Education Technology

EngineerGuy is a very cool site by Bill Hammack. He explores and explains technology and the human side of technology, in videos and radio pieces, along with some books.

He teaches at the University of Illinois, was a US Diplomat (Senior Science Adviser at the Department of State), and has received awards for his work.

The videos and radio shows have explored nanotechnology, smart phones, mood rings, new inventions, light bulbs, smoke detectors, the accelerometer in a smart phone and much more. The videos are well done, explain the technology in an easy to understand way, and are very interesting.



The videos are a great way to learn about technology and different topics, as well as to share with your students. The videos can be viewed on his site (they are hosted on YouTube) and you can also listen to his radio shows and read different white papers he has written.

I will be using some of the videos as introductions to topics or to get my students engaged and excited about some topics.


Check it out: http://www.engineerguy.com/


More great STEM Resources.

Earth Day was this past Sunday, April 22nd, but we shouldn't just do things to help our planet one day out of the year.

Google Earth Day is a great site that has some great resources to help anyone celebrate Earth Day, Everyday.

The site has information on starting your own garden, finding discount seeds, connecting with other gardeners, gardening tips, recipes, helping find a community garden, and much more.




http://www.google.com/campaigns/plantforearthday/



Related:

Earth Day Resources for Educators

Google Resources for Education - tips, resources, links, help, how-to's, apps, lesson ideas, and more.

Earth Day, April 22nd, is a great time to talk to your students about the environment. Many schools, including most in Connecticut, will be on break during that time, but you can always talk about it after break.


Earth Day was started in 1962 as a way to bring attention to environmental issues. As polution increases, and the environment is continually affected by humans, it is a great time to get our students thinking about environmental issues. 




Here are some resources you can use with your students:





National Environmental Education Week - This week (April 10-16) is Environmental Education Week. This site has an entire section with resources for educators that includes curricula, quizzes, professional development and more. 







Earth Day Network - this is another great resource for teaching about the environment and Earth Day. The educator resource page has lesson plans, Green your School guide, grant programs and more to help educators. 








Science Museum Climate Science Info Zone - information and resources on climate change, carbon footprint, and more. 






Think Green from Discovery Education - Think Green is another great free resource from Discovery Education that contains lesson plans, videos, and activities for teachers to use in their classroom. The resources are sorted by grade level and are interactive and educational. 


You can also go to the Think Green Resource Page to search for more resources by grade, topic, or resource. 




Discovery Education, Siemens STEM Academy also has some great resources. 


Every classroom can, and should, talk about Earth Day and the environment. We all need to help make sure that the Earth will be a healthy, viable, place for generations to come. It's also a great way to incorporate STEM topics into any classroom and relate STEM topics to the environment. 


English classes could write about the environment, including persuasive essays and letters on different topics. 


History classes could look at the history of Earth Day and the Environmentalist movement, along with the history of different environment events. 


Science classes can delve into the science of the environment, energy resources, energy production and more. 




What do you do for Earth Day in your classroom?




Some More Environmental Resources


Discovery Education Dawn Junior Wildlife Champions-free lesson plans about oil spills and wildlife

The Road Ahead - resources on electricity generation from Discovery Education

Discovery Education Turfmutt - environmental science lessons

25 Free Resources from Discovery Education

Discovery News - science news

Disney Planet Challenge - project based environmental contest with resources

My GCSE Science is a site that has video lessons and resources on Biology, Chemistry and Physics. They were developed for a specific curriculum and program, but can be used by anyone for these topics.

The videos are good and there are notes pages that go with them. The notes pages have images from the video along with space to write your own notes. The video listing has the length of the video also.

They are organized by subject and topic and the videos are hosted on YouTube.

This is good for students to use for review, missed work, and help, and for teachers to use in class or for absent students.

Here's some of the Chemistry and Physics videos. Click on the video or "Learn" to get to the video. "Notes" brings you to the PDF notes for the video.

Whatchamacology is a cool app for iPhone and Android that helps students learn scientific terms through games and analogies. The terminology is from the grade 9-12 Ontario Science Curriculum. You can also submit your own terms and clues to share.

Terms are from Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth and Space Science and Environmental Science. Games include password, pictionary and more.

