SayYes2Stem

Communication and Electrical Circuits

Sure, electricity powers our TVs, computers, and video games but it's actually integrated into our lives in so many more ways than we may even think. Where does it come from? How does it power our devices? What happens when the electricity runs out or we go somewhere it isn't?

The video below discusses the massive NY-area power outage of 2003. It is a great example of our dependence on electricity but can be a bit much for sensitive or otherwise anxious students. It's about 9 minutes long and the second half focuses on the electric grid more than electricity.

A short video from the USGS on how a drone and the drone team helped to rescue a man trapped by lava in Hawaii.

Circuit Creators Lesson Video

Click on the video below to hear Jon's story and learn how he is designing circuits to see through walls.

The file below contains teacher notes and discussion prompts to accompany the video.

Adept Advancement Discussion Prompts
File Size:	342 kb
File Type:	pdf

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Meet Some Entrepreneurs

Jon at Adept Advancements

The Electricity Song

Jon is more than just an engineer. He loves music and working with kids. The electricity song is just one example of this.

Here are the words to the electricity song by Jon Ashdown.

The Electricity Song by Jon Ashdown
File Size:	552 kb
File Type:	pdf

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Roy Allela and Sign-IO

We don't have a video with Roy but the folks at Timeless Black Excellence have put together a nice video summary.

Alexa Anthony and Magic AI

Unfortunately Magic-AI had to close their doors at the end of 2019, but there is a great article written by Alexa on what that was like and her plans for the future. It is a great example of learning from failure and not being afraid to "get back on the horse."

https://medium.com/@alexahanthony/the-end-of-an-era-7ff1fd215328

Additional Resources

Here are some of of our favorite online resources

Circuits, Electricity, and Communication
Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnnpLaKsqGU Video (2:27) on basics of an electrical circuit. You have the option of skipping a video before video starts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20Vb6hlLQSg Video (5:18 min) on energy generation and distribution.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxZ6AWLpnUw A fun video on static electricity demonstration (4:24 min, no ads).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-g73ty9v04 (3:50 min) A fun short video that illustrates many ways to save energy. This is a good starting point for a discussion on electricity and energy.

Websites

https://www.mitel.com/en-us/articles/history-telecommunication A good summary about the history of telecommunication (communication over long distances).
http://people.seas.harvard.edu/~jones/cscie129/images/history/chappe.html Pictures and information about optical semaphores.
https://www.teachmeaudio.com/mixing/techniques/audio-spectrum/ This is a cool website with different sounds for different levels on the audio spectrum.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_range The Wikipedia site for hearing range has a good table that describes the hearing range for a variety of animals.

Maps, Mapping, and Earth’s Geological Characteristics
Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KtPQis2L0c Good introduction to the structure of the Earth and the idea of plate tectonics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzpk9110Lyw A more sophisticated video on plate tectonics.