Technology Resources in Science Presented by Anna Nelson-Lenhart Michigan Science Teachers Association 57 th Annual Conference March 4-6, 2010

The Green Guide This site is sponsored by National Geographic and has a list of many products everyone uses. The guide tells you what to look for when buying healthy and environmentally friendly products. Students could use this to make better decisions about products their family uses every day.

Michigan Graphical Forecast This site is sponsored by NOAA and allows students to look at the current weather on a map. They can scroll over different conditions such as temperature, sky cover, wind speed, and dew point. It is great for the visual learner. *I have included the link to the Michigan page but they have maps like this for the whole US.

Energy Kids This website is sponsored by the U.S. Energy information Administration. It includes information about many different types of energy as well as how to save energy. The site also shows how energy is used differently in the home, industry, and transportation. There are biographies of famous people who have contributed to energy as well as energy games and science fair project ideas. There is even a page that explores possible careers in energy. This site also has a teachers’ section that includes lesson plans.

CELLS alive! This website has many animations involving cells. There are interactive models of cells as well as animations of mitosis and meiosis. There is even an animation that explains what happens in your body when you get a splinter and why people are allergic to dust mites.

Exploratorium This website has tons of information about many aspects of science. There is information about climate change and space weather. There are also microscope images of blood, neurons, and cancer cells. My favorite part of the website is the area about sport science. It explains the physics behind many popular sports and may peak some students interest who are not interested in science. There is also a section with tips for science teachers.

Earthquake Hazards Program This website is sponsored by the US Geological Survey and has interactive maps of the United States and world. You can see where there have been earthquakes throughout the world in the last hour, day, or week. Students could adopt a region of the world and chart the number of earthquakes and their magnitude over a length of time.

BrainPOP This website includes sections for several subjects including Math, English, Social Studies, and Science. The Science section covers a wide range of topics including chemistry, force, weather, space, ecology, energy and many more. I really like this website because it has cartoon videos for each subject that the students really enjoy. These videos are funny and involve reoccurring characters.

Science News for Kids It is always important that our students learn about new discoveries and what it currently going on in the world. Many science articles are not tailored to children and may be hard for them to read. This is a database of science related articles that a written for kids. It also includes many pictures and graphics with each article.

Science Fair Project Database This database has hundreds of ideas for science fair projects. It is well organized and divides projects by categories such as Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, and Earth Science. These categories are further divided into subcategories. Students can also search for specific projects. Each project comes with instructions as well as suggestions for other related projects the student may like, allowing students to blend and edit projects to their taste and needs.

Children and Urban Agriculture This website is a wonderful resource for teachers in an urban setting who want their students to learn about the importance of farming. There are instructions and ideas for teachers to start their own school gardens or to teach students more about urban farming. Students can learn many lessons from taking care of a garden such as botany, sustainability, and the importance of protecting the earth.

EEK! Environmental Education for Kids This website is sponsored by the Wisconsin DNR and provides activity guides for 7 th to 12 th grade teachers. There are activity guides about climate change, recycling, invasive species, and many other topics. There are also many ideas for service projects students can complete. Many of the plant and animal species mentioned will we relevant to Michigan students as well because of our proximity to Wisconsin.

Chem4Kids This website teaches students about matter, reactions, elements, atoms, and biochemistry in a very accessible manner. There are plenty of diagrams. There are also several quizzes on the topics covered. Rader’s also has similar websites for other topics such as astronomy, biology, earth science, and physics.

Volcano World This website teaches kids all about volcanoes. Students can take a virtual tour of a lava tube, learn about specific volcanoes all over the world with an interactive map, or learn the answers to some frequently asked questions about volcanoes. There is also a list of current volcanic activity as well as several games and puzzles about volcanoes. There is also a section for teachers with sample lessons and modules about volcanoes, a glossary, and volcano facts.

Kids Britannica Encyclopedia This encyclopedia is made specifically for kids. Students can search for specific topics or explore more general topics. There are also links to full entries on important words included in the articles. This can be a valuable resource for students research or exploration as well as a resource for teachers who are stumped on how to explain complex ideas to their students.

Sporcle This website is a fun way for students to study and review information they have already learned. There is a whole page full of science quizzes such as bones in the human body, several quizzes on the elements, planets, astronomy terms, amino acids, the brightest stars, constellations, scientific names of animals, anatomy of the eye, and taxonomic ranks to name just a few. You should probably monitor your students closely, however, when using this site because it does contain many uneducational quizzes that may distract students.

Thank You! I hope these resources will help you and your students.