The first website I found is a great resource if there are individual computers in your classroom and if you are allowed to downloaded apps at your school. It is called linux planet and is geared towards high school science. There are three sections; astronomy, biology and chemistry. Off of these three main sections are more sections that relate to the specific category. For example off of chemistry you can decide between Stellarium, Celestia, and Space Trajectory Analysis. The stellarium is an app where you can put coordinates for any point on earth and view the night skies at any point in time. The Celestia is like the Stellarium but lets you fly through 3d space to any place in the known universe. The Celestia sometimes uses actual photos of plants, asteroids and other objects so its a more real experience for students. Under the chemistry section there is an app that allows students to make diagrams of atoms, molecules, macromolecules, and crystals. I really liked this idea because the variety of apps allow for students to become familiar, or just get better practice with things they are learning in class in a fun way. The idea of allowing students to see actual photos and view the night sky at any point in time gets the children excited and holds them responsibly for their own learning.
Another great way to bring science into the classroom is exploring through field trips. Many field trips that incorporate science can be free or inexpensive with a bus fee only. Some more common field trips would include going on nature walks, walking around the school and exploring the environment outside, going to the beach, or a farm. Some other field trips could include museums around the area you are teaching, zoos, and science centers. Checking into areas around your school is important because a lot of places will do group discounts, or discounts for schools.
Sources:
http://linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/reports/6812/1/
Jen,
ReplyDeleteI really like your ideas with the apps. I think that is a great way to keep students motivated in science because they are getting close to seeing the "real thing." I do think that some teachers would need a lot of practice working with these apps because just reading about it got me confused. It seemed like a great way to show students things that they can't necessarily see otherwise. We are living in a world with ongoing technology so implementing it into your classroom would benefit students learning.
I think these are both great ways to bring fun and new ideas into your science lesson/science classroom. Thanks for the ideas. They will be very helpful.
ReplyDeleteJen-
ReplyDeleteI think this website sounds like a great one to being into your classroom. Anytime you can bring science to life is great because it expands on the subject and helps deeper students understanding on the topic. This is especially useful when working all different types of learners. I know for me personally, a teacher could describe/explain something to me 1,000 times, but I will not actually get a good understanding of it until I get a visual representation. Therefore, by bringing in visualizations you will be more likely to reach a broader range of students.
I agree with everyone else who has commented. Websites like this are excellent ways for students to explore topics on their own. Students need to explore and realized/discover things for themselves to really make thier learning personal. Also, I believe the best way for students to learn is to do concrete learning: learning by acctually doing things instead of reading about them or listening to lectures. Obviously it would be hard for students to go out and explore our universe and the stars, but websites like the ones you found are an excellent substitute and as close to the real thing as students can get.
ReplyDeleteJen,
ReplyDeleteWOW!!! You found a couple of great sites. I downloaded Stellarium and Celestia and had a fun time with them. Since it's not likley you'll get any nighttime sky observations for your class, you have the next best thing. Showing your students what to look for will make it that much more interesting when they look for themselves. Even if you just point out the position of the planets, they should have no problem identifying them. Nice post.
These are great ideas. I love the internet site, these are great tools because they are free to use and very informative for students. I also think the field trip ideas are great. Some students families struggle with paying for field trips so cutting costs is important. These are inexpensive ideas but yet they are still learning valuable science lessons and getting real life experience!
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