This is a fun way for students to learn scientific terms in a way that will help them remember them, and be able to figure out other scientific terms.

It's $0.99 for either version.

5 Great Smartphone Apps for the High School Science Classroom
Technology is a crucial part of the modern classroom. Especially in science, teachers who embrace the use of new technologies provide their students with learning tools that are both fun and useful. Apps for smartphones are just the latest way to integrate learning and technology. Below are some of the best new apps for high school science classrooms.


Frog Dissection by Emantras Inc
Available for iPad and iOS for just $3.99, Frog Dissection is a great ethical alternative to the classic biology lab. For those students who conscientiously object to opening up an actual frog on their lab tables, the Frog Dissection app gives them the chance to explore anatomy in a new way. The realistic app mimics the actual procedure of dissecting using step by step instructions and virtual dissection tools. Clear 3D imaging allows students to see each organ in vivid detail. In addition to the dissection, the app contains information about classification, organ functions, and the lifecycle of frogs, as well as a comparison to human anatomy.


Atomium: Periodic Table by Henri Hansen
Chemistry students are constantly referring to the periodic table of the elements to find atomic masses, atomic numbers, and other important facts. With a periodic table app, students can have the information at their fingertips. Atomium, available on iOs and iPad for $0.99, is a great reference app that provides more information about each element than any student could hope for. It also allows users to regroup and recolor the elements according to properties. This is a great way to help students visualize the trends and patterns that are otherwise tough to see in a static table.


Science Friday BE by ScienceFriday Inc.
Most high school students are likely unaware of NPRs Friday talk show. The app for iPhone and Android is a great way to introduce students to the show that makes science relevant and fun. Teachers can use stories from the program as teachable moments and to further explore concepts taught in the classroom. A new aspect of the SciFri app is the show’s science and the arts section. It can help to engage students who are more interested in creative subjects. And best of all, the app is free.


Skeptical Science by Shine Technolgies
High school students are full of questions. One of the most contentious and political debates today is the one over global warming. Science teachers are often bombarded with questions regarding the ins and outs of the debate. With this free app, students can explore the whole range of doubts, questions, and skeptical arguments made regarding climate change. Skeptical Science keeps up to date with all new arguments made against climate change and offers counter arguments backed by hard science.


Vernier Video Physics by Vernier Software and Technology
Vernier has long provided teachers with technology for the physics classroom. Now, for just $2.99, students can visualize and analyze motion with this Vernier app. Students film the motion of an object  with their phones and the app displays the path of the object on a graph for analysis. This is a great tool for taking basic physics concepts into the real world.

Mary Ellen Ellis is a science teacher and writer for Teacher Certification Degrees, a career site for individuals interested in researching how to become a teacher in their state and featuring interviews with current teachers and leaders in the education field.






Related:


Android for Education resources and apps

ScienceScene is a site with some great resources for Physical Science and Environment Science classes.

There are links, useful software to use in the class, news, virtual museums, references and much more.

It is a good place to go for some great ideas to use in these classes.

NASA is an excellent resource for educators with sites, lesson resources, and more available.

One of the resources I really like, and use each year, is the Rockets Educator Guide. NASA has recently updated it with some new information and materials. It's available as a free PDF download here.



The NASA - The Rockets Educator Guide includes lesson plans and activity ideas. This guide has some great activities like rockets using film canisters, baking soda, and vinegar, paper rockets, altitude trackers and more. There is even a part on the history of rockets.

I use this at the end of the year in a project on Rockets, combining topics from throughout the year in a fun project.

Here's more on the project: http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/2011/05/rockets-great-project-for-end-of-year.html


More NASA Resources:

Quickly find free NASA educational resources
Here are a lot more great, free Educational Resources from NASA

New segment: Humpback Whales!
Every year, Humpback whales in the North Atlantic make a long migration down to the Caribbean to have their calves in warm, calm water. Many of these whales go to one particular area called the Silver Banks near the Dominican Republic. Jonathan spends a week in the Silver Banks filming whales underwater, and you won't believe how close he gets to the whales, and the exceptional behaviors he observes! Watch now!

Related:

Explore the Blue - lessons about water for all subjects - from Discovery Education (free resource).

