|
SCIENCE:
USING THE INTERNET TO SUPPORT SCIENTIFIC THINKING 
Teaching With the Internet:
Anne Miller's Class
• Anne discovered an exciting science project on
the Internet, called SETI@Home.
The project allows anyone with an Internet computer to become a participating
intelligent life.
• During the year, her students discovered how scientists
must carefully check and recheck their work through independent replication
as they read the procedures to be followed if someone found a signal coming
from outer space. They found this at the Declaration
of Principles Concerning Activities Following the Detection of
Extraterrestrial Intelligence.
• Anne's year included many other important experiences
with a single Internet computer in her classroom. Her class also
completed a unit on the solar system and integrated language arts
experiences by reading This Planet Has No Atmosphere
by Paul Danzinger and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine
L'Engle. She set bookmarks on Internet Explorer for The Nine
Planets Tour, The Hubble Space Telescope, and the home
page for the current Space
Shuttle mission at NASA.
• She developed several short Internet Workshop
assignments for students to complete at these locations. She also subscribed
to several listservs for science educators, following the conversations
to see if she could get additional ideas for her class. One of the
best conversations mentioned the National
Standards for Science Education and gave the URL
for this document.
• Anne discovered the location for NASA Quest's Online,
a wonderful site with opportunities for her students to work directly
with the men and women scientists at NASA.
• Tyronne and Alex, two of Anne's students, checked
on the Internet by doing a search with one of the search engines
for "ants" and "sleep." Someone also gave them
the URL for
The Mad Scientist Network, a place on the Internet
where they could ask a scientist questions.
Lessons From the Classroom
Central Sites
for Science Education
• If you only have time to visit one central site,
pay a visit to the Eisenhower National Center for Mathematics and Science
Education. This federally-funded project provides K-12
teachers with a central source of information on mathematics and
science education.
• A second useful central site in science in the
location of the National
Science Teachers Association Recommended Websites. Here,
members and non-members may recommend a useful website in science
education. Recommendations are organized by area.
• Another site to use as a jumping off point is
Frank Potter's
Science Gems. Though it now has become a commercial site,
it contains over 11,000 links to outstanding science resources on the
WWW. What is especially nice about this location is that resources are
organized by science area and by topic within each area.
• Another type of central site provides teaching
plans for busy teachers. Many of these are good beginning points
as you consider ways in which to help your students become scientifically
literate and think scientifically
. One of the most comprehensive sites is Lessons
and Activities for Science within the Eisenhower National
Center for Mathematics and Science Education. It contains many links
to outstanding locations containing lesson plans and activities.
• There are a number of useful locations on the
WWW with demonstrations you can provide to your class to illustrate scientific
principles or to initiate conversations about causes and effects.
One of the collections of demonstrations is The Exploratorium Science Snackbook. This allows
you to quickly replicate many of the exciting exhibits at one of
the world's premier science museums.
• A third location with exciting demonstrations
is Whelmers.
Developed by Steven Jacobs, these demonstrations catch students
by surprise and get them to really think about physical principles.
TEACHING TIP
If you wish to keep up with
the most recent developments in earth science, take a look at Web Earth
Science for Teachers, a location within USA Today. This
is an especially good resource for integrating weather resources into
instruction. |
Using Internet Workshop
• Excellent Internet Workshop assignments may be
developed from the many resources located at science museums around
the world. These often provide exciting simulations, demonstrations,
or science puzzles for students. By developing appropriate Internet
Workshop assignments, you can engage your students in scientific thinking.
• A good place to begin is the Science Learning Network,
a central site for museums and science educators around the world.
Their Inquiry Resources Page contains links to
outstanding, interactive science activities designed by the finest
science museums that exist.
• The best science museum we know for students is
San Francisco's Exploratorium. Now, anyone with an Internet connection
can participate. Be certain to pay a visit to the Exploratorium Home
Page. You won't regret it. You may also wish to visit an
excellent collection of links to interactive science museums around
the world at Hands-on Science Center Worldwide.
|
Here are several examples of Internet Workshop
assignments that might be developed for science units:
• The Science of Cycling.
Invite your students to The
Science of Cycling to gain a scientific view of this activity.
• A virtual Dissection of a Cow's Eye.
If you are doing a unit on optics or physiology, you
may wish to set a bookmark for The Cow's Eye Dissection. Here students are
taken step-by-step through the dissection with supporting glossary
terms for the parts of the eye; RealAudio sound clips from the
Exploratorium staff explain what is taking place.
• Storm Science
During a unit on weather for third or fourth graders,
set a book mark to Hurricane:
Storm Science, a location at the Miami Science Museum. Have
students track several hurricanes on an interactive map, make a storm hunter
plane, read narratives from the members of a family that survived a hurricane,
make several weather instruments, and contribute a story of a personal
disaster or a work of art to the healing quilt. After the experience, have
students send a really good question about the weather to a scientist at
The Mad Scientist Network.
