What Not To Do Lab

    During the first week of school, I welcome my students to the What Not To Do Lab. The PDF is available for free at the Laboratory Safety Institute website. I use the cartoon activity to review their Safety Contract handout from the night before (I use the one from FLINN Scientific). With more than 30 safety violations shown, the cartoon serves as a great ice breaker as I have each student introduce themselves and then list a safety infraction being shown on the cartoon. This becomes a challenge for the rest of the students because they must listen to that students response and I do not allow violations mentioned by their other classmates to be repeated which I tell them ahead of time. I usually place the image on my iPad and then using the paid app Airsketch with my Apple TV then I can circle each of the infractions as the students mention them. Other apps could also be used such as Notabilty or Explain Everything if you are more comfortable with them. You just need a way to draw on the image as its projected. The other option would be to project the image onto the white board and circle the infractions on the white board. However I like the iPad because it allows me mobility. Some interesting results from this is that it allows me to introduce the use of a fume hood, different type of glassware such as a pipette, and give a bit of a history lesson on the MSDS sheets which have recently been changed to SDS sheets.