J Rowing (East Anglia) 

5. Sohail Noor (Paisley) 

6. Danny Mallon (North Lanarkshire)

7. Jeannot Farmer (East Dunbartonshire)

8.  Allan Reid (Moray) 

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24. Neil Winton - Sorry I can't be there in person but I'm doing my residential GlowLearn training. All going well, I'm going to join the flash meeting from Stirling!

 

 

Notes:

• Flashmeeting is currently set to record proceedings.  We need to get permission from presenters to ensure this is ok with them, otherwise record function should be switched off before meeting starts.
• If we decide not to make the video/audio recording public, can we release the audio only as a podcast, perhaps?

 

 

TeachMeet: Physics - Glow Meet

 

Last minute plans for a Glow Meet feed (for Glow users only - sorry) in the National Staffroom Physics Teachers Glow Group.

 

Group access requests now on at - http://is.gd/nUXj

 

(thanks to Andrew Brown)

 

 

TeachEat

Thanks to Neil Winton for this:

 

Highly recommend the Manzil which is just a couple of minutes down the road from Dewars. It's the Indian we had a meal at after TeachMeet:Perth last year and is nicely central if folks are heading for trains... MAP HERE (Neil Winton)

 

Just looking at the list of attendees and, with significant numbers from Dundee, Aberdeen and further north, I reckon Perth would make better base for food than heading further south.  What do people think? (Sinclair)

 

Also need to start getting numbers for wherever we end up - the nice guys at Manzil can cope with fairly short notice. Nick will call them Wednesday with a best guess based upon the names below.

 

To help gauge interest, please add your name to the list if you'd like to come out for a meal afterwards.

1. Nick Hood

2. Sinclair Mackenzie

3. Jennifer Kettle 

4. Drew Burrett

5. Adrian Sudworth

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Accommodation

For those traveling distances unreasonable for making it home at a decent hour, some of us are prepared to offer overnight accomodation to a friendly physics (or guest!) teacher. Contact these people directly to arrange your space:

 

• Nick Hood (Rosyth)
• Dave Spittal (Kirkcaldy)

 

Sponsors and Bringeralongers

 

 

Without people to help out a teachmeet cannot happen, if you can provide something like a projector, a laptop, some beers, money, or simply be willing to help move tables and chairs around then please let us know. We're really grateful to the Institute of Physics for supporting the first ever Physics Teachmeet - and to the people participating, actively, passively or by proxy.

 

Ollie Bray - I can bring projector, laptop and Interactive voting system if we need them?

Dave Spittal - I could pick people up from local public transport and deliver to venue if needed

Tom Dickson - I can provide laptop(s), projector, refreshments.

Stuart Blair - Can provide transport to/from Dundee and bring along a set of portable (but quite powerful) speakers.

 

... yes, please, to all of the above. Nick Hood will try to be up there by about 4:30 to set things up. Going to try and do a recce beforehand to see what's available there.

 

Twitter

Follow updates in the run up to the event and during the evening on twitter.  Follow @tmphysics.