Publishing Science on the Web

A wealth of science materials is available on the Internet accessible from many educational databases. To appreciate the variety, look at these excellent examples. As you do, critique the lessons in the following areas.

• accuracy
• creative activities
• attractiveness
• graphics
• print-outs
• use of the Web
• links to related sites
• teacher instructions
• assessment of student learning

The best lessons will have all of these attributes!

LESSONS

• Optical Images
  By aiming a laser at an image, students learn about optics and the law of reflection. This lesson came from the AskERIC database at Syracuse University.

• The Beaks of the Finches
  Using different tools to pick up seeds, students in AP Biology learn how natural selection contributes to adaptation in bird populations. This lesson was selected from the 1996 Access Excellence Collection which is part of a national educational program sponsored by Genentech, Inc.

• The Zebra Mussel Invasion
  Students learn about this foreign invader by researching sites on the Internet. This lesson was developed as part of the CRPC GirlTECH project.

• Heat Tracking Activity
  After recording temperatures in various parts of their classroom, students draw conlusions about the behaviour of heat . This lesson was taken from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction's Computer Skills Lesson Plans

• Geologic Age
  An activity with sugar cubes teaches students how radioactive decay can determine geologic age. This lesson is part of a unit on Global Change developed by theUS Geological Survey Learning Web

• Ski Earth
  Students use an earth image database to find places where skiing would be possible. This is a test lesson from the Science Information Infrastructure sponsored by the Lawerence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley.

EDUCATIONAL DATABASES

• GirlTECH Math and Science Lessons
  These teacher-created lessons are designed to use the Internet as an integral resource.

• Teacher Institute Lessons
  Source: The Exploratorium Museum is in San Francisco, California

• Lessons and Activities - Science
  Source: The Eisenhower National Clearinghouse is a K-12 information source for math and science teachers sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education

• Science Lessons from AskERIC
  Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Information &Technology at Syracuse University has a gopher site with lesson plans.

• WWW Science/Teaching Resources
  Source: The Galveston Bay Project has collected science related sites from around the world.

• Marcella Dawson's Bookmarks
  Source: Marcella Dawson, 1996 GirlTECH participant , developed this excellent list of science resources.