In case you didn’t get enough of the Periodic Table yesterday–or if haiku just isn’t your ‘bag’, here’s another approach: videos. Yes, that’s right: The Periodic Table just went digital.
Think you understand the ins and outs of sodium? Watch the reaction with water and see if it doesn’t ‘light you on fire’ (ha ha! Because sodium will react with water and make an explosion!).
Media: VIDEO!
Location/Length: The Periodic Table of Videos/many individual videos are quite short, about 4-5 minutes.
How I found it & Reason for Sharing: Again, as an English major/literature person there is really no viable reason for me to be poking around in the Science archives, and yet… there it is. But the fact this video series is produced by NONE OTHER than my current institution (important to note: academic institution; we’ll discuss the other kind later), Nottingham, it is not an unlikely find.
I am sharing it because it is brilliant. These chemists have such fantastic senses of humour and are so eager to share what they love that it is nigh impossible (for me, at least) not to become a bit joy-filled as well.
What I love: The reason I love this is that, it is didacticism at its finest: the student is interested, engaged, and edified by the end of the short instruction period. From the p.o.v. of a former (and everlasting) teacher, t’s a win.
Here’s the link to the Periodic Table of Videos–with particular emphasis placed on Na–sodium.
Nigel Valentine 