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Fiber Optics Lesson Plans For STEM Teachers

Introduction
STEM or STEAM – science, technology, engineering, arts and math – is the key to future success (and maybe survival) for everyone, especially students in schools today. These subjects can be complicated and confusing to some students – we like to quote science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke who wrote 2001, A Space Odyssey, who said "Sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic!" But like magic, these topics can be interesting and fun, if presented in an entertaining manner.

It's our goal to introduce you, and help you to introduce your students, to the technology that makes much of the technology we use today possible – fiber optic communications – and show the STEAM topics related to it, including the arts – and make it entertaining and fun.

What's "Fiber Optics"
Fiber optics is the primary medium we use to communicate today. Phones, landline or wireless, the Internet and cable TV all communicate on fiber optic cables. Even when you are using your cell phone, it's not connected with a fiber optic cable, but the cell tower it's connected to probably is.

Fiber optics carries signals as pulses of light while copper cables carry signals as pulses of electrons. As the photo below by  AT&T from the 1970s showed, one hair-thin fiber can carry more signals than the giant copper telephone cable in the photo. Today's fibers can carry millions of times the data that that fiber could 40 years ago!

It's easy to demonstrate how fiber works - we can do it with a sample of plastic fiber and a laser pointer like the photo below and shown in the YouTube video "Fiber Optics For Teachers - An Introduction." Here are directions to do it yourself with the sample of plastic optical fiber (POF).

 

Where is Fiber Used?
If you have ever wondered how you can download information from the Internet so fast or talk to someone anywhere in the world and hear them so clearly, it's mainly because the connection is over fiber optics. You are communicating at the "speed of light."

Basically all communications (phones, the Internet, etc.) depends on fiber optics. Fiber has replaced copper cables, wireless and satellites for worldwide communications links as shown in the photo below. It's a NASA composite photo of the earth at night where lights show the centers of population. Overlaying a map of undersea fiber optic cables shows how they connect the places where the people are.



In the US, cables on the land connect all the population centers, providing the backbone for all phones and the Internet.


Today, fiber is being used to connect homes directly -famous  systems like "Verizon FiOS" and "Google Fiber" and hundreds of other local networks use fiber to connect the home with speeds up to 1 gigabit per second - that's one billion bits of data every second, fast enough to download a movie in seconds.

Classroom Materials, Videos And Demos Or Labs
FOA creates lots of curriculum materials for our hundreds of schools around the world and much of it is appropriate for introducing students to fiber optics.

The place to begin is the FOA YouTube video "Fiber Optics For Teachers - An Introduction." It shows some demos you can do in the classroom and offers a sample of the plastic optical fiber for teachers.

Here are directions to do this demonstration yourself with a sample of POF from FOA.
 
There are 3 videos in the FOA "Fiber Optics Live" series that show how fiber works using large (30mm) acrylic rods and a laser pointer:
How Light Travels In A Fiber  
Fiber Attenuation  
Connector Loss  

FOA has a video lecture series on YouTube with over 40 lectures and the first one is a good introduction on how fiber is used in communications: FOA Lecture 1: Fiber Optics & Communications 

FOA has a video about all the places where fiber is used - it's called "Where Are The Jobs In Fiber Optics" and it not only shows you where fiber is used but where job opportunities are for those interested in working in this field.

Here are links to all the FOA YouTube videos.


PowerPoint Presentation On Fiber Optics For Teachers
Here is a short PowerPoint presentation you can give to your classes yourself. It is aimed at introducing fiber optic technology to science or career education students and showing what career opportunities exist in the field. 

 

You can download this short introduction to fiber optics appropriate for any middle or high school class studying communications or general science. Download it here (PPT, 3MB).

Are Your Students Interested In Careers In Fiber Optics?
FOA has a page on Careers In Fiber Optics and a YouTube video Careers In Fiber Optics. They can learn more about what fiber techs do and the opportunities for well-paying jobs in the field.

Other Resources From FOA

What else does the FOA offer for teachers?

Teachers at FOA-approved schools can offer the FOA CFOT certification. Want to know more?

 

If you want to offer FOA certification in your program, FOA offers "Train The Trainer and Instructor Certification" Program. Become a certified fiber optic instructor and take home a complete training program.

 

Looking For Fiber Optic Training? You can find a list of FOA approved schools that offer CFOT certification here on the list of FOA approved schools .