The Physics Front - teaching resources for Physics

The Physics Front is a free site that contains teaching resources on Physics and Physical Science. The resources are searchable and are arranged by level: K-8 Physical Science, Physics First, Conceptual Physics, Algebra Based, and AP / Calculus. Resources are then organized by topic.

It's part of the ComPADRE education community resources.

There are lesson plans, links to other resources, technology, links, and other resources to help educators when teaching Physics or Physical Science. It's another great resource to add to your collection.






Related:

MyPhysicsLab - Free Physics Simulations

PhET - excellent, free, virtual labs and simulations for science

Physion - free Physics Simulation Software

Great Physics Resources for Students and Teachers

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Symbolab - Science and Math Search Engine - search with symbols too

Symbolab is a site I learned about from David Kapuler on his blog. It is a "Science and Math Search Engine" and makes it easier to find science content online. It specifically searches for science content using semantic search tools.

You can search from the site, or use a free download for Chrome and Firefox.

The other unique feature that truly sets it apart is that it lets you use math and science symbols and equations to search. This is especially helpful when searching for topics that are related to a formula or symbol, vs. just a word.

Share this with your science and math educators and students.


Related:

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Resources for Educators and Students

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SciencePrimer - free site with science resources and activities

SciencePrimer is a free web site that has some great science resources. The site has illustrations (animations with explanations) of concepts, practice questions and problems with hints and solutions, calculators and conversion tools, and a science glossary.

The illustrations are really good. They include interactive animations that let you change different specifications or characteristics, an explanation of the topic, and videos.

This site has some great resources that can help students understand and learn science resources.


Related:

MyPhysicsLab - Free Physics Simulations

PhET - excellent, free, virtual labs and simulations for science

Physion - free Physics Simulation Software

Great Physics Resources for Students and Teachers

Read more

STEM Flix - STEM videos for middle school classes

STEM Flix is a STEM Video series for middle school classes created by the Northrop Grumman Foundation and Science Bob. The videos include demonstrations that engage the students and then explore STEM career fields and topics and how they are applied in everyday life.

There are two videos - Having Fun with STEM and Fun with Microelectronics - and the site also has instructions for doing experiments shown in the films, as well as fact sheets on STEM areas.

Related:

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Resources for Educators

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Free Resources for Earth Science Week, Oct 14-20

Next week, October 14-20th, is Earth Science Week. It is a way to promote awareness of important Earth Science topics and the importance of Earth Science in education.

The theme for this year is "Discovering Careers in the Earth Sciences." There are classroom activity ideas and resources, including materials, lesson plans, and more at the site.

There are some really good materials available online and you can also order a full classroom kit of materials, for a small fee, from the site. Past years' kits are also available.

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MyPhysicsLab - Free Physics Simulations

MyPhysicsLab is a free site that contains, you guessed it, physics lab simulations. They are simple and created in Java, but illustrate the physics concept quite well. They are organized into topics: springs, pendulums, combinations, collisions, roller coasters, molecules. There is also a section that explains how they work and the math/physics/programming behind creating them.

Simulations are a great way to really explore and visualize a topic. Many times, a simulation is better than a hands-on lab because of the manipulations and visual ques that exist. I use simulations in combination with hands-on labs.

This is another great resource for physics students and teachers to use to explore and learn about physics concepts.

Related:

PhET - excellent, free, virtual labs and simulations for science

Physion - free Physics Simulation Software

Great Physics Resources for Students and Teachers

Read more

How To Smile - collection of math and science resources

How To Smile is a collection of math and science resources for teachers and students. There are activities that help teachers connect science and math to pretty much anything, including things in the students' homes.

The site is hosted by a group of science museums and collects STEM education materials from the web, as well as from educators.

The site is searchable, has tons of activities organized by topic and searchable, comments and sharing, and much more. There is a newsletter to keep up to date on changes to the site, as well as a mobile app.

There are some really great activities that can help students learn and explore topics in science and math.

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Science Niblets - The Science Behind Everyday Topics

Science Niblets is a cool site I learned about from my PLN on Twitter today that explores the science of everyday topics.

The site has articles that describe and explain scientific topics including natural phenomena, biology, technology, physics, and more all related to things we experience in our daily lives.

The articles are geared towards the general public and are short and easy to understand. They provide a great way for students to learn more about science topics and can be useful for beginning learners, ESL/ELL, and even for advanced science students to learn something new. You can search the site by topic too.

You can also ask science questions on the site and they will post an answer, as well as reader answers. There is even a section on teaching reading using science. There are also recommendations and reviews of science books and educational toys.

I'm going to use it as a starting point for some of my lessons, as well as ideas for relating topics to everyday life.

Take a look and share it with your students and colleagues.


