Saturday, February 2, 2013

CAMPGROUND TOILETS



You know it’s really cold when the vault toilet blows frigid air up through the seat onto your rear end! We awoke one day in Joshua Tree National Park to see a quarter inch of snow on the ground and to hear a cold wind blowing. Because we postpone adding anything to the blackwater  tank as long as possible, we dashed across the way to use the campground toilet instead. It was not a pleasant experience.

The range of toilets in primitive campgrounds is amazing. In Canada we once found a simple pit toilet that had whitewashed walls and a bouquet of fresh flowers in a vase on the shelf. Then there are the horrendous ones I don’t need to describe. Conditions depend mainly on the campers rather than on campground owners; only an ignorant person or slob steals toilet paper or leaves it on the floor, fails to clean up any messes, tosses trash in the toilet, or leaves the lid up on a vault toilet.

Because the conditions are unpredictable, I always prepare for the worst. I take along some toilet paper and a soapy washcloth or hand sanitizer to clean my hands. (It would be nice to take bleach and paper towels, too, but that would raise hob with the decomposition.)

Of course, a lot of these problems can be avoided by going to an expensive RV resort that has bathrooms with real plumbing, but usually we prefer cheaper, less formal places—even if it means taking a chance on the toilets. Besides, you haven’t lived until you have had your butt frozen!

Monday, January 28, 2013

ARE SCIENCE TEXTBOOKS OBSOLETE?



Will the iPad and other electronic tablets replace textbooks in science classrooms? Many people think so, not only those who make or sell the devices, but also some educators who believe textbooks are insufficient for modern students.

Certainly textbooks have a lot to answer for. The very word “textbookish” is pejorative, implying dullness and stilted language. The books are inevitably out of date by the time they are published, and much more so after five years (a typical replacement period). Unlike the World Wide Web, they have limited content. Most textbooks present science more as a body of knowledge rather than as a continuing process, so inquiry by students may be discouraged. Only a few scientists can be authors of any single book (though many may be involved as consultants). A teacher who wants to excite students and help them to carry out individual projects and explore topics in depth may find a tablet a more useful tool than a textbook.

Using the Web  presents other problems, though. Almost anyone who has tried to research a disease to learn its causes and treatment has been frustrated by trying to get a clear picture. Some information is so simplistic it is useless; other information is so technical the average layperson can’t understand it. Some sites are reliable sources, but others are filled with misinformation or dangerous advice. Anyone trying to learn about a subject on the Web gets little help with the stepwise progression textbooks provide. (For instance, can anyone who is ignorant of basic chemistry understand the structure of DNA?) In the time it can take to research one science topic on the Web, a student can read an entire chapter in a textbook.

Having spent half a century as a textbook writer and editor, I confess a fondness for real books. They can provide the inexperienced teacher with a curriculum and needed background information, and the student with relevant labs and field work. If created by scientists and science educators, they can successfully present the current thinking in a field. However, textbooks do have drawbacks that can be serious. If I were teaching, I would use a textbook from a reliable curriculum project, such as those sponsored by the National Science Foundation, for planning the curriculum and for assigned readings. To provide the latest information on a topic or to help students carry out individual projects, I would make use of the Web. Within a few years, tablets may be as ubiquitous as cell phones are now, but at present “traditional” computers can serve the purpose. This combination of textbooks and Web can give teachers and students the best of both worlds.