Network Learning Project Post 2

Researching Designs

I've been doing some research on the internet and have narrowed down my design a bit.  I have decided to go with a pneumatic or air powered design.  The launcher has three basic components, the reservoir, the valve, and the barrel/tube.  To operate it you would pressurize the reservoir, then stuff a tennis ball down the tube.  To launch the ball you simply open the valve and the air rushes out of the reservoir and into the tube, which pushes the ball out.  The image below is an example of a pneumatic tennis ball launcher.  This specific design is actually intended to string antennas over tree branches for amateur radio hobbyists.  In this application a thin wire is tied to the tennis ball which unspools as it flies out (see the spool of green wire).  The fat round section is the air chamber or reservoir, the black section connected to it is the valve, and the darker section of tubing on top is the barrel or launcher tube.  I think that these antenna launchers are pretty close to what I intend to build so studying them further should help me plan out my own launcher.

I.D. vs O.D. and Sourcing Parts

I have also experienced my first technical hiccups which will require additional internet support.  I stopped by Home Depot hoping to pick up a few materials to get me started but left disappointed. One piece I was looking for was the launcher tube.  I needed a section of PVC pipe that was just wide enough on the inside for a tennis ball to fit snug but not too snug.  The idea is for a tight fit so that when the valve is opened there is a good air seal around the ball.  If the tube is too big then air will rush around the ball instead of pushing it which will result in both lower velocity and range. I couldn't find a pipe that fit the tennis ball the way I needed so I did some googling and found out why.

It turns out that I needed a 2.5" diameter pipe, a size which is not commonly carried in stores.  The second consideration is that a tennis ball has a diameter of roughly 2.6".  Now I know what you're thinking, "2.6 is bigger than 2.5, how is that supposed to fit?".  Well now we must get into the nuances of I.D. vs O.D. or Inside Diameter and Outside Diameter.  PVC pipe, and all pipes for that matter, have two separate measurements of diameter.  The I.D. or inside diameter is the measurement of the hole in the pipe and it doesn't take into account how thick the wall of the pipe is.  The O.D. or outside diameter is the total diameter of the pipe including the wall thickness.  Inside diameter is used when trying to fit things into a section of pipe while outside diameter is used when trying to fit the pipe itself into something else. So now I know that a 2.5" pipe is distinguished by just one measurement and I need to know if that is it's O.D. or I.D.

After more googling I found that PVC pipe is designated by the inside diameter.  As I noted above, a tennis ball has a diameter of roughly 2.6 inches which would be a very tight fit in a 2.5 I.D. pipe. I ended up on the forum spudfiles.com reviewing old threads from people who came across this problem before me.  The solution is to locate specialty thin walled PVC pipe.  Going further I found that one type of thin walled 2.5" PVC is king when launching tennis balls.  Its name is SDR21 and I have no idea what its used for but it happens to have an I.D. that is very close to the diameter of a tennis ball yet the O.D. is the same as standard 2.5" PVC so it is compatible with those fittings. My next step is to figure out what else I need to complete this project.

Using the Internet in the classroom

The internet is a powerful tool for teachers and students alike.  In  the school were I work I've seen it used in a number of ways.  One social studies class was working on a project where they did research on a country of their choice, compiled their information into a slide presentation, and then presented their findings to the class.  This was a long term assignment and I was lucky enough to see some of the presentations at the end of the whole thing and I have to say I was impressed.  This got me thinking about what made this assignment work well and it certainly wasn't the students' innate sense of good research skills. What made this long term project such a positive experience was careful planning and scaffolding on the part of their teacher. These students were given instruction on how and where to conduct their research.  They were given requirements to use print, web based text, and video, but most importantly they were given a specific framework and set of goals for their work.  It is important to use technology and the internet in classrooms but it is just as important, if not even more so, to teach students how to use it effectively.  Teachers are responsible for their content area but they are now becoming increasingly responsible for internet literacy skills as well.  I think this is at the heart of what makes for seamless integration of technology into a lesson.  The teacher must also be an expert on the technology and must structure the lesson so that students know what they are doing but are still challenged.

