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<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Geneva" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Geneva;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;"><b>Hi Andy, and all,</b></font></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;"><b>I don't mind the IDEA of investigating the biological effect of biomags and cellphones - in fact it is a great idea to try to dispel psuedo-scientific claims in the classroom - we want to create scientifically literate and sceptical students, not ones that get caught up with the latest fear mongering. </b></font></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;"><b>However, as a research NCEA assessment for Level 1, I don't see them being easy topics for the students or teachers, and possibly not the right way to go about tackling such issues.</b></font></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;"><b>I have read on the internet a little about similar topics, and it isn't easy to separate the rubbish from the science, and I am used to reading scientific articles! So unless the students are well trained in spotting claims based on anedoctal evidence, and picking out good scientific studies from bad,  and/or are provided with a small handful of carefully vetted resources, I don't like the chances that the students will come up with the currently accepted scientific viewpoint. And if they conclude from their research something that is not scientifically correct because they read it in enough places, they will be far worse off, understanding wise, than they were when they started the project (even if we do give them NA for it to mark our lack of approval). A lot of work on the teachers
part, would be needed to make these examples a constructive learning task. Given that many of these standards will be taught by very busy non specialist physics teachers, it might be a big ask without a lot more guidance. </b></font></div>
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<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;"><b>Catherine Low</b></font></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;"><b>Rangi Ruru Girls' School</b></font></div>
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<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;"> </font></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;"> </font></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><a href="mailto:andydyson@actrix.co.nz"><font face="Geneva" size="+0" style="font-family:Geneva;font-size:10pt;"><b>andydyson@actrix.co.nz</b></font></a><font face="Geneva" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Geneva;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;"><b> writes:</b></font></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Geneva" size="-1" color="#000000" style="font-family:Geneva;font-size:9pt;color:#000000;background-color:#D0D0D0;">Hi all</font></div>
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<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Geneva" size="-1" color="#000000" style="font-family:Geneva;font-size:9pt;color:#000000;background-color:#D0D0D0;">Just up on tki</font></div>
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<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><a href="http://www.tki.org.nz/e/community/ncea/sciences-lvl1.php" target="_blank"><font face="Geneva" size="-1" style="font-family:Geneva;font-size:9pt;background-color:#D0D0D0;">http://www.tki.org.nz/e/community/ncea/sciences-lvl1.php</font></a></div>
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<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Geneva" size="-1" color="#000000" style="font-family:Geneva;font-size:9pt;color:#000000;background-color:#D0D0D0;">draft resources for the new internal assessments for Science.</font></div>
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<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Geneva" size="-1" color="#000000" style="font-family:Geneva;font-size:9pt;color:#000000;background-color:#D0D0D0;">One of the Physics ones will not work.</font></div>
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<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Geneva" size="-1" color="#000000" style="font-family:Geneva;font-size:9pt;color:#000000;background-color:#D0D0D0;">1.2A looks at current drawn in a parallel circuit with 2, 4 and8 ohm</font></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Geneva" size="-1" color="#000000" style="font-family:Geneva;font-size:9pt;color:#000000;background-color:#D0D0D0;">resistors from a power pack. Have you got these resistors? Think 12V and</font></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Geneva" size="-1" color="#000000" style="font-family:Geneva;font-size:9pt;color:#000000;background-color:#D0D0D0;">2ohms and power! Was this one really trialled?</font></div>
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<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Geneva" size="-1" color="#000000" style="font-family:Geneva;font-size:9pt;color:#000000;background-color:#D0D0D0;">Two of the Physics ones are about garbage.</font></div>
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<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Geneva" size="-1" color="#000000" style="font-family:Geneva;font-size:9pt;color:#000000;background-color:#D0D0D0;">1.2B is entitled "Are Biomags Dangerous?" and attempts to look at the</font></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Geneva" size="-1" color="#000000" style="font-family:Geneva;font-size:9pt;color:#000000;background-color:#D0D0D0;">biological effects of magnetic fields. And this is serious Physics in New</font></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Geneva" size="-1" color="#000000" style="font-family:Geneva;font-size:9pt;color:#000000;background-color:#D0D0D0;">Zealand? I do hope the rest of the world doesn't hear about this!</font></div>
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<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Geneva" size="-1" color="#000000" style="font-family:Geneva;font-size:9pt;color:#000000;background-color:#D0D0D0;">1.3B is entitled "Are Cell Phones Dangerous?" and wonders if the radiation</font></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Geneva" size="-1" color="#000000" style="font-family:Geneva;font-size:9pt;color:#000000;background-color:#D0D0D0;">from cellphones has a biological effect. And this is Physics?</font></div>
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<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Geneva" size="-1" color="#000000" style="font-family:Geneva;font-size:9pt;color:#000000;background-color:#D0D0D0;">Can we have a Chemistry standard involving fluoride in drinking water?</font></div>
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<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Geneva" size="-1" color="#000000" style="font-family:Geneva;font-size:9pt;color:#000000;background-color:#D0D0D0;">And what about Biology standards about Intelligent Design or vaccines and</font></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Geneva" size="-1" color="#000000" style="font-family:Geneva;font-size:9pt;color:#000000;background-color:#D0D0D0;">autism?</font></div>
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<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Geneva" size="-1" color="#000000" style="font-family:Geneva;font-size:9pt;color:#000000;background-color:#D0D0D0;">Why is it only Physics that gets the crank crap stuff?</font></div>
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<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Geneva" size="-1" color="#000000" style="font-family:Geneva;font-size:9pt;color:#000000;background-color:#D0D0D0;">Andy Dyson,</font></div>
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<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Geneva" size="-1" color="#000000" style="font-family:Geneva;font-size:9pt;color:#000000;background-color:#D0D0D0;">Kerikeri</font></div>
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<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Geneva" size="-1" color="#000000" style="font-family:Geneva;font-size:9pt;color:#000000;background-color:#D0D0D0;">Phys-teach-talk mailing list</font></div>
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