Final Video Ethnography from Nathaniel Brinlee on Vimeo.

• Resnick and Aristotle – Academics and the Need for Motivation
• Groundwork p.299
• Project STEEM – Lego Robotics exercise
• Analysis of Solar-Powered Generator schematic
• Analyzing the Field Research Project Design
• Analysis of the Research Site

Field notes (2)

• My Industrial Engineering class
• PhD Students (Commerce Week on Writing)
• Writing Local History (Commerce Week on Writing)

Project STEEM Material (from my own participation in X-TEEMS Academy)

Summer Camp

• Schedules for activities throughout both weeks of camp (3.a.i)

Week 1

Physics Lab

• sheet of paper from the bed of nails (3.a.ii.3)

Egg Bungee Jump

• activity guidelines (3.a.ii.2)

Math Population

• Math applied to population biology (3.a.ii.1)
• Demonstrating the spread of a rumor (3.a.ii.2)
• The mathematics of voting (3.a.ii.1)

Newspaper

• Activity guidelines (3.a.ii.2)

Cryptography

• Cryptography in the Internet (3.a.ii.1)
• Cryptography test (3.a.ii.2)
• Cryptography ciphers and encryptions (3.a.ii.1)
• Encryption and Decryption activity (3.a.ii.2)
• Relative frequency plot of various texts (3.a.ii.2)

Wind Tunnel

• Observing airflow (3.a.ii.1)
• Airfoil Theory (3.a.ii.1)
• Replica of Wright Brother’s Wind Tunnel (3.a.ii.1)
• Design and Implementation of Portable Wind Tunnel (3.a.ii.1)
• Home-Made Wind Tunnel (3.a.ii.1)
• Building a Wind Tunnel Laboratory (3.a.ii.2)

Biodiesel

• Experiment and Procedure (3.a.ii.1)

Planetarium Tour

• Constellations diagram (3.a.ii.1)

Guest Speaker: Jeana Yeager

• Biography and Information (3.a.ii.1)

Week 2

Holograms

• Explanation (3.a.ii.1)
• Procedure (3.a.ii.2)

Tadpoles

• Explanation (3.a.ii.1)
• Effects of Anesthetic (3.a.ii.1)
• Experiment (3.a.ii.2)
• Sketch of Tadpole from Microscopic view (3.a.ii.3)

Golden Mean Theory

• Explanation (3.a.ii.1)
• References for Additional Readings (3.a.ii.1)

CD Hovercraft

• Building procedure (3.a.ii.2)

Flame Experiment

• Material Safety Data Sheet for “Lamplight Ultra-Pure Lamp Oil” (3.a.ii.1)

Geometry

• Explanations of Pick’s Theorem and Green’s Theorem (3.a.ii.1)
• Practice examples (3.a.ii.2)
• Application of Theorems (3.a.ii.2)

GPS Scavenger Hunt

• FAQ about Geocaching (3.a.ii.1)
• How to use GPS unit (3.a.ii.1)

Electroencephalography

• Explanation and procedure (3.a.ii.2)

Karate Chop Physics

• Explanation and procedure (3.a.ii.2)

My team’s personal work

Paperwork (3.b.i) 

• Team Research Proposal

Research and Development (3.b.ii) 

• Initial ideas for project
• Idea for potato cannon
• Sketches for potential potato cannon project
• Financial detail for items needed to build Solar-Powered Generator

Pictures, Diagrams, Articles, Misc. Objects (3.b.iii)

• Solar Water Heating article from “Texas CO-OP Power”
• Solar-Powered Generator

Some articles and artifacts are on my computer or on my blog, and I will pull them into my research portfolio as I need them and/or print them.

Research Portfolio – Categories

1)      Personal Class Notes and Exercises (excluding material in the blog)

2)      Field notes

3)      Project STEEM Material (from my own participation in X-TEEMS Academy)

a)      Summer Camp

i)        Schedules for activities throughout both weeks of camp

ii)       Activity material

(1)    Definitions, theories, explanations

(2)    Application

(3)    Pictures, misc. objects

b)      My team’s personal work

i)        Paperwork

ii)       Research

iii)     Pictures, diagrams, magazine articles, misc. objects

Dr. Elam began the class period with a review for a test on the next day. He says, “We spent 3 days on the simplex method, so I expect it to go really well.” Then he situates the projector to show us something on eCollege, and while he is occupied, many students begin chatting again. He also tells us, “I’ve done everything I can to help all of you, but some of you have dug yourselves into pretty big holes. Now, you’re gonna have to dig yourselves out.” He also asked, “Why are we here? In college, what is our goal?” The class tries guessing “Education!” and “Mom made me!,” among other things. He then tells us, “To make money. You come to college to get education, to get a job, and finally, get more money.” This reminds me of Aristotle’s philosophy that everyone’s actions are based on their pursuit of happiness. By this mentality, it seems that engineers are “in it for the money,” and this makes me wonder how Dr. Elam would explain the ambition of teachers.

