If you haven’t seen it already, check out “The Why Files.” This website explores the math, science and technology behind stories found in today’s news headlines. They even have their stories classified according to science education standards. Check the website weekly for new articles, or sign up for their mailing list.
In 2002, the American Society for Microbiology and the National Association for Biology Teachers (NABT) released a set of 17 hands-on activities “that correlate with and build on the themes and ideas presented in the PBS series, “Intimate Strangers: Unseen Life on Earth.” This set of activities can be downloaded free of charge from the MicrobeWorld Activities website or can be purchased by NABT members on-line.
Note: I have used some of these activities in workshops with teachers and would highly recommend them.
Fun? Fluffly? Plush? Microbes?
That’s right, stuffed toy microbes (4-inches tall) are available commercially at giantmicrobes.com. I already have the “health” collection and plan to order the “maladies” collection in the near future.
Eariler today, the NSF issued a press release announcing the publication of book which is meant to be used as a learning resource for “teachers, parents, homeschoolers, and administrators who want to see how research has identified hands-on learning that works.” The book is titled “New Formulas for America’s Workforce: Girls in Science and Engineering” and catalogues 211 NSF-funded research projects that examined inquiry-based methods and techniques for studying science and technology in the classroom. Although this publication stems from NSF’s efforts to make science and engineering more accessible to women and minorities, NSF reports that the usefulness of the information contained within is not limited by gender, race or other factors.
The publication is available in bound and printed form as well as on compact disc. Either of these formats may be ordered via the Web at www.nsf.gov/home/orderpub.htm. The printed version’s document number is NSF 03-207 and the compact disk document number is NSF 03-208.
The publication is also available electronically in the portable document format (pdf) and may be downloaded at the following website: www.nsf.gov/pubs/2003/nsf03207/start.htm.
I am getting closer to actually starting to post regularly on my blog. I promise that at some point in the near future, my blog entries will actually be relevant to bringing science into the classroom!
After a brief struggle with MS Frontpage 2000, I have decided to venture into HTML territory and am creating my own page template for my teaching portfolio. My problem with Frontpage is that it wouldn’t allow me to put the same navigation buttons on each page of my “web”. There are multiple advantages to writing the HTML code myself: (1) I will learn more about HTML and (2) My teaching portfolio will be very similar in appearance to this blog. Aesthetics are important.
If you want to see how things are coming along, click the “About the author” link (on the left of this page) to get to the other half of this website.