Today I made a guest appearance for students at Explorer Elementary in Sioux Falls, South Dakota… without ever leaving my comfy home in Olympia, Washington! It was a Skype visit arranged with teacher/technology integrationist Travis Lape. Their school science fair is approaching, and although participation is optional, he wants more students participating.
I enjoy browsing through students’ projects when I am performing as part of a school Science Fair, so it’s easy to mirror that excitement back to them. Science is part of our lives every day; hobbies, sports, food, everything. Science is amazing, and if someone says they don’t like science, they probably haven’t looked at it from the right perspective. The tricky part is asking a question and forming a hypothesis that can be measured and evaluated in a scientific way. Solving this problem is the difference between another vinegar and baking soda “volcano” and a demonstration that makes people wonder, “Yeah, what WOULD happen if….”
“The kids left pumped up! Thank you so much. I will highly recommend you to anyone!”
-Travis Lape, Explorer Elementary teacher
Explorer Elementary students participate in the “Floating Finger” illusion with Jeff Evans
It isn’t the first time I’ve performed virtual magic for a remote audience. A year and a half ago I entertained for an event for Polycom, a company that specializes in this “virtual boardroom” technology. As amazing as it is to be able to see, talk, and interact with people anywhere in the world in real-time, there are limitations. Audio/video was occasionally low quality as there was some bandwidth issues somewhere between our two computers. And, several times I had to adjust the web camera as I shifted between holding items up and setting them on my table. Real life will always be best!
If you’re looking for a great science fair kickoff or way to supercharge your STEM curriculum, call me toll-free (877) 412-5064 or send e-mail to jeff[at]edumazement.com. Online resources include my Science Magic Class Activity Sheet and cut-out Levitating Magician. Several videos with science demonstrations you can do at home or in the classroom are at www.youtube.com/edumazement.