Related:

Head Rush - fun science show from Discovery with great website
STEM Resource for Educators - lots of great science, technology, engineering and math resources

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Discovery Education announces updates to it's Science Techbooks

Discovery Education has a lot of great resources for educators, many free (over 30). They also have fee-based services such as DE Streaming with thousands of videos, audio files, images, lesson plans, and much more.

The Discovery Education Science Techbook is more than a digital textbook. "It’s a different way of thinking. Thinking outside the box, perhaps. Or more appropriately, thinking outside the book." "The Techbook not only provides awesome content aligned to each state’s standards (there are currently Science Techbooks available for most grades K-8 in 30 states across the U.S.), but includes a model lesson for teachers to use with every concept, assessment questions for each standard, a teacher’s guide, and DVDs for when the Internet is not available. Resources such as the virtual labs, reading passages, video segments, science sleuths, explorations, and interactive glossary, etc., are packaged together to follow the five E model of instruction. Teachers have found an easier and creative way to build lessons using technology resources and content, as well as differentiating their classroom."

They have just announced Techbook 2.0 is available. This is an update to the Techbook based on feedback and suggestions from educators, including a group of well known and well respected educators who reviewed Techbook at a summit Discovery Education hosted. You can Register to attend a webinar to learn about the new layout, features, and enhancements.

links.discoveryeducation.com/sciencetechbook



Related:

25 Free Resources from Discovery Education

Discovery Education’s Science Techbook: Scientific Explanations in Action

What I Want from a Digital Textbook

TechBook Extravaganza

Apple Announces iBooks2 E-Textbooks - my initial thoughts

What I use with Physics classes instead of textbook

Resources to Replace Textbooks

Free Textbooks - online, download, iPad, Kindle

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Physion - free Physics Simulation Software

Physion is free Physics simulation software that can be used by educators to create physics simulations for their class or by students to create physics simulations to explore concepts or as part of a project. The teacher can even create experiments for the students to use in class (virtual labs).

You use the included tools to create physical objects, including gears, and joints (springs and pulleys) that obey the laws of the Physics. It is similar to software I used as an engineer.

Below is a video that shows how it works. It's easy to use and fun. Students can use it to explore all kinds of concepts on their own, as well as using teacher created simulations. It can be used on Windows and Linux OS's. A Mac OS version is in development.





Here is a video showing some of the complex simulations you can create using it:



This is a great resource for physics teachers to create virtual labs and investigations, as well as a tool for students to explore physics concepts and create their own labs. There are also scenes that others have created that you can download and use.

The site has a Wiki and Forums to find help and ideas.

Physion: http://physion.net/


Related:

PhET - excellent, free, virtual labs and simulations for science

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Wonderville - awesome, fun, educational science resources

Wonderville is a great, free site I just learned about from an article in Tech & Learning magazine. Wonderville is an award winning site that has interactive science activities that are fun and educational. There are over 30 games on Wonderville that help students learn about science while having fun. There are also puzzles, activity sheets and crosswords, videos exploring real-life applications of science and behind the scenes looks at science careers. The site even has some fun comics that entertain while teaching science facts.

The materials are very good, available for a wide range of grade and ability levels and cover many areas of science. There are also pages for students, families, and teachers to help you use the site and materials.

Related:

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Resources 

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Free Virtual Labs to use in science class

Virtual Labs is a collection of 4 virtual labs from South Dakota State University (SDSU) and New Mexico State University (NMSU). The 4 virtual labs are: Testing for Corn Mold, Disposable Lab Equipment, Gram Staining and Using the Microscope.

These labs are a great way to teach high school and college students some basic lab techniques before actually doing the lab. They are also a good substitute if your school does not have the ability to actually do these labs. The labs start with a scenario (why they are doing this) in a realistic setting, and then proceed to teach the lab step-by-step. They are well designed and a great resource.

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Great, free Educational Games from NOAA about oceans and air

NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has some great, free, educational games that teachers can use with their students.

There are over 25 different games and interactive activities that cover topics about water, air, the oceans, environmental issues and ocean life. Many of the games and activities are hosted on other sites, but gathered here for easy access

WaterLife: Where Rivers Meet the Sea is a game based on the ecosystem of a United States west coast estuary. It helps students learn about estuaries, food webs, and why estuaries are essential to ocean life and to humans.

This is a great way to have students learn about the oceans, air, and the environment while having fun playing a game.

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NASA PlanetQuest - The Search for Another Earth - great for science classes

NASA PlanetQuest is a very interesting site from NASA that has links and resources about NASA's search for new planets outside of our solar system. There are multimedia resources, links, videos, photos, news, blogs from scientists, and much more.

