STEM BLOG

Hey kids! I am setting up a BLOG section here on the STEM site to keep you informed of cool STEM stuff that I am doing. I'm also posting on my class Twitter: @WESPittCrew

3/20/17

I am SUPER excited because I am heading to Los Angeles the last week of March for a STEM: On the Farm event sponsored by the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture. While I am gone I will be updating the Blog with info, photos, and hopefully some videos as well!

3/26/17

I'm leaving, on a jet plane....

My California adventure began yesterday (Saturday) when I left the big city of Maryville to head west. My flight went through Newark Airport (New Jersey), which I must admit is not my favorite for transfer flights, but I successfully (barely) made my connection. All was good. I am heading to LA a few days before the On the Farm experience because my cousin and her family live there, so I am going to visit them. My plan is to get some fun "tourist" photos for you!

For my inflight entertainment from New Jersey to Los Angeles I got to catch up on two movies I've been wanting to see-- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and La La Land (seemed appropriate as I was heading to LA)

Flying in to LA is always cool as long as it isn't too cloudy (or smoggy the closer to downtown that you get).

I got a couple shots of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range-- 5th grade: These are the mountains you talked about during your study of the Transcontinental Railroad!

My flight actually landed early, which is always good. When my cousin picked me up we headed to my favorite fast food restaurant out west (In N Out)-- this is tradition- always my first stop after the airport! We also witnessed a car fire on the freeway-- never a dull moment! Saturday night was low-key, although we did have a pretty intense game of CLUE (which I won!) My cousin's family has 2 dogs (Bella and Prince), 2 cats (Willie and Cariba), and 3 birds. Oh, and a goldfish! I call it the zoo. While here I am staying in Mae's room-- she's in 4th grade and has a LOT of stuffed animals... There's barely room for me!

OK, on to some more interesting stuff. Today my cousin, Jessica, her husband, Thom, and their daughter Mae, and I headed to Hollywood. Never fear kids-- I was not discovered by some famous director and whisked off for a movie shoot. (To quote the former governor of California, "I'll be back!") We had a lot of fun and I got to see some stuff I haven't been to see in about 15 years. This includes the Hollywood Sign and Grauman's Chinese Theatre (where lots of famous stars have left handprints and footprints in the concrete). Today I learned that my feet are the same size as Daniel "Harry Potter" Radcliffe's (at least the size his were in 2007 when they signed the concrete).

This evening we went to Redondo Beach for some time at the Pacific Ocean. It is a beautiful area-- the water is a LOT colder than the Atlantic, though!

Tomorrow we are going to have lunch with Thom. He works at 20th Century Fox Studios-- I've been promised a tour! More then!

#wallandisremarkable #goindians #travellingwithmrspitt #BeefingUpSTEM2017

3/27/17

Today has been a busy day! My cousin and I went to Twentieth Century Fox studios where my cousin's husband works. Thom took us on a tour around the lot. We got to see the buildings where a lot of movies and TV shows are filmed. We also saw some sets that they use in various filmings. (Anyone watch Bones? I saw the outside of the set they use for the diner scenes!)

I also got to see some cool costumes from movies including Hidden Figures, XMen, and Edward Scissorhands! Side note: Johnny Depp is TINY!

Simpsons! Who's a fan of Bart, Homer, Marge, etc? That's 20th Century Fox! They are everywhere here.

Back MANY years ago Shirley Temple was an actress that made movies for 20th Century Fox as a young child. They built a house for her on set where she could stay while filming. When she lived there she also had a field and a pony (the field is now a road and other building).

After leaving Thom to do some work we headed to pick up my cousin's daughter, Mae, at school. She is in 4th grade. It was VERY interesting seeing her school. All "hallways" are outside. All classrooms open to the outdoor halls, and all backpacks are kept on pegs OUTSIDE! (They don't get a lot of rain, remember.)

From there it was time for me to check in at my hotel and get ready for my first meeting and dinner with the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture group. The first man I met was actually one of the speakers. His name is Mike Williams and he is a real life COWBOY! He is a BIG man and had on a hat that would probably take up my entire head! He was crazy nice and was very interested in what was happening in East Tennessee.

