National Geographic and Bill Nye the Science Guy hosted a panel discussion with NASA scientists. The panel discussed the history of major developments over the last fifty years of space exploration. The half hour discussion was recorded and is available to watch online. Watching the video, embedded below, prompted me to review some of the many resources for learning about space exploration that I've discovered over the years. Here are ten of my favorites.
Station Spacewalk Game
is designed for middle school students to learn about the purposes and
functions of the International Space Station. In the game students go on
Extravehicular Activities modeled after real EVAs performed by
astronauts. Station Spacewalk can be played online or downloaded for free as a Windows game or as a Mac game.
NASA's Lunar Electric Rover Simulator is
a free iOS app that lets you explore the moon. The app is really a game
in which players perform tasks to support the activities of a lunar
outpost. Players transport items from place to place and along the way
encounter lunar challenges to overcome. The app also includes an
interactive gallery of images. You can download the app for free from iTunes.
NASA 360 is
a series of videos about NASA's work. The episodes examine
NASA's technological and scientific work. The episodes discuss how
NASA's work is used not only in space exploration but also in elements
of our modern everyday lives. The episodes can be downloaded from the NASA 360 page or viewed on Hulu.
In the 25 minute video
below former commander of the International Space Station, Sunita
Williams takes viewers on an in-depth tour of the International Space
Station. In the video you'll get the answers to almost everything you
may have wondered about regarding living in space for weeks or months at
a time. Williams shows us the laboratories, the space suits for space
walks, the kitchen, and the sleeping quarters. Williams even shows us
the space station's "outhouse" and goes so far as to explain the
different types of toilet paper on the space station.
We Choose the Moon is a project put together by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. We Choose the Moon has eleven stages that viewers can follow as the mission progresses. If you visit We Choose the Moon you
can explore image and video galleries capturing the sights and sounds
of the lead-up to the launch. Included in these galleries are videos of
President Kennedy talking about the goal of putting a man on the moon.
Planet In Action
is a fun website that features games based on Google Earth. In the Moon Lander game you take control of the Apollo 11
moon lander and guide the Eagle to touch-down.
NASA has an excellent interactive timeline tracing the history of astronomy and space exploration from the Greek philosophers through today. Planet Quest
is actually three timelines combined into one. The three timelines
cover technology, discovery, and culture as it relates to astronomy and
space exploration. Each element on the timeline is narrated. Users can
select individual elements on the timeline or choose autoplay to hear
the narration of each item in sequence.
The Scale of the Universe 2
features a huge selection of objects in the universe that are arranged
according to size and scale. You can zoom-in on the image to objects as
small as neutrinos and quarks or as large as planets, constellations,
and galaxies. When you click on an object in The Scale of the Universe 2
a small window of information about that object pops up.
Spacecraft 3D
is a free iPad app produced by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Spacecraft 3D uses augmented reality technology to bring NASA spacecraft
to life on your iPad. To get started using the app you first need to
print out the spacecraft target codes. Then your students can scan those
target codes with their iPads. The spacecraft then becomes a 3D model
that your students can explore.
NASA Space Place is a
sizable collection of fun projects, games, animations, and lessons about
Earth, space, and technology. Before playing the games or attempting
one of the projects, students should explore the animations and facts
sections to gain some background information. The projects section of NASA Space Place provides
teachers, parents, and students with directions for hands-on projects
like building a balloon-powered rover, building relief maps, and
building a moon habitat. The games section offers thirty games covering
all of the subjects in the animations and facts sections.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Problem Attic Now Offers 80,000+ Practice Questions in Math, Science, Social Studies, and ELA
Problem Attic
is a free service that allows you to quickly create practice tests and
flashcards for social studies, language arts, mathematics, and science. I reviewed the service last fall. Since then it has nearly doubled the number of practice questions that are available for teachers to use to create practice assessments and flashcards. Problem Attic now includes questions from past standardized tests of seventeen U.S. states.