USGS Education Resources - free resources for teachers - including resources about water

Great Earth Day Resources for Educators

NASA Eyes on the Earth - vital signs of the planet

Discovery Education has a lot of great resources for educators, many free (over 30). They also have fee-based services such as DE Streaming with thousands of videos, audio files, images, lesson plans, and much more.

One of their other resources that I have been using lately is the Discovery Education Science Techbook. It is more than a digital textbook. "It’s a different way of thinking. Thinking outside the box, perhaps. Or more appropriately, thinking outside the book."

Trial Request: Please contact Discovery Education representative Brett Jacquay, Education Manager, brett_jacquay@discovery.com

How Things Fly is an great site I just learned about from Larry Ferlazzo. It is an interactive site from the Smithsonian that explains flight in a variety of ways. Topics include forces of flight, gravity and air propulsion, aerodynamics, structures and materials and flight dynamics.

Students can design and fly their own virtual airplane and there are hands on experiments to do.

This is a great resource for teaching physics and physical science, as well as about flight. Students love airplanes and flight, so this is a good way to get them interested in science.


Related:

Microsoft Flight Simulator now Free! Great STEM ResourcesOrbiter Space Flight Simulator - free for Windows computersCentury of Flight - History of Aviation

Interactivate is a collection of free math and science resources, including assessments, lessons, discussions, and activities.

Resources are aligned to NCTM standards and grade levels 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. The activities are interactive and there is also a dictionary of science and math terms for students. The activities are well designed and fun and educational.

This is a great resource for educators to use as part of their lessons in class, for students to use as review or self study or to include as part of an online course.

This Thursday, March 15, 2012 at 2pm ET, Mythbusters will be live online: MythBusters: The Explosive Exhibition. 

MythBusters Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage will share their experiences as well as those of co-hosts Kari Byron, Tori Belleci and Grant Imahara, as they make experimentation come alive through this dynamic presentation about science behind the exhibit. The interactive exhibit, created by Discovery Communications and Exhibits Development Group (EDG), in partnership with the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, helps inspire learning beyond the walls of the classroom. 

Scientists, engineers, and mathematicians drive innovation that will fuel our future. This live event will spark the natural curiosity of budding scientists by showing students just how fun science can be and how it’s helped Adam and Jamie follow their passion to ultimately find success.

Presentation Format
15 Minutes Interactive Presentation
15 Minutes Q&A
15 Remarks from Chicago Public Schools officials and other dignitaries 

If you can't attend live, check back for an archive of the session.

Mission Biotech is a free, immersive computer game that has students solve challenging problems in biotechnology. It is part of the OUTBREAK project funded by the National Science Foundation.

The game is an interesting and fun virtual environment, first person adventure game using 3D graphics. It takes place in the virtual National Laboratory for Biotechnology and Bioinformatics (NLBB). Players are biotechnologists and have to diagnose a deadly virus that is turning into a pandemic. The game progresses with students learning new things to complete the game and mini-games, learning science and simulated biotechnology techniques. The students extract nucleic acids, conduct polymerase chain reactions (PCR) and analyze their results, just like a real scientist would.

There is a page for teachers that has instructions on how to get their class started use the game. By signing up as a teacher, you will gain access to curriculum and lesson materials and be able to track your students' progress in the game.

This is a great, fun, interactive way for students to learn and apply what they have learned. They learn and use biology skills and knowledge, analysis, critical thinking, and problem solving.



Mission Biotech - gaming for learning: http://missionbiotech.com/ 



Related:

Angry Birds Space and NASA team up for fun science
Roller Coaster Game as Learning Tool in Physics

Video Games as learning tools (Angry Birds)

35 Educational Games and Resources

I have always thought that games made an excellent learning tool when done right, with the right support by the teacher. Many video games teach students actual content knowledge, but most of them teach critical thinking and problem solving techniques. Research has shown that video games are effective as learning tools and many companies are working on educational video games. But, other video games can be used educationally also.

I love Angry Birds. I've have played, and solved, every version of the game and every level. It's one of those games you can't put down. I've played on my old Palm Pre+, my HP TouchPad, my Droid Incredible 2, and even on Chrome. My students and I are always talking about the new levels and how to solve them. I also use it in my Physics class to allow students to have fun while investigating forces, motion, momentum, angles and projectile motion. They have to analyze the problem and think through solutions. They learn and have fun.

