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Osy Osmosis - fun game that helps teach about osmosis

Osy Osmosis

Osy Osmosis is a fun, educational game where you help Osy stay safe as she navigates through a very cool world collecting stars. The trick is to use osmosis to keep her in balance.

The game is not free ($1.99) but is very good, very fun, and educational. It was developed by researchers and educators and profits go towards creating other educational games.




It could be used as a great way to help teach osmosis in a fun way.


Osy Osmosis HD - IS3D-Online Android app on Google PlayAndroid app on Amazon







CellCraft - learn about cells through interactive game



CellCraft is a free interactive game were students learn about the cell as they play the game. It is free to download (as long as you give credit) in three different formats: SWF for embedding on webpages, EXE to play on a Windows computer, and APP to play on a MAC.

The creators are also developing a downloadable teacher's packet with more information about the game and lab for students to use as they play the game.


They also have a blog and forum on the site for users to share and get information and tips. There is a separate category in the forum for teachers too. http://cellcraftgame.com/forums/index.php?board=9.0

This is a fun way for students to learn about the cell.





BioLogica - interactive Biology lessons and learning resources



BioLogica is a site that has interactive labs and learning activities on biology that help students learn concepts. Students work through the activities, get feedback and hints and create a portfolio of their work.


BioLogica runs on Windows and Mac's. It doesn't just help students learn concepts in Biology, it also helps them make connections between different concepts and ideas. It focuses on genetics, including helping students to learn the parts, processes, and mechanisms of genetics.

The activities pose a problem for the students and then lets them solve it. The software will have the students explain their reasoning, help them with hints and eve suggest additional resources and material to help them. Teachers can monitor student performance and collect the student work into electronic portfolios.

There are also 3D interactive models of the cell on the site. These are great for helping students learn about the cell.


There are demos of the activities on the site and you can download a free copy of the prototype version of the software.  http://biologica.concord.org/index.html





Nature Works Everywhere - free resources for learning about nature's factory



Nature Works Everywhere is a great, free site from The Nature Conservancy and Discovery Education. The site has resources to help learn about how nature works and the fact that nature is a factory, making many of the things we need.



There is an interactive online game that helps students discover the connections between everyday items and nature's resources, interactive lesson plans about topics like pollinators, forestry, coastal erosion and more, videos about how nature works to benefit us and how we can preserve nature, and a section about scientists working to preserve nature and keep it productive. There are even some virtual field trips.

Check it out and share it with your colleagues: http://www.natureworkseverywhere.org/


NWE email footer


Related:

Tons of Great Resources from Discovery Education

Great Resources from Discovery Education 

Turfmutt - environmental lessons and resources

Understanding Genetics-Human Health and the Genome - free resource from Stanford U



Understanding Genetics: Human Health and the Genome is a free resource from Stanford University School of Medicine and The Tech Museum.

There are online exhibits, news, activities, resources, articles, videos and much more about Genetics. There is even an "Ask the Geneticist" page with questions and answers. The topics include what are genes, diseases, mutations, medicines, news, and more.

The activities and resources are very well designed, engaging, and educational. It is an excellent resource for teaching genetics and can be scaled for multiple grade levels.


DNA   



Related:

Scitable - biology and life science resources for educators
Learn Genetics - great resource with virtual labs
Genome - resources about the National Genome project




Excite - epidemiology resources & activities from the CDC




EXCITE! is a program developed by the CDC to teach students about the causes and prevention of disease and injury while improving their research and analytic skills. Students learn the scientific method employed by epidemiologists—or disease detectives—and use what they have learned to solve real disease outbreaks on their own. The materials are geared towards grades 7-12 but can be adapted for the lower grades. 

EXCITE

There is a page on epidemiology in the classroom that explains epidemiology and how to track and investigate and outbreak. There are lesson plans and activities included. There is a resource library available with links to more information and resources. 

The outbreak investigation is a great activity that combines content knowledge and skills. 

This is a great resource for biology and health classes to use (as well as other classes in science, math, and other areas) that teaches content, scientific method, problem solving, critical thinking, and more. 

 

Related:

BAM - Great Education resources from the CDC

BAM - Great Education resources from the CDC



The CDC has some great resources for educators, including one on Concussions in children and sports. I just found another part of their site that has more educational resources.