Problem Attic makes it easy to create practice assessments and flashcards. To create your practice tests on Problem Attic you simply create a new document then browse through questions and pin them to your document. After you have pinned all of the questions that you want in your document you can arrange the order in which they appear in your document. Finally, before printing your document you choose and set the page formatting.
Applications for Education
One of my former department chairpersons was a big fan of using old New York Regents exam questions as essay prompts and review activities with his students. In my travels and work with teachers in other parts of the U.S. I've talked with other teachers who also like to use old exams for the same purpose. If you like to use old exam questions as review materials, Problem Attic is a service that you should try.
Problem Attic makes it easy to create practice assessments and flashcards. To create your practice tests on Problem Attic you simply create a new document then browse through questions and pin them to your document. After you have pinned all of the questions that you want in your document you can arrange the order in which they appear in your document. Finally, before printing your document you choose and set the page formatting.
Applications for Education
One of my former department chairpersons was a big fan of using old New York Regents exam questions as essay prompts and review activities with his students. In my travels and work with teachers in other parts of the U.S. I've talked with other teachers who also like to use old exams for the same purpose. If you like to use old exam questions as review materials, Problem Attic is a service that you should try.
Is The 5-Second Rule True? And Other Interesting Science Videos
VSauce is an interesting YouTube channel that I have followed for a while now. The videos published by VSauce explain the science and math that answers all kinds of fun and interesting questions like "is the 5 second rule true?" "where is the most dangerous place on Earth?" and "will we ever visit other stars?"
Applications for Education
Due to the PG-13 rating that I'd apply to some of the content of some VSauce videos I wouldn't turn my students loose on the whole VSauce channel, but I would use an individual video as part of a science lesson.
Applications for Education
Due to the PG-13 rating that I'd apply to some of the content of some VSauce videos I wouldn't turn my students loose on the whole VSauce channel, but I would use an individual video as part of a science lesson.
Guest Bloggers Wanted
In a couple of weeks I will be going away to Moosehead Lake, Maine for my annual ice fishing trip. It's the one time each year that I truly unplug from the Internet. For the last four years I've been fortunate to have some great guest bloggers share their stories while I'm unplugged. This year I'm hoping to have some more guest bloggers share their knowledge and experience on February 17 through 19. If you would like to be a guest blogger please read on and complete the form below.
I'm looking for guest bloggers who can share their experiences using technology in their schools. If you can tell the story in 600 words or less, that's a bonus. While I cannot pay you for your post, I will include links to your blog or website as well as a short bio about you. Past guest bloggers have reported still getting traffic to their blogs more than a year after their posts appeared.
If you are a representative of a company, please do not complete this form.
February 8, 2013 - The form has been closed. All who submitted responses will be contacted shortly.
I'm looking for guest bloggers who can share their experiences using technology in their schools. If you can tell the story in 600 words or less, that's a bonus. While I cannot pay you for your post, I will include links to your blog or website as well as a short bio about you. Past guest bloggers have reported still getting traffic to their blogs more than a year after their posts appeared.
If you are a representative of a company, please do not complete this form.
February 8, 2013 - The form has been closed. All who submitted responses will be contacted shortly.
Take Flight with This Student and Teacher Video Contest on Next Vista
Next Vista for Learning recently announced the launch of their spring video creation contest for students and teachers. Creative Flight is the name of this spring's contest. To enter students and teachers need to create short (90 seconds or less) videos about a concept that one might encounter in elementary, middle, or high school. The video should provide a lesson. The submission deadline is May 3, 2013. You can read the full contest details here.
For some inspiration take a look at the finalist's videos from previous contests. Previous student finalists, previous teacher finalists, and previous student/teacher collaboration finalists. Peter the Great in 90 Seconds was a recent contest winner.
For some inspiration take a look at the finalist's videos from previous contests. Previous student finalists, previous teacher finalists, and previous student/teacher collaboration finalists. Peter the Great in 90 Seconds was a recent contest winner.
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