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Paper: Teaching Astronomy Really Dynamically Involving Sci-Fi, or the Other TARDISTeaching Astronomy Really Dynamically Involving Sci-Fi, or the Other TARDIS
Volume: 483, Ensuring STEM Literacy: A National Conference on STEM Education and Public Outreach
Page: 115
Authors: Larsen, K.
Abstract: Teaching science through science fiction films, series, and novels is not a new phenomenon; however, how many of us are still stuck using the original Star Trek (or even The Next Generation), Contact, and Deep Impact? These works often predate our current students' births by many years. Faculty members may still find them exciting and relevant, but we should periodically re-evaluate their relevance and effectiveness. In addition, there are works of popular culture in other genres, such as comedy and cartoons, that feature references to astronomical topics. A new generation of students should be taught through a new generation of media. This hands-on workshop introduced timely examples of popular culture that can be utilized to make astronomical concepts come alive in the introductory classroom, as well as methods for fishing for future examples as new media continues to be released.
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