After reviewing for the test, we moved on to the lecture for the next chapter. For the most part, the students showed the same behavior as they did during the previous lecture. This time, I noticed somebody was “resting.” He had laid his head down when the lecture had gotten slow and the material was easy. I also noticed that after every time he finished an explanation or solved a problem, he stepped back and looked over his work, asked if we had questions, and then gave an example of how the theorem or equation might not work in certain situations.

While explaining compound interest and how banks handle the extra decimals, Dr. Elam referenced the movie Office Space. I laughed because I love that movie and he effectively used it to explain the issue. I later thought about the movie and who likes it – I noticed that a lot of math- and computer-oriented people like the movie, while a lot of people who were studying education told me they thought the movie was boring. It’s funny to think that interest in the various areas of study might affect which movies one enjoys most.

I am researching Project STEEM in particular because I participated in it during my senior year of high school. It reinforced my interests in math and science, introduced new aspects and technologies of both, helped me organize my college plans, and even helped me grow socially. My main research question is: What is the impact of educational programs on the schools, community, and students involved?

According to Project STEEM’s official website http://orgs.tamu-commerce.edu/steem/default.asp, the university received $1,500,000 from the Greater Texas Foundation to promote interest and learning in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Education & Math. The grant funded two projects starting in 2007: Infinity Institute and X-TEEMS Academy. Unfortunately, the grant could only support three years of the program, so this is the final year.

The official website declares in a sort of thesis statement for the purpose of the program that “it is known that math and science test scores of students across the US have remained low and essentially unchanged for the past 10 years. Ineffective teaching methods and low student interest (very reflective of  Yancey’s research), especially within the Science, Technology, Engineering, Education, and Math (STEEM) disciplines, contribute to the low scores of US students. In this project, teachers’ and students’ interests and attitudes towards STEEM disciplines will be transformed, and the effects of these changes will be determined in a variety of ways. By exposing math and science instructors to different teaching methods and having them implement these methods, and at the same time spark the interest of students through various activities, the low scores and students’ attitude can be transformed.” This is the basis of my own historical research; I will look into the literacies of math and science and how they have developed throughout the years. I will also explore how Project STEEM has influenced the literacy of the students involved.

The website continues: “Math and science teachers and students from 6th through 12th grades will be selected from ten rural and financially disadvantaged school districts. The teachers will be exposed to various project-based learning approaches under the supervision of TAMU-Commerce professors. The students will be involved in various activities (some of high intensity) that are designed to spark interests in the STEEM disciplines; they include: in-class lectures, dry and wet lab experiments, and science-based team building activities. The effects of these activities on the achievement of students at different levels will be determined. In addition, a group of twenty-six high achieving high school students from east Texas rural and financially disadvantaged schools will participate in an intense summer science program and their interest in science monitored over a 3-year period. Activities include instruction in STEEM areas, with an emphasis on biomathematics, by university professors and graduate teaching assistants. The students will be involved in various laboratory exercises, science-based team building activities, and field trips to industrial labs, including Texas Instruments (Dallas), and Tyco Industries, and university research labs, including, The University of Texas at Dallas, and The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. It is believed that early and extended exposure of students to these types of activities can also change their interests and attitudes towards STEEM disciplines.” While this states the focus and procedure of Project STEEM, it also provides me with some select groups to focus on in my research. To study these students, I plan to post surveys and request for interviews from a few students I know personally and the alumni in the online community. Some of the questions I could use are:

• “How has Project STEEM affected your education? Social life?”
• “Why did you join Project STEEM?”
• “How do you view math and science? Academics in general? Did Project STEEM affect your perspective of such things?”

I could also speak with a few people who didn’t participate in Project STEEM and ask questions such as:

• “Have you heard of Project STEEM? How?” (I need to look into anything promoting STEEM, such as advertisements and flyers)
• If so, “Do you wish you could’ve participated?”

I have spoken to the director of Project STEEM, Dr. Kerri O’Connor, and she has given me permission to use the official website and the photo galleries posted on the site. She also informed me of the online social community for Project STEEM alumni.

I will study the photo and video galleries posted on the official website, observe the online community for alumni and ask how STEEM has affected the students personally, and attend any STEEM events I can attend. For example, the X-TEEMS Academy will have their Expo Day sometime in the fall to review the progress of the individual teams. Also, the coordinator of Project STEEM, Mrs. Margaret Laws, will be going to Wolfe City to attend that school’s X-TEEM project development meeting once they receive their shipment of solar panels. She has invited me to join her when she goes so I can study the group and their progress. In all of my research, I will examine trends in student activity and the use of specific literacy skills and devices, such as apprenticeship models.

 I plan to use my research to promote educational programs, examine the academic ambition and success of the students involved. I also want to study the key literacy devices implemented in the program such as co-apprenticeship and the use of specific technologies (Kathleen Yancey), educational background (Deborah Brandt), and modes of literacy (Lauren Resnick).