The site also has six very cool interactives that would be great in the classroom: Extreme Planet Makeover (create your own planet), PlanetQuest timeline (history of exoplanet speculation and exploration), Alien Safari (learn about bizarre and extreme organisms found on Earth), Interstellar Trip Planner (plan a trip to outer space), Alien Fact or Fiction quiz, and 3D Guide to the Galaxy, which lets you explore our galaxy in 3D. These are fun and educational and can be used in a variety of classrooms as projects.

There is also a page on Education that includes more resources and links to learn more about space exploration and the search for planets.

This is another excellent resource from NASA.



Check it out: http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/



Related:

NASA Speakers Bureau

NASA - Find lots of great educational resources from NASA here

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EngineerGuy - great videos and resources on how things work

EngineerGuy is a very cool site by Bill Hammack. He explores and explains technology and the human side of technology, in videos and radio pieces, along with some books.

He teaches at the University of Illinois, was a US Diplomat (Senior Science Adviser at the Department of State), and has received awards for his work.

The videos and radio shows have explored nanotechnology, smart phones, mood rings, new inventions, light bulbs, smoke detectors, the accelerometer in a smart phone and much more. The videos are well done, explain the technology in an easy to understand way, and are very interesting.

The videos are a great way to learn about technology and different topics, as well as to share with your students. The videos can be viewed on his site (they are hosted on YouTube) and you can also listen to his radio shows and read different white papers he has written.

I will be using some of the videos as introductions to topics or to get my students engaged and excited about some topics.


Check it out: http://www.engineerguy.com/


More great STEM Resources.

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NASA Speakers Bureau - free guest speakers for your class

As a science teacher, NASA is an incredible resource for me. NASA has tons of great, free, educational resources that are also good for any subject.

NASA also has a speakers bureau that will provide engineers, scientists, and other professionals to speak to audiences around the country. You can also request an astronaut to come and speak to your class. It is free, but there are some conditions. It is an easy process.

Have some exciting, knowledgeable speakers come to your school, for free, and educate and motivate your students.



NASA Speakers Bureau

NASA - Find lots of great educational resources

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Discovery Education Science Techbook debuting for High School!

Discovery Education Science Techbook is an incredible resource for educators. It's more than a digital textbook. "It’s a different way of thinking. Thinking outside the box, perhaps. Or more appropriately, thinking outside the book." "The Techbook not only provides awesome content aligned to each state’s standards (there are currently Science Techbooks available for most grades K-8 in 30 states across the U.S.), but includes a model lesson for teachers to use with every concept, assessment questions for each standard, a teacher’s guide, and DVDs for when the Internet is not available. Resources such as the virtual labs, reading passages, video segments, science sleuths, explorations, and interactive glossary, etc., are packaged together to follow the five E model of instruction. Teachers have found an easier and creative way to build lessons using technology resources and content, as well as differentiating their classroom."

It is not just a PDF or other media file with links. It is an entire ecosystem of lesson resources for educators to use in their classroom. It's not free, but neither are print textbooks or iBooks, and the DE Science TechBooks are ready, aligned to standards, and in use in thousands of classrooms around the country.

It has been available for Middle School for quite some time and is now debuting for High School. There is a webinar on May 29th that will debut the high school version. Check out the details below.

Discovery Education is ready to go to High School with the introduction of the Discovery Education Science Techbook for Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Earth & Space Sciences. Join us to learn more about each course as we take a quick dive in to the resources and instructional strategies used to develop this amazing textbook replacement.

Ready for High School?.... We Are!
Join us for the debut of Discovery Education Science Techbook for High School Educators Webinar
May 29th, 2012
6:00PM EDT
To Register or join the webinar please visit:
https://discoveryed.webex.com/discoveryed/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=630360655

 

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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/

Related:

Tons of Great Resources from Discovery Education

Great Resources from Discovery Education 

Turfmutt - environmental lessons and resources

Science of Everyday Life

Explore the Blue - lessons about water for all subjects

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Science Fix - resources, lessons, demos for science

ScienceFix is a great resource for science teachers, or anyone interested in science. It is targeted towards middle school, but can be used at different levels. It is run by a science teacher.

It has science lessons, links, video demonstrations and web projects on science. There are a lot of great resources here. The video demonstrations alone are great to use as an engagement tool, or as part of a lesson. You can browse or search for lessons and resources. The site also encourages comments and discussions about the resources.

Check it out: http://www.sciencefix.com/

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Free educational materials on Light, Optics, Lasers, Waves

The OSA Foundation (Optical Society of America foundation) has some excellent, free resources for educators on the topics of light, optics, lasers, and waves. 

There are posters, videos, workbooks, demonstrations, and more. You can print your own posters or order a set for free. I received my posters and DVD today and the posters are really nice (and available in different languages) and the DVD's are very interesting and entertaining. 

These are great resources for anyone teaching, or learning about, light, optics, lasers and waves. 

http://www.osa-foundation.org/programs/resources

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