BAM - Body and Mind - is a collection of resources for educators and students aged 9-13 (although you can scale the materials upward). The site has information about healthy lifestyles, diseases, stress, food and nutrition, physical fitness, safety and the human body.


The educator resources include interactive activities and lesson resources that are linked to the national education standards for science and health. There are handouts, lesson plans, and links to other resources.

The activities are fun, well-designed, and educational and can be used in a health or life science / biology course.




Be The Beat - learn CPR in a fun way - from the American Heart Assoc.



Be The Beat is a great resource from the American Heart Association. The site has educational games and resources to learn CPR. It's a great resource to use with your students to teach them CPR and there are specific resources for educators on the site with lesson plans, posters, training resources, emergency planning resources, information about the challenge competition, and more. HeartTrek is a very cool, 3D exploration game on the site that allows students to learn about heart health, explore a 3D model of the heart, and a virtual cardiac arrest that they can play to try to save a life.

As a paramedic with over 23 years experience, I can tell you that bystander CPR is one of the most critical factors in helping a cardiac arrest victim to survive. Use this site to teach your students how to save a life!
Sudden Cardiac Arrest can strike anyone, anywhere—and when it does, a victim’s chance of survival depends on the people around them. That could mean you! Fast recognition, calling 911, immediate CPR and use of an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) can double—or even triple—a victim’s chance of survival. So how do we improve the odds?* 
We're Training a Team of Heart Heroes
Be the Beat is an online Sudden Cardiac Arrest awareness initiative to teach teens all across the country the simple steps that can save a life—and create the next generation of lifesavers. 
Don’t Just Stand There!
It only takes a few minutes to learn about a critical skill that could save a life. You can make a difference! Check out the games, music, videos and giveaways here and join the movement of teen lifesavers—just like you—who are ready to step in and Be the Beat if they ever need to.
Teachers and administrators can visit bethebeat.heart.org/schools to find free tools that can help start and sustain CPR and AED programs. 


About the American Heart Association
For more than 40 years, tens of millions of people—from new parents to advanced medical professionals— have trusted the American Heart Association to deliver their lifesaving CPR training programs and materials. We sponsor the international evaluation of current resuscitation science that leads to the American Heart Association Guidelines on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care, for CPR training guidelines used by hospitals, schools and EMS systems in the U.S. and around the world.
* Statistics: Almost 80% of sudden cardiac arrests happen outside the hospital, less than 30% of victims receive bystander CPR and only 8% survive to hospital discharge.

Bones, Stones, and Genes - the Origins of Modern Humans, - free education resource


The 2011 Holiday Lectures on Science

Bones, Stones, and Genes - the Origins of Modern Humans, is a new free resource from Biointeractive, a great site from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. It was one of the lectures from last year, but the DVD (free) is now available.

In Bones, Stones, and Genes, three leading researchers of human evolution reveal the fossil and genetic evidence chronicling the origin of humans. It is available as streaming videos (or downloads) and as a free DVD. It is divided into parts:

Lecture 1: Human Evolution and the Nature of Science by Tim D. White, Ph.D.
Lecture 2: Genetics of Human Origins and Adaptation by Sarah A. Tishkoff, Ph.D.
Lecture 3: Stone Tools and the Evolution of Human Behavior by John J. Shea, Ph.D.
Lecture 4: Hominid Paleobiology by Tim D. White, Ph.D.
Discussion: Genetics of Bitter Taste Perception
Discussion: Reporting Scientific Results to the Public

There are lectures, interactive features, videos, animations, student discussions, interviews and even Spanish subtitles for ELL.

The lectures and materials on Biointeractive are excellent and a great addition to any teacher's resources. 







How Vaccines are Made - very cool and informative site



Vaccines are pretty amazing when you think about it. Take a deadly substance and make something that will protect us from the deadly substance.

My wife is a Biology teacher and was teaching her students about Vaccines and Diseases and shared this site with me.

How Vaccines are Made is part of an interactive site, The History of Vaccines, that uses multimedia to explain how vaccines are made, how they work, types of vaccines, and much more. There are also sections on the Scientific Method, Diseases, and Immunity.

The site is very well designed and easy to understand. There is an Educator page with lesson plans to use with the activities also. This is an interesting topic that gets students engaged and interested in science.