Angry Birds Space will launch simultaneously on iOS and Android, Mac and PC, animation, merchandise, and book publishing on March 22. The game hits the appstores with 60 puzzling levels, new Angry Birds characters, new superpowers, and new gameplay. More levels will be available both as free regular updates, as well as in-app purchases.

Vernier, the company that makes those really cool data collection probes and sensors and analyzing software, has just announced LabQuest 2 software. As part of their new Connected Science System, LabQuest 2 provides tools for mobile devices such as Android, iPhone and iPad, to collect, analyze, save and share sensor data. The system also allows remote viewing and controlling of LabQuest with a computer and the ability to email data and graphs for later analysis.

This is another example of leveraging the mobile devices that are already in students' hands for educational uses.


They also have two new devices: a Polarimeter (Chemical) and Projectile Launcher.Vernier products are in use in science classrooms (and some math) to collect, analyze and interpret data from experiments and activities. Their products are similar to what is used in industry, so students learn content and theory and how to use digital tools. 

Teaching Science with Technology - Looking for a dynamic way to teach science? Vernier puts easy-to-use data loggers, sensors, experiments and graphing/analysis software into the hands of students, helping educators develop the next generation of scientists and engineers.

NSTA, the National Science Teacher's Association, has a great report on the impact of NCLB on Science Education in the US.

The report has data and comments from educators. NCLB does not focus on science in the lower grades. As such, science takes a back seat in the lower grades. Many schools cut back on science education to make more room for reading, writing and math.

At the secondary level, science test prep causes many schools to cut back on labs and activities, instead focusing on test prep and content facts.

Science is important. It is a vital area for mankind. We need to make sure all students have a basic literacy in science to be informed consumers and citizens, and we need more students to go into science and engineering careers. Science and engineering solve the worlds problems. Standardized testing does not. We need to improve science education and make sure science is taught in every grade.

All science teachers, administrators, politicians, heck, everyone, need to read this report.
http://www.nsta.org/publications/news/story.aspx?id=59215


Related:

Experiments and Exploration are vital to science education!

3 Ways to Fix U.S. Science Education
10 Important Skills Students need for the Future

Stephen Hall, and educator and aerospace enthusiast, participated in NASA's Aerospace Professional Development program and then created Aeroplans, a free Android app. The app includes aerospace simulations and instructions for different activities, along with links and information about aerospace topics.

I've been using it for a day or so and it's a fun app and educational.


Get Aeroplans from the Android Market.


Related:

NASA Simulation based Aerospace Resources for Educators

More great educational resources from NASA

STEM Resources for Educators and Students

The Bronx Zoo (NYC, USA) is a great zoo. They have educational programs in addition to the typical zoo things, and they have teaching fellowships available.

The Teaching Fellowship program is a great opportunity for college students, recent graduates and graduate students to explore conservation education. Fellows learn how to provide a wildlife classroom with student directed learning and conservation issues.

Fellows are paid ($10-$12 per hour) but the learning experience is priceless.

More information can be found at the site: http://bronxzoo.com/educators/teaching-fellows.aspx

There are two Fellowship terms:

School term – starts mid-September and runs through mid-June; fellows must be available to work four weekdays each week, 9:00 a.m.– 2:30 p.m. Additional weekend and overnight hours are also required. School year fellows must have a valid driver’s license.

Summer term – starts mid-June and runs for eleven weeks; fellows must be able to work Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. for all eleven weeks. 

To apply, please go to https://sh.webhire.com/Public/907/ and follow instructions for the on-line application system. For questions about the Bronx Zoo Teaching Fellowship, please contact wcsteachingfellow@wcs.org. 

Teaching Fellowship FAQs 
Please note that these are education-focused fellowships, coordinated through the Bronx Zoo Education Department. They do not involve any animal care or maintenance. 

The Scale of the Universe is a very cool resource that allows you to explore the size of the universe by relating it to other things we know.

You slide the scale to go from the know size of the Universe, 1026, down to sub atomic particles 10-35. It zooms in and out going through different groupings of things that are similar in size.

It's a great resource for exploring the universe, as well as visualizing the sizes of lots of things, from humans, to states, to plants, to animals.

Check it out: http://scaleofuniverse.com/