Post questions and answers as they arrive.
|
E-MAIL FOR YOU
From: Beverly Powell
Beverley Powell recommends Canada's SchoolNet, a collaboration
between federal, provincial, and territorial governments, the
education profession and industry. It has many outstanding
resources including:
|
Using Internet Project
• As you begin to consider Internet projects around
science topics, be certain to visit the central locations for this
approach described earlier to find examples of Internet Project:
|
Examples of projects posted previously at
some of these sites include:
• International Boiling Point Project
This Internet project site has your students gather data,
contribute results to a common forum, and then analyze related data
from around the world.
• Earth Day Groceries
Project
Each year participating classes obtain grocery bags from
local supermarkets, decorate them with environmental messages,
and then return them to be used at the grocery store by customers.
Students share photos and reports of their accomplishments at a
central site.
• The Global Water Sampling Project
Here is an Internet Project for middle school and high
school students to gather and share data about the water quality
of a local river, stream, lake or pond with other fresh water
sources around the world.
• Monarch Watch
Here is a wonderful opportunity to participate in science
studies of the Monarch butterfly, sponsored by the Department of
Entomology at the University of Kansas. The site contains an extremely
comprehensive set of resources for studying Monarchs and sharing
your observations, especially of their migration through your area.
• The Journey North
Over 250,000 students from all states in the US and provinces
in Canada participate in this annual tracking of migrations and
changes in daylight, temperatures, and all living things. Students
share their own field observations with classrooms across the hemisphere.
• Where
in the World is Cynthia San Francisco
This project took students on a real world scientific investigation
in which they used Internet resources to solve "the crime of the
century." During the project, students collaborated with other participating
schools as well as with an expert meteorologist who would answer
all of their weather related questions.
• Night Of The Comet (Lost)
Sponsored by NASA at their page for Online Interactive
Projects, this project provided a forum for observing and
discussing the passing of Comet Hyakutake. Be certain to visit
the location describing current
projects to discover new opportunities in space science.
• Worldwide Weather Watch
|
Using Internet Inquiry
General Locations for Contacting
Experts in Science
|
• Ask an Expert
This is a general site with links to a wide range of experts.
• Ask a Mad Scientist
This wonderful resource will put you in touch with a wide
range of scientists around the world.
• Ask a Science
Expert
Obtain answers from experts in many scientific fields from
the experts at the journal Scientific American.
• Ask a Science Expert
Obtain answers to questions about science from the Franklin
Museum in Philadelphia.
|
Locations for Contacting Specific
Types of Experts in Science
E-MAIL FOR YOU
From: Ruth Musgrave
Ruth is a director at WhaleTimes SeaBed.
One of the most popular portions of the website is "Ask, Jake,
the SeaDog." Kids and adults from all over world have written Jake
to ask about whales, dolphins, sharks, penguins and other ocean animals.
|
Using WebQuests
• If you teach biology, you might, for example,
wish to have your students complete the WebQuest called DNA
for Dinner?. This experience will challenge your students to
evaluate the appropriateness of eating genetically engineered food.
• If you teach physics, you might have your students
complete the WebQuest How
Far Does Light Go? Debate. In this debate project, prepared
at the University of California at Berkeley, your students are challenged
to examine the scientific properties of light using evidence from
the Internet and then take a position about one of two competing theories.
After gathering information and taking positions, groups present
their arguments and respond to questions from other students.
• If your class is exploring ecology, you might
wish to explore the many great resources in a unit called Planet Earth. Here, your students may participate
in a series of activities that lead up to the WebQuest called Conflict Yellowstone Wolves. This requires students
to investigate both sides of the issue surrounding the reintroduction
of wolves into the Yellowstone ecosystem.
• If you are interested in additional WebQuests
for your science classroom, be certain to stop at the science section of
Blue
Web'n.
Visiting the Classroom:
Leslie Bridge's High School Biology Classes
in New Jersey
• At Leslie's Biology Index Web Pages you will find links to
her general biology class and her AP biology class.
Instructional Resources on the
Internet
|
• AeroNet
Interested in the physics of flight, as well as the history
of aviation? Here is the site for you. A ThinkQuest award winner.
Amazing visuals and demonstrations.
• Air Travelers
For the upper elementary grade levels, this great resource
provides an introduction to the basic principles of buoyancy, the
properties of gases, temperature, and the technology involved in
hot air ballooning. It includes activities, teacher background information,
and a gallery of photos.
• Bill Nye The Science Guy
A great resource related to the popular series on your
local Public Broadcasting System television station.
• Critical Issues
Forum
The Los Alamos Nuclear Labs invite you and your students
to participate in the study and articulation of public policy about
how best to address issues and circumstances involved in safeguarding
nuclear weapons.
• El
Niño or El No No
Students in this WebQuest initially gather background information
in order to become more familiar with the phenomenon known as El
Niño. Then they analyze both historical and real time data
from a buoy at the equator, as well as one in San Diego, to construct
a model to determine if we are currently in an El Niño cycle.
They write a speculation paper on the possible effects of El Niño
and submit their work to a local community leader in San Diego.
• Ewe
2
This is an inquiry-oriented activity that explores the
science and ethics of cloning. It "...places students in the position
to ask great questions, seek out the answers, develop new relationships,
and take a stand on a current hot issue: cloning." This case study
approach to WebQuests includes warm-up activities, instructions for
teachers, forums, and grading rubrics.
