Jun30

Staying Up-to-Date on Professional Issues

I subscribe to many blogs and other RSS feeds to try to stay up-to-date. In a previous post, I noted how RSS feeds from organizations such as NASA, Scientific American, and the National Science Foundation provide summaries of current issues and interesting topics in science.

There are many other resources that can give us up-to-date information on issues related to teaching and learning. I particularly like the Inside School Research blog from Education Week. It includes brief summaries of current research with a link to the full report or study. Recent topics include independent-study schools, teacher mobility, the value of frequent quizzes, cell phones in the classroom, and value-added measures.

I also like the ASCD (Association for Curriculum and Supervision) Inservice blog. Recent topics include Tracking "Makes You Feel Like You're Not Smart", Hypotheses: They're Not Just for Science Anymore, Practice, Practice, Practice (Or: Homework, Homework, Homework?), Middle School Math and the Achievement Gap with links to reports or book chapters with more details.

I've also started to follow some interesting "tweets" on Twitter. Yes, I know that people post trivial and mundane information (I'm eating lunch. I'm at the beach.), but I've found some interesting folks to follow (e.g., NSTA's Lab Out Loud guys) as well as organizations such as NSTA, ASCD, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that provide leads on interesting information. And I've started to tweet with some of my own "finds."

Of course, you don't have time to read everything, but when you can get summaries or abstracts to skim, you can pick and choose what is relevant.

Please share any of your favorites!
Published: Jun-30-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Jun22

Science Nation

Have you seen the National Science Foundation's new online magazine Science Nation? The NSF's news release dated June 1, 2009, states that this video program will "take a dynamic, entertaining look at the research, and the researchers, that will change our lives."

Science Nation will have a new episode every Monday. Each episode consists of a video clip (3- and 5-minute versions), which can be viewed online or downloaded, a text version of the story, and links to other resources on the topic. To date, there have been three episodes: Extremophile Hunter, Unraveling the Mysteries of Tornadoes, and Eyesight to the Blind.

These episodes could be used in a variety of ways: as suggested viewing for interested students, for when you don't want to start a new topic but have some extra class time, to show students what scientific research looks like, or to illustrate how the sciences are connected. For example, the episode Eyesight to the Blind ties in anatomy, microchip technology, medical research, and genetics.

One suggestion to the NSF -- I'd like to see an option for a printer-friendly version of the text. A Spanish version would be useful, too!
Published: Jun-22-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Jun14

Another Online Resource

In an earlier blog, I spotlighted the Teachers' Domain website, with its collection of lesson plans and multimedia resources. The more I see of this, the better I appreciate it!

As I was searching for additional resources for SciLinks, I found another site that is a treasure of resources in science (and mathematics). Visionlearning is a collection of materials, organized into a library of science topics. Each topic has a "module" which includes text, graphics, and animations. Most topics have a quiz and an annotated list of links to related resources. The modules are peer-reviewed for accuracy. There is also a glossary that is cross-referenced to the modules.

There is an option for teachers to create "Learning Areas" to customize materials for their students. You can post assignments, notes, comments, and a list of modules for the students. Registration is required, but it is free. (The site was funded through the NSF).

The modules are heavy on text, but they present the concepts in a readable style, appropriate for students who are reading at a high school level (or for teachers who are interested in background information). The pages can be printed, a nice feature if you want to use them in class. There is a link to access just the animations that are in the modules. And another great feature - the entire site is available in Spanish.

Several of the modules are in SciLinks, but the entire site is worth a look.
Published: Jun-14-09 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Jun08

Big Ideas in Earth Science

Many current approaches to the design of curriculum and instruction are emphasizing the use of "big ideas" (aka essential questions, overarching themes) as an organizing framework for courses or units. I've done several presentations on this topic, and some teachers find it challenging to identify the big ideas in their content areas.

But if you're an earth science teacher, check out a recent NSF press release that describes a new publication-- Earth Science Literacy Principles, which lists big ideas and supporting concepts which can be used for a variety of purposes: education, legislation, scientific endeavors. You can download the document, but here is the list of earth science "literacy principles" from the publication:

Earth scientists use repeatable observations and testable ideas to understand and explain our planet.
Earth is 4.6 billion years old.
Earth is a complex system of interacting rock, water, air, and life.
Earth is continuously changing.
Earth is the water planet.
Life evolves on a dynamic Earth and continuously modifies Earth.
Humans depend on Earth for resources.
Natural hazards pose risks to humans.
Humans significantly alter the Earth.

But wait - it gets even better. On the Earth Science Literacy Initiative website, use the link to "Complementary Projects" for similar documents in Ocean Literacy, Atmospheric Literacy, and Climate Literacy. Whether you teach an entire course or just a few topics, these are worth a look.

Published: Jun-08-09 | 1 Comment | 0 Links to this post