I talked to him about STEM and how we have discussed how technology is now a part of every occupation. He told me some really interesting technology things he uses in the cattle industry. One thing I thought was really cool are ear tags that keep a constant measurement of the cow's temperature. This helps ranchers know if the cow is sick even before it shows any symptoms.

He also discussed genetic science that ranchers use. They can figure out which traits in specific cattle that they want, and how to breed them to get the best possible cow/ meat. He told me that no other country can compare with the cattle in the US. Ours are bigger, and have much better quality of meat. He is a firm believer in treating animals humanely. He feels if you take care of the animal,and the land, then they will take care of you in the long term. #sustainability

Oh, and he also told me he is really thinking about getting a drone! He explained that a lot of his land where the cattle graze is mountainous. "You can wear a horse out quickly trying to track down the cows!" He wants a drone to help him save time locating his cattle on his land. A GREAT idea, I think!

I admitted to him that I do not have a lot of cattle ranch knowledge. I told him that I taught 5th grade social studies for many years and that our curriculum included the cattle drives, and then the railroad and how that ended the way of life for many cowboys. Then we get into the Industrial Revolution and the invention of the refrigerated railcar making it easier (and cheaper) to transport meat to places (like big cities) where it was harder to get fresh meat. He was impressed that elementary school kids are learning that history and it's importance. He told me that all of that led to striving for better quality of meat also.

Basically I have had dinner with this group and already learned a LOT. Tomorrow is chock full of travelling to ranches and talking to experts. Can't wait to fill you in on everything I learn!

#wallandisremarkable #goindians #travellingwithmrspitt #BeefingUpSTEM2017

3/28/17

Today has been a LONG day! Breakfast began at 6am! From there we boarded our bus and headed north. (Of course I wore my Walland red and represented!) #goIndians

Our first stop was Tejon Ranch. WOW! What an amazing and beautiful place! I must admit, before today I knew VERY little about cattle ranching-- but thanks to Seth Scribner (cowboy/ civil engineer), I have learned a TREMENDOUS amount! I am still processing all that we covered today, and plan to tell you guys ALL about it when I get back! For now, enjoy some photos of this BEAUTIFUL land!

California Aqueduct-- drought is a real issue and concern here

Seth also showed us how they monitor the growth on the ranch-- a process called residual dry matter measurement. (This reminded me of activities you all have done with Mrs. Green!)

We then had an INCREDIBLE lunch provided by the Kern County Cattlewomen Association at the Wind Wolves Preserve. They had a cut of beef I had never heard of-- tri-tip cut. We also had lots of fruit-- a lot of grapes and citrus fruit is also grown in this area. (We even passed where the Cuties are grown-- my photo wasn't great). The location of lunch was outside and gorgeous!

We were also shown how cattle are herded and moved around the ranch, and how they are loaded for moving. We were even herded around in the corrals.

Once back on the road we saw more citrus crops, alfalfa, grapes, and even some oil drilling!

Our next stop was Animal Health International. This is essentially a pharmacy for "food animals." They have HUGE supplies of various medicines and treatments for these animals.

Tonight we are staying at the Padre Hotel in Bakersfield, CA. It is an older building, but super nice and "hip" on the inside. But I have to say,out of all of my travelling this is one of the most unusual rooms ever. The shower is pretty much in the middle of the room. You enter the shower in the bathroom (as normal), but the opposite wall of the shower is glass- looking out into the room. So you can see the shower from your bed and the bed from the shower! Bizarre!

Next up was PICKLED COW TONGUE... I'll pause here for your groans...

I also do not consider myself a tongue eater, but I did try it. Certainly not the worst thing I have ever had, but also not really my gig.

Next up was the strangest grouping of food ever-- salad, fried chicken, corn, more tri-tip beef, spaghetti, and french fries. I laughed, telling those around me that spaghetti and french fries would be my daughter's dream meal. We also had a really nice sherbert for dessert. This place was definitely an experience!

So that was Tuesday! Y'all, I'm exhausted! I am heading to bed where I will stare at the shower until I fall asleep... ha ha! Can't wait to be back and share with you all everything I am learning. I know you may not believe me-- but being a student has been really fun this week!

