Huge shout-out to the owner of The Victor Apple Farm – Munir Bahai – and his crew!  In addition to learning so many things from you, we got to experience your passion for your profession as well as your joyful wit and selfless spirit!!!  Thank you for an incredible experience! Just a few of the [...]

Here is a fantastic collection of resources for wrapping your head around what constitutes the Nature of Science, why it is essential to integrate these objectives in our curriculum and instruction, and some ideas of how to go about that!! A great blog post by Brunsell on Edutopia inspired by irritation of ignorance with an [...]

Blogs and Wikis are examples of Web 2.0 Internet applications and approaches that provide resources that inspire reconsideration and reshaping of the way people interact with the world. A Blog, in particular, is a useful tool for crafting ongoing expression and communication of personal thoughts and Web links, similar to an online journal. However, unlike [...]

What is a SMARTboard? SMARTboards are an interactive whiteboard.  You can control them from a computer like a projector, or from touch of a finger or SMARTboard pen like a touch screen computer.  SMARTboards generally look like this: Getting Started 1.) Orienting the board: Before you get started, it is important to orient the board. [...]

LabQuest and Probeware Blog Post: LabQuest Overview: The Vernier LabQuest is a remarkable piece of equipment that can be an important hands-on tool to engage students in the classroom or out in the field. LabQuest can be used as both a hands on device or in conjunction with a computer or calculator to collect and [...]

Palms: Personal Digital Assistants, or Handheld Computers Palms may be an older technology, but they are still great tools for use in the science classroom and in field work. From data collection to video and audio recording, these remarkable devices can enable interactive engagement with the environment and collaboration between students. Along with a relative [...]

Please click here to access Jeff and Lisa’s blog post for the Google Earth tutorial!

I always find the first entry of any journal to be the hardest. It’s especially tricky for me when it’s public. It’s way scarier than it probably should be. Also, on a blog like this, I noticed pretty quickly that autosaved drafts seem to get posted immediately, and for someone who re-drafts only about a [...]

Give this a read if you get some time this weekend. It’s really fantastic. An important line to think about regarding teaching: “If we pump people full of facts, but don’t teach them about uncertainty, then we can’t be surprised when they dismiss anything that isn’t 100% certain.” Oh, and Boing Boing is an interesting [...]

How many of you remember Bill Nye, the Science Guy? That show was genius. It took very real questions children (or adults) might have about the world, and explained scientific concepts in a completely enjoyable and palatable way. It reminds me that science is not just for the elite or academically gifted. Science is for [...]