Reinventing Morse:
Build Your Own Telegraph
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| Retrace the steps of Morse and
other inventors as you build a device that works as a telegraph (sounder),
a buzzer, and an electrical relay. Learn about electromagnetism,
electricity, forces, energy, the scientific method, and principles of
communication as you experiment with this kit. |
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Take Text Messaging to a Whole New
Level!
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| This kit is designed to
teach concepts of Science, Technology, and History with lessons that are
aligned to the National Science Educational Standards as well as the
Standards for Technological Literacy. Students learn with hands-on
inquiry based experiments as they find out how a telegraph works by
retracing the steps of Morse and build their own working Telegraph.
Experiments are suited to
elementary, middle-school, and high school level science and technology
classes with extension activities for history and social studies as well
as optional probeware extension activities. (teachers or parents may
pick and choose the appropriate exercises from the included manual to fit
their grade level, subject area, or curriculum focus)
This kit is sold as an individual
item (that can service up to four students in the classroom or for one or
more students as a science fair experiment) and as a classroom set with
Teacher Guides (includes 8 bulb kits and teacher guides in order to
service up to 32 students).
Probeware activities are also
included for those teachers with access to probeware technology in their
classroom or lab. |
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Improvements over other ways of
teaching these concepts
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| It has been shown that
students learn more and retain more knowledge about science by performing
hands-on experiments. This kit teaches electromagnetism by putting
it into a working context, that of a telegraph. Students learn that
the idea of "text messaging" is nothing new and that communication is
dependent on the use of symbols. Students become excited by sending
messages across the classroom or even between classes. The device is
also designed to improve a teachers experience with this kind of lab.
With a built in arbor for winding coils students can produce a well wound
coil with less wire and than in less time than by doing it by hand.
As a result teachers can save money on wire and time in the classroom that
can now be focused on the science instead of the act of winding a coil.
Depending on grade level there are many different types of experiments and
data sets that are possible. Students can vary the type, length,
diameter, of the of the wire used in the coil and study the effect it has
on magnetic field strength. At higher grade levels students can
gather data to calculate magnetic field strength and relate it to voltage
and current levels. |
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Topics Taught by this Kit
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- Electromagnetism
- Simple Circuits
- How a Sounder (clicker) works
- How a Buzzer works
- How an Electrical Relay works
- Effect of the length of wire on magnetic field strength
- Encoding messages (Morse code)
- Communication Systems
- Forces and Motion (strength of the electromagnet)
- History of the Telegraph and Morse
- Invention and the Inventive Process
- Optional Probeware Extensions
- Optional Science Fair Experiments
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Science Fair Uses of this Kit
Reinventing Science
Kits are designed to not only work in the classroom or for the home
school, but they also work as science fair experiments. Instructions
are included to help students and parents do extensive experimentation
with the kit and create data tables that support or disprove their
hypothesis. The working bulb also makes for a very interesting
display piece to demonstrate to judges and teachers. Some examples
of science fair experiments that are possible with this kit are |
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- Effect of wire length on magnetic field strength
- Effect of wire diameter on magnetic field strength
- Effect of wire type on magnetic field strength
- Ohm's law and an electromagnet
- Effect of Voltage level on magnetic field strength
- How a communications system works (key, relay, sounder)
- Longest distance you can transmit a message
- Building an ultra-low-voltage relay
- Measuring magnetic field strength
- How a buzzer works
- Creating an encoding system, your own Morse Code
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Standards Addressed By This Kit
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National Science Education Standards
- Science as Inquiry Standards [K-12, 5-8, 9-12: Content Standard A]
- 5-8: Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
- 5-8: Understanding about Scientific Inquiry
- 9-12: Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
- 9-12: Understanding about scientific inquiry
- Physical Science Standards [K-12, 5-8, 9-12: Content Standard B]
- K-4: Properties of objects and materials
- K-4: Light, heat, electricity, and magnetism
- 5-8: Properties and changes of properties in matter
- 5-8: Transfer of energy
- 9-12: Structure and properties of matter
- 9-12: Conservation of energy and increase in disorder
- 9-12: Interactions of energy and matter
- Science and Technology Standards [K-12, 5-8, 9-12: Content Standard E]
