The Wizard Of Menlo Park Thomas Edison The Wizard Of Menlo Park

Introduction You will study the life of Thomas Alva Edison. Thomas Edison was a very prominent inventor. His innovative ideas and inventions changed the way of the life for Americans and the entire world. But, there are a lot of things you might not know about Thomas Edison. Did he really invent the light bulb? Were all of his inventions his own ideas? Was he really the greatest inventor of his time?

Your Task You will navigate through this web quest on Thomas Edison Your Task You will navigate through this web quest on Thomas Edison. You will create a power point essay on Thomas Edison’s impact on society. You will present your essay to the class along with one visual aid to support your essay.

Timeline Of Events Day 1: Navigate through the Edison Webquest. Jot down any pertinent information. Day 2: Analyze the information you wrote down from the web quest. Create a storyboard of your power point presentation. Day 3: Review the web quest on Thomas Edison. Jot down anymore information you feel is pertinent to your presentation. Begin creating your final presentation Day 4: Finish your final presentation. Day 5: Present your essay to the class

Edison Biography -The Early Years -Becoming An Inventor -Current Wars -The Later Years Inventions -Light Bulb -Phonograph -Movie Camera -Direct Current

The Early Years – Menlo Park Thomas Alva Edison was born in Melan, Ohio February 11th 1847. He was generally known as “Al”. He was the youngest of seven children to Sam and Nancy Edison. Was he a good student? Was he well-educated? Click here to find out more

Becoming An Inventor In 1876 Edison opened a lab in Menlo Park, NJ. It was here that he became known as “The Wizard Of Menlo Park”. And it was also here created his first great invention…The phonograph. What else led to Edison becoming an inventor?

Current Wars Edison battled for electrical supremacy with a great another great inventor named Nikola Tesla. Edison invented D.C. Current and Tesla invented A.C. Current. Eventually Tesla’s Alternating Current won out. But, the war between the two was ugly. Find out more about this futile battle.

Edison publically electrocuted an elephant to show that AC current is too dangerous for public use.

The Later Years In this video, Edison reflects on his most prominent inventions. Edison died at in his home in West Orange, NJ on October 13th 1931. As his health declined he was not able to work in his lab as he would have liked. But, he was still had many accomplishments during the latter years of his life. Learn more about those accomplishments here.

Edison’s Inventions Edison had 1,093 patents. Here is a list of his major inventions. Research Edisons other patents. Did he have any failed inventions? Invention Year Place Description Stock Ticker 1869 New York City Stock prices provided through telegraphy Phonograph 1877 Menlo Park Voice recorder   Light Bulb 1879 Carbon filament in vacuum tube creates illumination Power Station 1880’s Manhattan Generates residential power Kinetoscope 1888-1889 West Orange Moving Pictures with sound

The Light Bulb Contrary to what you might have heard, Edison did not invent the light bulb. Edison improved on the light bulb. But, his new design made the light bulb more efficient and practical. What improvements did Edison make to the light bulb?

The Phonograph Back to “Becoming An Inventor” The phonograph was one of Edison’s first patented inventions and his favorites. And when you consider the many intricate, working parts it is amazing to think that the idea was soley his own. How did he come up with the idea for the phonograph? What would it be used for? Did he need help creating his idea?

Movie Camera Not only was Edison not the inventor of the first movie camera. In fact, he refused on offer by Edward Muybridege to create such a contraption. Edison’s laboratory was credited for the invention. But, just how involved was Edison?

Kinetoscope The first movie camera was actually called the Kinetoscope. The film was 18mm wide and ran continuously between two spools. A shutter and aperture were also used to help give the illusion of movement. Study the intricate workings of this amazing machine.

DC Current A diagram of the first DC Dynamo. Despite losing the “current war” to Nikola Tesla, DC Current is still widely used in electronic equipment everywhere. No matter who won the war. This invention brought electricity into the homes of all people. What is the difference between AC and DC Current? To Rubric

Tesla: Master Of Lightning Nikola Tesla was severely overshadowed by Thomas Edison during their time. And caused a lot of that by discrediting AC Current. So, unfortunately, Tesla did not make the history books and is not well known by most Americans. What other inventions did he create that have impacted society? Back to “Current Wars”

Edison Vs. Tesla Back to “Current Wars”

1 2 3 4 Total Write an essay on the impact of Thomas Edison's accomplishments on society. Student can identify the accomplishments of Thomas Edison Student understands Edison's accomplishments Student can briefly comment on the impact of Edison's accomplishements. Student can elaborate on the impact of Edison's accomplishments. ____ Find pertinent information in a web quest for an essay. Student can read an comprehend given information from a web quest. Student can utilize links in the web quest to access further information. Student can identify pertinent information given in the web quest. Student can identify pertinent information and record it in a notebook. Students will navigate a web quest. Student can randomly scroll through the quest slides, identify links and select them. Students can navigate through the slides and links to find pertinent information. Students navigate slide buttons and links to help them access pertinent information from the web. Student uses web quest as a tool to explore deep into the web to find pertinent information. Students will present an essay to the class. Student communicates essay word for word with no elaboration. Student communicates essay and clarifies a few points from the essay. Student communicates the contents of the essay clearly and elaborates on key points Student communicates the contents of the essay clearly and summarizes all of the key elements of the essay. Student will use a visual aid to support the essay. Student uses a visual aid, but, it has nothing to do with the essay. Student uses a visual aid that has little to do with the essay. Student uses a visual aid the supports the essay. Student uses a visual aid that strongly supports the essay and capture the interest of the students.   Total----> ___

The End By: Ken Brewer MCOMM 510 Resources: www.inventors.about.com www.inventions.about.com www.memory.loc.gov www.pbs.org www.Wikipedia.com www.wisegeek.com Remember When: It Will Never Fly, HBO Special The End By: Ken Brewer MCOMM 510 To Rubric