I am looking for some suggestions on innovative strategies for introducing the chemistry of main group elements to students.  Our Inorganic Chemistry class is a pre-pchem lecture and lab and I'll be using the 5th edition of Miessler/Fischer/Tarr.  (And a big thank you goes out to the authors, who have finally accepted to include at least a little bit of redox chemistry in the text.)  My issue arises with Chapter 8 (and the like), which in my opinion boils down to "read these sections, memorize these facts, quiz Monday".

Howdy all,

Awesome time at the workshop this week.  We saw an abundance of awesome chemistry, inorganic related clothing.  

All of these websites were accessed on July 1

Maggie's super awesome d-orbital earrings were found on etsy, one pair left as of July 1, 2013 at 6:44 pm:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/92342046/quantum-physicschemistry-atomic-d

Two awesome heavy metal t-shirts:

THis is an artist who makes small models of molecules and DNA using 3D printing technology. Science and art at the same time.

http://www.shapeways.com/shops/molecule_models?ca=email&ct=062713&cr=ds…

My colleague, Ling Huang, has published a J Chem Ed article that reviewed smartphone apps for apple and android devices. Chemistry on the Go – Review of Chemistry-related Apps on Smartphones,  dx.doi.org/10.1021/ed300329e

I am planning to incorporate Sapling Learning online homework in my Foundations of Inorgnaic Chemistry class and my Advanced Inorganic CHemistry class. I've not used this program before, and am on the steep side of the learning curve. If you have an established course that I can adapt, that would be great. Also, I will be authoring questions as I need. Id love to crowd-source authoring of questions so that I'mnot just relying on my own perspective. Thanks!

I teach a one-semester upper-division course where, as we all know, tough decisions need to be made.  I have always taught symmetry, but it has become apparent that our students enter their senior year weak in kinetics, so I am considering swapping out symmetry/group theory for a more advanced treatment of kinetics and mechanisms.  This pains me, because these two topics are are two of my favories.  Then again, so is everything else...

Thoughts?

Karen