Networked Learning Project

This is my introductory post to my networked learning project.  The purpose of this project is to learn something new through online resources/tools and document the process.  My topic was chosen because frankly it sounds fun to do and will probably be interesting for my readers.  I also liked this topic because as an english candidate I don't get to work with math or science/ physics too often.  This topic is very much outside my field as a teacher but right in line with what I do for enjoyment in my personal time.

For this project I will be learning how to build a tennis ball launcher for my dogs. I really enjoy building contraptions and odd devices in my spare time, even more so when they have some type of purpose. Now I understand that throwing a tennis ball by hand is by far the easiest and simplest way to play fetch but that isn't nearly as fun.

  I first got this idea several months ago when I passed a "K-9 Kannon" in a store.  It's essentially a big plastic tube with an elastic band powered plunger and is intended to launch tennis balls when playing fetch.  I thought "Hey that's neat but it's kind of expensive" so I did some youtube research and quickly found out that it isn't nearly as cool as it sounds.

The first step to building a better tennis ball launcher is to understand why the k-9 kannon is so disappointing.  There are actually several issues with this design. The most obvious is that it doesn't send tennis balls flying very far.  A gentle underhand toss would be more effective than this thing.  The second issue is that it's powered by elastic bands, which have a tendency to dry out break down after a few months. The third issue is that it ejects the ball pretty efficiently for its design, which leads me to believe that it can't really be tweaked to perform better.  I first thought it used air pressure but it actually uses the elastic powered plunger to kick the ball out of the tube.  That means that the only way to make it shoot farther is to increase the strength of the rubber bands, which would probably end up breaking the plunger and not being very safe. The individual in the video above tried to reduce the friction holding the ball in place but this impaired his range because the k-9 kannon relies on the ridges to hold the ball while the plunger contacts it and momentarily compresses its rubber.  The resulting rebound of the rubber ball helps it to eject farther. In short, the ball needs to be held in place for the plunger to transfer all of its kinetic energy.

The short and sweet, and most exciting part, is that I don't think the k-9 kannon can be modified to work better.  This means that I have to design and build a new launcher from the ground up. This will require research and online communities to help me overcome various hurdles so I think it will serve as an excellent display of how one can learn online.

Philosophy

My philosophy is that every student deserves a good education and the tools necessary for them to achieve.  I think that every child is worth the time and effort it takes to teach and that despite any difficulties, this must always be honored.  Some students may pose more difficulties than others, whether it be behavioral or a result of a learning, or physical, disability.  Still, each and every student has a right to a good education and a good effort by the teachers and administration that supports them.

I think that education needs to be grounded in psychology.  We need to be able to structure our classes in ways that make sense from a cognitive standpoint.  This means less surface learning and more deep understanding.  Students need to be able to transfer their knowledge to other applications and situations so that it truly becomes useful to them.

I believe that as teachers we need to make social considerations.  We need to think about what cultural and social experiences students bring to their classrooms and utilize them when possible.  I think that this is an excellent way to connect classroom learning to a student's life and to show them that what they are being taught is indeed relevant and useful.

Beyond these aspects education needs to be flexible and adaptive.  This isn't to say that teachers need to adopt every new technique or aspect of education the instant it comes out, but rather that as educators we need to be responsive to the needs of children and the evolving field of education.  We must be grounded in our beliefs and methods but also open to new ways of thinking and strategies in order to meet student needs.

Hello World

I am a 3rd trimester education student at UNH and am seeking secondary certification in English as well as Social Studies.  I went to Uconn for my undergrad and majored in English and History.  I enjoy both of these subjects so much because of how they mix and are always intertwined.  I intern at Washington Middle School in Meriden and will be student teaching in Wallingford next fall.  I have a bunch of hobbies but perhaps my most extensive is photography.