2014 Smithsonian Online Education Conference Series Presents: “How Things Fly”
The Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access is hosting a free online education conference for teachers and students March 12, where experts from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum will explain the two forces that enable things to fly: lift and thrust.
John Anderson Jr. and Michael Hulslander from the National Air and Space Museum will present “How Things Fly” Wednesday, March 12, at 1 p.m. EDT. They will discuss the differences between lift and thrust and why those two concepts are difficult to explain. Anderson and Hulslander also will explore many of the common misconceptions related to each force and will help students develop ideas about how lift and thrust act on an aircraft.
The March 12 conference is part of the monthly 2014 Smithsonian Online Education Conference Series, which provides an online space for teachers and students to engage with Smithsonian experts and make connections from textbooks to today’s world. Each online conference features a live Q&A and includes free digital-learning resources and teaching strategies that educators can use to explore cross-curricular lessons with their students. Two new short videos for students featuring Anderson will be released the day of the conference. The films detail how the Wright brothers documented their process. More information is available here.
The “How Things Fly” session will also introduce the “Aviator Ace” badge, the newest digital badging opportunity available to students through the Smithsonian Quests program, which supports self-directed, project-based learning that invites anywhere, anytime exploration.
About Smithsonian Institution
Founded in 1846, the Smithsonian is the world’s largest museum and research complex, consisting of 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park and nine research facilities. There are 6,300 Smithsonian employees and 6,500 volunteers. Approximately 30 million people from around the world visited the Smithsonian in 2013. The total number of objects, works of art and specimens at the Smithsonian is estimated at 137 million.
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