By researching the impact of Project STEEM, we can see the effect of educational programs in general. These programs encourage students to explore and achieve in the fields they study, as well as help them to grow personally. Project STEEM is a part of Texas A&M University-Commerce and thus affects the students in the surrounding community. Looking at impact of Project STEEM on the community of Commerce will benefit the Commerce Writes Research Project.

Draft for Permission Request Form

—————————————————————————

Nathaniel Brinlee

Email (preferred): nbrinlee@leo.tamu-commerce.edu

Cell phone number: (903) 360-3907

I understand that I am being interviewed and recorded for an ethnographic research project conducted by Nathaniel Brinlee for English 102 at Texas A&M University-Commerce taught by Dr. Shannon Carter. I agree to let him/her use the interview to write a paper for the class. It will not be used for any other purpose. I have been informed that if I become uncomfortable at any time during the interview, I do not have to answer questions and can ask to end the interview. I am aware that I can request that a pseudonym be used. I understand that by signing this form, I give permission for the interview to be used for the purposes stated above.

Do you agree to participate in the interview        YES     NO

Should a pseudonym be used?                             YES     NO

Signed: _______________________________________________________

Date: ___________________

—————————————————————————

If contacted online, I will include a similar statement in the beginning of the surveys and emails to inform the interviewee of the purpose of the research and ask if they would like the use of a pseudonym.

1. My main research question is: What is the impact of educational programs on the schools, community, and students involved?
2. I plan to research Project STEEM. I participated in Project STEEM in the summer of ’08 and throughout the ‘08-‘09 school year. It influenced my own education – I learned more about Texas A&M University-Commerce and the Honors College through seminars held during the camp.
3. I have spoken to the director of Project STEEM, Dr. Kerri O’Connor, and gotten permission to use the website and photo galleries. Dr. O’Connor also told me to let her know if I needed any additional information and she would see what she could find for me.
4. I will conduct my research analyzing the photo galleries, interviewing Project STEEM alumni, and investigating statistics for academic success. I have even found an online community for alumni.
5. I have already spoken to the director of Project STEEM, and I plan to post surveys and ask for interviews through the online community for alumni. I also know a few alumni quite well and could ask them for interviews as well.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/20468563/Project-STEEM-An-Inspiration-to-Aspire

                Looking at the recent changes in the layout of the university, I notice two main areas of dedication: student life and science. The Sam Rayburn Student Center has many features for the students, including a new cafeteria and a club. Many social events are held in the club, and many student success seminars are held in the conference rooms on the second floor.  Another building recently constructed for the students is the Jerry D. Morris Recreation Center. It has a gymnasium and upper floor track, an extraordinary weight room, a 45-foot tall rock-climbing wall, four racquetball courts, and a pool. There are several social and school spirit events held in the “Rec Center,” such as campus-wide parties in the gym and Dive-In movies in the pool. The Science building is also one of the newer buildings on campus. It has a planetarium that holds classes and shows, many labs and classrooms, and many different kinds of equipment for classroom use. From this example, we can see that the university has made some serious progress in the science department. However, there aren’t very many major projects in the current development of the department.

                From these findings, I can see some of the trends in the development of the science department and some useful statistics of students and general interest in the department. And while there is much more research to be completed, I have now seen some examples of the research I will be dealing with.

Fieldworking

1. Commerce, Texas; Grand Saline, Texas; Dallas, Texas; Houston, Texas
observe the literacy and interest in the academics of mathematics and science among various areas of differing geographic, educational, and economic status

2. TAMU-Commerce, community, high school
compare the literacy and interest of students in the university vs. the high school, as well as trends in the community, such as what people are/have majored in and how educational programs might influence academic interest

TAMU-C
In – interviews to examine the academic interests of the students and the background behind their interests
Out – polls to observe percentages of science/math/English/etc. oriented students (majors, etc.)

 Community
In – observe the opinions on science of members of the community
Out – look at statistics of science majors/based community members

 High schools
In – observe the interests and academia of high school students
Also, examine any differences among students who participate in educational programs
Out – study the success rates, general interests of high school students 

3. It could be difficult finding people to participate in interviews and honestly answer questions about academics. It could also be tricky dealing with privacy restrictions, especially among high school students, in researching success rates and grades, for instance.

4. My place in this culture – I am a student majoring in Engineering, so I should be able to connect at least a bit with students on campus. I am an alumnus of the X-TEEMS Academy, so researching Project STEEM from the inside shouldn’t be too difficult. (I already have an appointment with the director of Project STEEM for Friday to discuss my research!) I am new to the community, but it is quite similar to that of my hometown, Quitman, so I hopefully will not have much difficulty; the only issue will be learning Commerce and the surrounding area in respect to my research.
I believe that my research will benefit the university, Project STEEM, and educational institutions in general. This could potentially shed light on some benefits of educational programs that get little attention.