One-to-one technology in today’s classroom is spreading and is already the primary mode of instruction in some schools. For many teachers, this can be both an exciting and scary journey; implementing new technology means learning new skills, no easy task for a busy teacher! Fear not though, there are some wonderful tools already available that make the transition painless. The best part is that they’re free! This week, let’s take a look at 5 science apps which will transform your lessons into interactive, engaging experiences.   #1. Science 360 Grade levels: 4 – 12 Subject(s): Physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, astronomy, medicine, earth science Available through: iPad, Website The 411: This is a great starter app because it offers a wide range of science content with engaging pictures and illustrations. The articles featured often reflect new scientific discoveries and studies. Some articles include videos as well! One big plus is that you can download all article pictures in HD for free on the iPad app – no catch, no gimmicks! The website is organized slightly differently, but still offers fantastic information. Fair warning: the content is written for an older audience and is not suitable for early education.   #2: iCell Grade levels: 4-12 Subject(s): Biology/ Life Science Available through: iPad, Android, Website The 411: iCell is a specialized app focusing specifically on animal, bacteria, and plant cells. The app brings each cell to life in 3D format. Users can click on individual parts of a cell to zoom in on the shape and learn about its function. The visuals in this app are amazing. This app infuses life into a topic often perceived as boring and cumbersome for students. Like Science360, this app can also be accessed through the developer’s website for use online.   #3: Color Uncovered – Exploratorium Grade levels: 1-8 Subjects: Physics, life science Available through: iPad, Google images* The 411: Created by Exploratorium, Color Uncovered is a free interactive book that you can download via iPad. The book explores tricks that your brain can play on you when you perceive colors and shapes. The plethora of fun facts and images are a plus! Also of value are the simplified explanations given for each experience. This book brings out the kid in you and is sure to inspire your students. I highly recommend this app! *If you do not own an iPad, you can still find many of the book’s pages through a simple Google images search.   #4: Nasa Viz Grade levels: 1-12 Subjects: Astronomy, physics, chemistry Available through: iPad The 411: Nasa Viz reinvents how you’ll want to introduce astronomy into your next class. The app allows users to explore the solar system and beyond. Their user friendly navigation provides stories of planets, moons, and more. Users can search for specific topics, bookmark stories, and even post stories on social media platforms. The vivid images videos will easily capture students’ attention. Unlike Nasa’s previous apps, this one is updated on a regular basis. #5: WWF Together Grade levels: K-8 Subjects: Animals, conservation, art Available through: iPad The 411: WWF Together brings you up close and personal to amazing and endangered animals. The app itself is beautiful! You will be hard set to find a more visually stunning app. Each featured animal has interactive content about their lives, amazing pictures, and fun facts. Origami lessons are also provided, adding a great opportunity to integrate art into your lesson. The app also touches on wildlife conservation.  Each month a new animal is added. This is great for units about animals, conservation, and art. ...read more

Looking for a great activity for the start of the new school year? This Wordle activity will help you do three things: Open a discussion about team work and classroom expectations Introduce grade highlights, upcoming projects, and school events Create a neat display about your class for Back-to-School Night! The activity will last for about 15-20 minutes, starting initially with a discussion about characteristics and qualities that should be highly valued in the classroom (i.e. respect, leadership, honesty). The most important qualities (determined by your students), along with your student names, and a main title (i.e. “Our Class”) will be inserted into Wordle’s webpage to create the final product. My free activity will take you through each step with easy to understand instructions. I have also included lesson extensions that can help you take this activity one step further.  Example word lists and pictures of the final product are included at the end of the document. Download the activity here!   New to Wordle? Wordle is a free website that analyzes text. The text can be typed into Wordle’s webpage. Wordle takes the most repeated words from the content it is given and displays them in creative visual format. Words that appear more prominent in size generally appeared more often in the original text. Wordle is a neat way to display important ideas, characteristics, and themes. Learn more here: http://www.wordle.net/ ...read more