#wallandisremarkable #goindians #travellingwithmrspitt #BeefingUpSTEM2017

Once again, water and irrigation is a huge issue at this ranch. Remember, California often does not received a lot of rain. At Harris Ranch the annual yearly rainfall is 5 inches or less! They use the California Aqueduct system, but also pump water from underground. This causes stress to their electrical systems. They have tried alternative energy sources such as solar and wind power, but there are issues there too. Because of the dry climate, the solar panels get very dusty quickly and would require constant cleaning. Wind energy is too costly to harvest.

"I think using animals for food is an ethical thing to do, but we've got to do it right. We've got to give those animals a decent life, and we've got to give them a painless death. We owe the animal respect."

—Temple Grandin

For most of the time on this trip we were on a bus. We did a lot of our learning and discussions on the bus. Our leaders (Angela and Audrey) shared a lot of information and resources we can use. Teachers LOVE resources, like the meat picture cards!

You know how a lot of times when you get done with a lesson or project in class teachers have you "reflect" on what you learn? Sometimes you might have a class discussion, other times it might just be a "Think-Pair-Share." Well, at learning events such as this, teachers also do a lot of reflecting. Angela referred to this as "Wringing out the sponge," which I like. I truly felt like my sponge (BRAIN) was full, and there was no way I could add any more to it until it was wrung out.

We had a great reflection/ wringing out session at the hotel that night. We went around to large sheets of paper and wrote all of our ideas we are bringing back to the classroom with us. We also had paper to write questions we still had. Angela is planning a webinar for all the teachers from this trip in May so we can further reflect and follow up on our questions.

We had one more AMAZING dinner that night. Before we ate, the chef from the hotel came to discuss different cuts of beef, their handling, and how the cattle ranch industry affects him and what he does. It was very interesting. I had one more steak for dinner (seemed appropriate), and this was probably the best yet. Honestly though, I don't think I will want any kind of beef for about 6 months after this trip! #toomuchsteak

So, dear students, what I want you to understand is that STEM is everywhere! We have discussed how in essentially any career you want to pursue, technology (at the very least) will be required. Math, science, and engineering tend to be in most jobs as well, but may be "hidden" so you don't even realize sometimes that is what you are doing. The rancher I spoke with the first evening I was at the conference (Mike Williams) made the comment that if someone had explained that the way he counts his cattle and figures up how much feed he needs and how much beef they will produce was actually algebra, he would have paid more attention! STEM is the real world! So, PAY ATTENTION!

#wallandisremarkable #goindians #travellingwithmrspitt #BeefingUpSTEM2017

3/30/17-3/31/17

Just for fun I will enlighten you about my (extended) journey home. I had absolutely zero problems getting from LA to Chicago. I walked out the hotel that AM and straight on to the airport shuttle-- NO waiting! I should have known it was too good to last!

In Chicago my flight was supposed to leave at 5:30. DELAYED! This was annoying, but not a huge issue as I would still get home at fairly reasonable time. Well, my flight was then delayed 6 more times before being cancelled altogether around 11pm central time (Midnight here). This is why I was not at school on Friday. I will spare you all the tragic details, but eventually the airline did provide passengers with hotel rooms and meal vouchers (although there was NOWHERE open to eat at this time).

Once again, I had an interesting room situation. No shower in the middle of the room with a glass wall, but I did have a conference table, couch, and a Murphy bed. (These are those beds you see in movies sometimes that pull down from the wall). Obviously this was a room the hotel also used for meetings. Waking up and seeing a conference table first thing is an odd experience.

Speaking of waking up, I was awoken by my phone buzzing with a text message telling me that my new flight home was delayed (shock!) and thus I would miss my connection back to Knoxville. At this point I was close to screaming. I just wanted to be home!

Luckily the nice ladies at customer service found one seat available on a direct flight to Knoxville that afternoon. My cousin, who was travelling back with me to visit our grandma, was lucky enough to be on the top of the standby list AND was the only person added to the flight right before we left.

I don't think either of us have EVER been so happy to be back in Tennessee!

#wallandisremarkable #goindians #travellingwithmrspitt #BeefingUpSTEM2017