New JREF eBook: Magic in the Classroom

I’ve been teaching physics, astronomy, and math at both the high school and college level for about 18 years. And in that time I’ve made a number of contributions to the intersection of skepticism and education. I’m proud to say that one of them is a my part in a new ebook published by the James Randi Educational Foundation, available for free download. Please pass this along to any educator whom you know is interested in preserving and encouraging scientific and critical thinking in the classroom 🙂

New eBook: Magic in the Classroom

The JREF is pleased to offer a new eBook for educators

Magic in the Classroom is a collection of essays by educators across the curriculum who are using extraordinary claims to teach critical thinking. Editor Robert Blaskiewicz gathers the contributions of fourteen authors from the James Randi Educational Foundation’s Swift Blog who write on topics ranging from popular culture, psychology, linguistics, evolution, exobiology, history, folklore, and many more. Together these essays represent the work of a vibrant skeptical culture in education that is bringing critical thinking skills to students across the curriculum.

DOWNLOAD FOR FREE!

Help Get a New, Grassroots Skeptic/Atheist Conference Started… in the Bible Belt!

My skeptical colleague Phil over at the Skeptic Money blog is attempting to get donations to the newly-formed Wichita Coalition of Reason in Kansas to hold their first FREE event – The Skeptics of Oz!

By the way, did I mention the event was FREE?!  Yes, that’s F-R-E-E!!!

But Phil is doing more than that.  Phil is literally putting his money where his mouth is because for the next week (that is, until February 25th) his company, Polaris Financial Planning, will be matching donations to help get this group and their event off the ground.  Read more below (or at Phil’s blog entry), spread the word, and please consider donating…

**DONATE HERE**

Welcome to the official The Skeptics of Oz website. This is a FREE conference that will be held in Wichita, KS on April 21st and 22nd at The Forum Theater. We will be bringing in a number of speakers to talk on the subjects of science, skepticism, and atheism. Stay tuned for more information!

Registration is open! There is limited seating so please register so we know if you are coming!

Speakers

Skeptics of Oz will feature several exciting speakers.

• Phil Plait
  In the Beginning
  The Bad Astronomer

• James Underdown
  Investigation and Conversation: Dealing with Paranormal Claims
  Executive Director of the Center for Inquiry-Los Angeles

• J Anderson Thomson
  Why We Believe in Gods
  Staff psychiatrist at the University of Virginia Student Health Services and the Institute of Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy at the University of Virginia

• Darrel Ray
  Sex and Secularism Author, speaker, and organizational psychologist

• Abbie Smith
  Vaccines
  Graduate student studying evolution of viruses

• Carol Fiore
  Grieving without God
  Environmental educator, writer, animal rights activist

• Amanda Knief
  Atheism in the Workplace
  Government Relations Manager at Secular Coalition for America and cofounder of Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers

• Phil Ferguson
  Homeopathy – The Power of 10
  Blogger at Skeptic Money, evangelical atheist, and owner of Polaris Financial Planning.

• James Croft
  Good Without God
  Research and Education Fellow at the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard

• Read more