Several years ago, the trek to create the Common Core standards began. Now that they are in the beginning stages of implementation, the focus has  shifted towards science. But why are new standards needed? How will they impact teachers and school districts? We’ll take a look at these issues in this article. Why the Change is Needed If you take a look at your old science textbooks, you’ll probably notice that there are a lot of topics that are out of date or missing. Science has changed a great deal, especially since the previous implementation of standards about fifteen to twenty years ago. But the issue of new standards is really more than the fact that current ones have aged. Quite simply, students in the United States are not proficient in science under current standards. The 2011 NAEP Science Assessment report found that one-third of eighth grade U.S. students scored below basic. Moreover, the 2012 ACT College Readiness Benchmarks Report found that 69% of high school graduates did not meet college-readiness benchmarks for science. As for how we compare internationally, well that’s not much better either. On the 2009 international PISA exam, United States students were 17th out of 34 participating countries. In other words, it is time to look at how science is taught and how much time is provided for the subject. Achieve, the National Research Council, 26 states, and other organizations sought to fix these problems and make science standards more competitive. Their new standards, titled the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), will change the way teachers approach science. In these standards, elementary students are exposed to the same four fields each year:  physical science, life science, earth/space science, and engineering. Depending which state you teach at, this may look the same or may be a vast improvement. Promoters of STEM curriculum will appreciate NGSS for its incorporation of engineering (currently a neglected topic in elementary and middle school). The NGSS are also linked to Common Core standards and contain notes to clarify any confusion about a particular standard. One other large difference is the emphasis on hands-on learning and encouraging students to think like a scientist, as opposed to rote memorization. One downside for the NGSS are the time gaps between certain standards. For example, the core idea “Matter and its Interactions” is introduced to students only every three years. Other core ideas about energy and the solar system follow similar patterns. The progression of ideas, while good, have a considerable amount of years in-between them which could effect students’ mastery of concepts. The NGSS are ready for state adoption as of April 2013. Since then, five states have adopted the standards and several others are holding public reviews. It is expected that more states will adopt these when teachers return back to school in the fall.   What Does this Mean for Teachers and Schools? These new standards will have a great impact upon teachers and schools. The following list provides insight into what will be needed to implement these standards. 1. Less Textbooks, More Hands-on Learning: These standards emphasize labs and other hands-on activities as the primary way to explore and learn science. While this has come under criticism from the Fordham Institute, other organizations like the NSTA back this approach stating that it promotes engagement and requires students to think like scientists. For schools and teachers, this new approach means that your classrooms may need more lab materials (i.e. beakers, microscopes, and goggles). 2. More Professional Development: As teachers, we went through school being exposed to the old science standards. In order to prepare for these new standards, it will be crucial for school districts to hold professional development meetings in which teachers are trained on how to implement interactive activities and teaching methods in the classroom. The new standards will have little impact on student learning if teachers are not prepared to teach them properly. 3. New Teaching Material: While the standards promote more hands-on learning, new teaching materials aligned to the standards will also be needed. This may incur a large cost for school districts. This site highly recommends supplementing learning for the time being with existing material, until new textbooks and science kits are formulated. It is very important to invest in something not simply “aligned” to the new standards, but actually “created” for the new standards. Otherwise, your school will most likely invest in publishers that have simply shifted their old content around to make it compatible with NGSS. 4. More Science Time in the Classroom: For many classrooms around the nation, curricular time for science has been drastically cut so that math and language arts are the main focus of school time. According to the 2012 National Survey of Science and Mathematics Education, in grades K-6, science instruction was only 19-24 minutes per day, while reading and math combined averaged 143 minutes per day. This trend will need to change for states who implement NGSS. In order to really teach science well and be able to incorporate interactive lessons, teachers need four to five days with forty to fifty minute periods each class time. 5. Educating Parents and Guardians: The NGSS are not simply a big shift for teachers and schools. Parents and guardians will need time to adjust to the new standards as well. It is always best to begin the education process one to two years before implementation. Providing fact sheets, short videos, and even encouraging parents to read research or articles about the NGSS will help parents understand and support the new standards.   What do you think of the new science standards? How will they impact your classroom? What concerns or questions do you still have about them? Let us know. ...read more