A long, long time ago many people thought the earth was flat. Today, we know it’s not. In fact, according to HERODOT, the European Network for Geography in Higher Education, these days, it’s cubed.
Geocube is an engaging, FREE, online resource devoted to the exploration of geography. With an interface based on the appearance of a Rubik Cube, its six faces and 54 topics invite users to learn more about our planet.
environment, reference, science, visualization
geo, geography, image, images, video
On this day, November 10th, in 1975, the freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald (a taconite carrier) sank during a storm on Lake Superior. All of the crew, 29 nine men, perished. The event was memorialized in the lyrics of singer Gordon Lightfoot’s popular ballad, the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Though sad, this historical event presents an engrossing opportunity for students and teachers to collaborate and engage in interdisciplinary research. It’s a perfect storm of learning. Delving into what lead up to the tragedy allows pupils to explore elements of:
Diving into this and other historical events, using them as case-study investigations into why and how things happen, makes learning more rewarding and allows students to integrate technology resources in a more meaningful manner.
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creativity, environment, learning, literature, math, music, nature, science
history, maps, math, music, science, song, songs
I discovered the CUAHSI Hydrologic Information System after listening to today’s episode of EarthSky on Georgia Public Radio. This looks like a useful resource for collecting real-world data for use in biology and environmental science classrooms. For example, if students are collecting information for a science fair project about the level of nitrogen in watersheds, they can turn to the Hydroseek search engine.
environment, science
data, environment, science, sustainability
October is Energy Awareness Month. Many teachers don’t realize that the U.S. Department of Energy’s very own Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) provides helpful materials and ideas for promoting energy-saving practices. The Department of Energy also has a site designed for educators that’s worth exploring. Make a point to explore the site’s You Have the Power campaign resources.
Another way to make the concept of energy conservation more relevant to students is to help them simulate what it’s like to operate an electrical grid. Deciding who gets power and how it’s delivered involves a great deal of both creative and critical thinking (not to mention an appreciation for and the skilled application of math and science). Thankfully, the Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (MSTE) program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign collaborated with the Information Trust Institute (ITI) NSF Trustworthy Cyber Infrastructure for the Power grid (TCIP) project and created some powerful instructional resources for pupils in middle and high school that explore and illustrate key concepts about how and why the power grid works the way it does. Once students play with the Power Grid simulation applet, they’ll continue coming back to tinker with it time and again. 
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environment, government, science, virtualization
electricity, energy, power, powergrid
One of the most effective ways to teach pupils about science is to have them actually do the work of a scientist. How can a science teacher do this? It’s simple. Help learners find and join a network of volunteers, who, like the students, have very little or no specific scientific training. Despite deficits in factual information, volunteers may still perform and manage extremely important research-related tasks such as observation, measurement or computation. For example, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology follows an excellent collection of projects that need volunteers. CLO’s site, dubbed Citizen Science, tracks projects that encourage and allow young researchers to do the work of scientists. Such projects create powerful relationships between the general public and professional scientists, resulting in some of the world’s largest research teams. The projects highlighted at CLO make it possible for students and concerned citizens to contribute valuable information to ongoing, worldwide studies. Give it a try. It’s an excellent, easy way to integrate technology in a meaningful way and give students a chance to be a scientist.
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environment, science
citizen-science, data, volunteer
If you teach Biology or Environmental Science swing by Seaturtle.org. Why? Not only is it a great example of Science in action, this rich site is also dedicated to providing support for the research and conservation of sea turtles. An added bonus is that the site also keep tracks of recently discovered nesting sites. This means that educators, pupils, parents, and other community members can track, explore, analyze, and work with nesting data (that’s almost 5,000 nests each year) via the internet (in real-time, no less!) for four species of sea turtles that make their homes throughout 710 miles of southeastern coastline in the United States –an area between North Carolina and Georgia.
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This story came to us via GPB News.
environment, science
animals, biology, environment, ocean, science
I live in south Georgia in the United States where cool weather is the stuff of dreams. With summer approaching, everyone in my area is cranking up an air conditioner or making plans to find a shady spot with cool, refreshing water nearby. It’s a time when electricity is in high demand. National Public Radio has an intriguing visualization of the U.S. Power Grid. This clever and informative resource will spark rich conversations in a classroom where students are studying conventional and alternative sources of energy.
environment, nature, science, visualization
earth-science, energy, science
Go digital, if you can and save paper and money. However, if you absolutely must print, don’t print everything on the web. Instead, just PrintWhatYouLike.
environment, productivity
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