- K-4: Abilities to distinguish between natural objects
and objects made by humans
- K-4: Abilities of technological design
- K-4: Understanding about science and technology
- 5-8: Abilities of technological design
- 5-8: Understanding about science and technology
- 9-12: Abilities of technological design
- 9-12: Understanding about science and technology
- Science in Personal and Social Perspectives [K-12, 5-8, 9-12: Content
Standard F]
- K-4: Science and technology in local challenges
- 5-8: Risks and benefits
- 5-8: Science and technology in society
- 9-12: Science and technology in local, national, and
global challenges
- History and Nature of Science Standards [K-12, 5-8, 9-12: Content
Standard G]
- K-4: Science as a human endeavor
- 5-8: Science as a human endeavor
- 5-8: History of Science
- 9-12: Science as a human endeavor
- 9-12: Historical perspectives
Standards for Technological Literacy
- 1 The Characteristics and Scope of Technology
- 3-5: Tools, Materials, and Skills
- 3-5: Creative Thinking
- 6-8: Usefulness of Technology
- 6-8: Development of Technology
- 6-8: Human Creativity and Motivation
- 9-12: Nature of Technology
- 9-12: Commercialization of technology
- 2 The Core Concepts of Technology
- 3-5: Systems, Requirements, Processes
- 6-8: Systems, Requirements, Processes, Controls
- 9-12: Systems, Requirements, Processes, Controls,
Optimization and Trade-offs
- 3 The Relationships among Technologies and the Connections between
Technology and Other Fields
- 3-5: Relationships between technology and other fields
of study
- 6-8: Interaction of systems
- 6-8: Knowledge from other fields of study and
technology
- 9-12: Innovation and Invention
- 9-12: Knowledge Protection and Patents
- 9-12: Technological Knowledge and advances of science
and mathematics and vice versa
- 4 The Cultural, Social, Economic, and Political Effects of Technology
- 6-8: Attitudes toward development and use
- 6-9: Influences on economy, politics, and culture
- 9-12: Rapid or Gradual Changes
- 9-12: Cultural, Social, Economic, and Political Change
- 5 The Effects of Technology on the Environment
- 3-5: Affects environment in good and bad ways
- 9-12: Conservation
- 9-12: Reduce resource use
- 9-12: Reduce negative consequences of technology
- 6 The Role of Society in the Development and Use of Technology
- K-2: Needs and Wants of Individuals
- 3-5: Changing needs and wants
- 3-5: Expansion or limitation of development
- 6-8: Development driven by demands, values, and
interests
- 6-8 Inventions and innovations
- 6-8: Social and Cultural priorities
- 6-8: Acceptance and use of products and systems
- 9-12: Factors affecting designs and demands of
technologies
- 7 The Influence of Technology on History
- K-2: Influence of Technology on History
- 3-5: Tools for food, clothing, and protection
- 6-8: Processes of invention and innovation
- 6-8: Evolution of techniques, measurement, and
resources
- 6-8: Technological and Scientific Knowledge
- 9-12: Evolutionary development of technology
- 9-12: History of Technology
- 9-12: The Industrial Revolution
- 9-12: The Information Age
- 8 The Attributes of Design
- 6-8: Design leads to useful products and systems
- 6-8: There is no perfect design
- 6-8: Requirements
- 9-12: Design problems are usually not clear
- 9-12: Designs need to be refined
- 9-12: Requirements
- 9 Engineering Design
- 3-5: Creativity in considering all ideas
- 6-8: Modeling, Testing, Evaluating, and Modifying
- 9-12: Design principles
- 9-12: Factors in Engineering Design
- 10 The Role of Troubleshooting, Research and Development, Invention and
Innovation, and Experimentation in Problem Solving
- 3-5: Troubleshooting, Invention and Innovation,
Experimentation
- 6-8: Troubleshooting, Invention and Innovation,
Experimentation
- 9-12: Researching technological problems
- 12 Use and Maintain Technological Products and Systems
- K-2: Discover how things work
- K-2: Recognize and use everyday symbols
- 3-5: Follow-step-by-step instructions
- 3-5: Select and safely use tools
- 3-5: Use computers to access and organize information
- 3-5: Use common symbols
- 6-8: Use information to see how things work
- 6-8: Use computers and calculators
- 6-8 Operate systems
- 9-12: Diagnose a malfunctioning system
- 9-12: Troubleshoot and maintain systems
- 9-12: Operate and maintain systems
- 9-12: Use computers to communicate
- 13 Assess the Impact of Products and Systems
- 6-8: Design and use instruments to collect data
- 6-8: Use collected data to find trends
- 6-8: Interpret and evaluate accuracy of information
- 9-12: collect information and judge its quality
- 9-12: Synthesize data to draw conclusions
- 16 Energy and Power Technologies
- 3-5: Energy comes in different forms
- 3-5: Tools, Machines, Products, and Systems use energy
to do work
- 6-8: Energy can be used to do work using many processes
- 6-8: Power is the rate at which energy is converted
from one form to another
- 9-12: Energy Sources
- 9-12: Power systems are a source, a process, and a load
- 17 Information and Communication Technologies
- 3-5: Processing information
- 3-5: Communication
- 3-5: Symbols
- 6-8: Information and communication systems
- 6-8: Communication systems encode, transmit, and
receive information
- 6-8: Factors influencing the design of a message
- 9-12: Parts of information and communication systems
- 9-12: Information and communication systems
- 9-12: Communication systems and sub-systems
- 9-12: Communicating through symbols
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