• General Chemistry Online
Looking for a central site for your chemistry class? Here
it is with everything you and your students need to supplement your
classroom work. A great resource!
• Help Your Child Explore
Science
Developed by the National Science Teachers Association,
this informative brochure may be printed out and distributed at
your school's Back to School Night to help parents and guardians understand
what they can do to support their child in science.
• Jumbo
Looking for shareware and freeware to download and use
in your classroom for science units? Here is the location with the
largest set of programs to download on the WWW. Check out the science
and the education sections for many useful resources.
• Kit and Kaboodle
A creative science curriculum with many exciting science
learning experiences for grades 3-5. Registration is required but
the resources are free. Funded by the National Science Foundation.
• Live
from Antarctica
Here are enough resources for an entire year’s project
on science taking place in Antarctica.
• Mars Missions
Here is the main site for all of NASA’s scientific explorations
of Mars, including upcoming work by the Mars Global Surveyor. Stop
by to see some remarkable images and learn about some remarkable scientists!
• Mr. Biology's
High School Website
Looking for resources for your high school biology course?
Here it is. Links to sample quizzes, interactive simulations, virtual
dissections, and much more. Set a bookmark!
• Physics
2000
From the University of Colorado, this site introduces principles
of physics in an interactive and friendly manner with interactive
simulations. Subjects range from electromagnetic waves and particles
to microwave ovens to classic experiments in atomic physics.
• Rainforest Action Network
If you are engaged in an ecology or rainforest unit, here
is a great location to find out about the latest efforts to preserve
these important parts of our ecosystem.
• Science Resource Center
A great collection of demonstrations, simulations, labs
and other resources contributed by science teachers around the world.
• Skateboard Science
What to get your skateboarding students interested in science?
Here is the place. Wonderful resources to explain how skateboarders
perform all their tricks. From the talented folks at the Exploratorium
Museum in San Francisco.
• The Franklin Museum Science Institute
This is one of the finest science museums around, devoted
to helping children think scientifically and explore the fantastic
world around them.
• The
Great Plant Escape
This series of mystery adventures from the Illinois Cooperative
Extension Service is designed for 4th and 5th grade students who
are asked to "help Detective Le Plant and his partners Bud and Sprout
unlock the amazing mysteries of plant life." The site combines web-based
activities with hands-on experiments.
• The Hubble Space
Telescope’s Public Page
Here is the location for the Hubble Space Telescope and
all of the wonderful science taking place with this instrument.
• The Jason Project
Each year, the JASON Foundation for Education sponsors
an amazing scientific expedition with curriculum developed for
grades 4 through 8. Students participate in the expedition through
"...live, interactive programs."
• The Nine
Planets: A Multimedia Tour of the Solar System
Want to get your upper elementary grade and middle school
students interested in space science? Have them take this tour of
the solar system, visiting each of the planets and their major moons.
• The Science
of Hockey
Developed with the assistance of the NHL's San Jose Sharks,
this site explains the science behind hockey. It includes RealVideo
and Audio interviews with top scientists and NHL players and coaches.
• The Why
Files
Funded by the National Science Foundation and located at
the University of Wisconsin, this location provides you and your students
with science information behind recent news stories.
• Virtual Labs and Simulations
If you are looking for a way to demonstrate different scientific
phenomenon with virtual modeling and simulations, here is the
place for you. A wonderful set of simulations including things
such as Galileo's Law of Falling Bodies, Newton's First Law--Inertia,
Hooke's Law, Kinematic Friction and Kinetic Energy, and much more.
• Webcytology:
An Exploration of Unicellular Life
Designed for students in grades 5-12 interested in exploring
unicellular biology. The site contains an amazing interactive
simulation where "...users create their own species of life and
then put it to the test in a virtual petri dish where it will both
respond to varying environmental conditions and interact with other
people's organisms."
• Virtual Frog Dissection
Kit
An outstanding demonstration of the potential of the Internet
for science education. Think of all the poor frogs that will
be saved!
• VirtualEarthquake
VirtualEarthquake is an interactive computer program designed
to introduce you to the concepts of how an earthquake epicenter is
located and how the Richter Magnitude of an earthquake is determined.
• VolcanoWorld
Here is a wonderfully interactive location to explore volcano
science. View maps of active volcanoes, talk to volcanologists, view
videos of the most recent eruptions, and explore a host of educational
links.
• You Can with Beakman and Jax
Based on the television program, Beakman’s World, this
location is great for curious young scientists who want to figure
out how the world works.
|
Bulletin Boards for Science Education
Usenet Newsgroups for Science
Education
|
• k12.ed.science
Discussion about the science curriculum in K-12 education.
• misc.education.science
Discussion of issues related to science education.
• k12.chat.elementary
Informal discussion among elementary students, grades K-5.
• k12.chat.junior
Informal discussion among students in grades 6-8.
• k12.chat.teacher
Informal discussion among teachers in grades K-12.
|
Back to the top
|