Habitats - An Educational Game from the Smithsonian

Habitats is a fun little game from the Smithsonian Science Education Center. The online game challenges elementary school to match animals to their habitats. The game shows students images representative of four habitats; desert, coral reef, jungle, and marsh. Students drag pictures of animals from a list to their corresponding habitats. Students receive instant feedback on each move they make in the game. Once an animal has been placed in the correct habitat students can click on it to learn more about it in the Encyclopedia of Life.

Applications for Education
Habitats could be a fun game for students to play as a review activity after studying one or all four of the habitats featured in the game.

Online Course - Blogs & Social Media for Teachers Begins Tomorrow Night

All summer long I am offering online professional development courses. Tomorrow night I'll be starting a new section of Blogs & Social Media for Teachers and School Leaders. Graduate credit is available for completing the course. Click here to learn more and to register.

Blogs and Social Media for Teachers and School Leaders is designed to help teachers and school leaders develop an understanding of the many ways they can use blogs and social media (Twitter, Google+, Instagram, and more) to enhance communication between school and home. After learning about how each of the tools works we’ll dive into developing strategies for implementation.

Blogs and Social Media for Teachers and School Leaders is a five week webinar series during which teachers and school administrators will learn the how to choose the best blogging platform for their situations, how to set-up a blog for classroom and school-wide use, and learn about strategies on how to manage blogs in classroom and school-wide settings. Participants will also learn how to avoid the mistakes that often lead to blogging endeavors being abandoned. After establishing blogs we’ll jump into using social networks like Twitter, Google+, and Instagram to reach out to parents, students, and other members of school communities.

The Physical Effects of Heat Stroke - A TED-Ed Lesson

As I was doing some landscape work in my yard today there was n doubt that summer is here. The sun felt hot and even a breeze didn't cool me down much as I moved piles of dirt in my yard. (If you're curious, I am building terraces for planting). I was not in danger of heat stroke today, but the experience did remind me of a TED-Ed lesson on the topic.

What Happens When You Get Heat Stroke? is a TED-Ed lesson that explains the difference between exertional and classical heat stroke. The lesson also explains the symptoms and treatment for heat stroke. The video is embedded below. The full lesson is available here.