Best of 2018 - PhET PowerPoint Add-in

This week is a vacation week for the vast majority of readers of this blog. As I do at this time every year, I'm going to republish some of the most popular posts of 2018. Here's one from April.

PhET is a free resource that has been popular with science and math teachers for many years. PhET provides free interactive math and science simulations covering topics in physics, chemistry, biology, earth science, and mathematics. In the PhET library you'll find simulations appropriate for elementary, middle, high school, and university students. PhET even offers a search tool that will help you find lesson ideas built upon the free simulations.

56 of the PhET simulations are available to insert into PowerPoint presentations through the use of PhET's free PowerPoint Add-in. With the Add-in installed you can browse the available simulations and insert them into your slides. The simulations work in your slide just as they do on the PhET website.

Applications for Education
The PhET PowerPoint Add-in could be time-saver if you are planning to use more than one simulation during a lesson. Rather than clicking through menus or clicking through bookmarks to bring-up the right simulation, you could just create a slideshow that has your PhET simulations arranged in the sequence you plan to use them during your lesson.

My Mini City - Build Your Own City

My Mini City is a city simulator that introduces users to real-life challenges facing city development and planning including unemployment, sanitation, overpopulation, and natural disaster. My Mini City does not require users to download or update any software, it is a completely web-based application. Being an entirely web-based application gives it an advantage over other city simulators on the market today. As most readers of this blog know, I am a huge proponent of web-based applications because their usability over a myriad of network and operating systems.

Applications for Educators
Geography and Social Studies teachers will like My Mini City for the number of real life problems the program simulates. It's a great teaching tool as it makes students account for number of geographic, economic, and political concepts.
Earth Science teachers will like My Mini City's sanitation, population, and natural disaster simulations.

Here are some related resources that may be of interest to you:

Stop Disasters - Natural Disaster Simulation Game

Geography Links You Might Have Missed

Alegbra in the Real World

This blog entry is dedicated to my colleague, Jeremy the math teacher, who has to constantly answer the question, "when are we ever going to use this?"
In my bumbling around the Internet today I found a website with videos about Algebra in the Real World.
On The Futures Channel there are videos accompanied by lesson plans about using Algebra in the "real world."

Applications for Education
The Futures Channel has come to the rescue of Math teachers who are constantly asked the question, "when are we ever going to use this?" On the Futures Channel there are many lesson plans and lesson ideas relating math (and other subjects) to current "real life" situations. And by "real life" the Futures Channel doesn't mean just converting recipes like my high school Algebra book did. Check out the Futures Channel today and stop answering the question, "when are we ever going to use this?"

For more Algebra lesson plans that involve real-world scenarios check out Dan Meyer's free 38 week Algebra curriculum.

Free Technology For Teachers: Mediated Cultures- What will you do this semester?

Mediated Cultures.net is a project of Michael Wesch's designed as an exploration of the role of emerging media in cultures. Last week I shared with you Wesch's extremely popular and thought provoking video about today's student. (Click the word video to watch it).
Today I came across a simulation activity Wesch does with his anthropology students to explore the systems of the world over the last 500 years. While the activity is designed for college undergrads it could easily be adapted for high school students. Watch the introductory video below and then visit Wesch's website to learn more about the activity.