Responsive Classroom
The Responsive Classroom® addresses some of the challenges present in any elementary classroom, be it first-grade mathematics or third-grade science, by offering "an approach to teaching and learning that fosters safe, challenging, and joyful classrooms and schools, kindergarten through eighth grade." Through this website, classroom teachers share "practical strategies for bringing together social and academic learning throughout the school day." They report that teachers in urban, rural, and s
Dealing with Waste: The Nuclear Debate
Developed by the Industry Supports Education initiative (ISE), this website allows teenagers to take part in an online debate about how to cope with nuclear waste and whether and how nuclear power should be used in the future. During the debate, the user has a discussion with a virtual devil's advocate (DA). Visitors can either take the role of being in favor of nuclear power or against nuclear power. After the DA makes a statement, the user selects a response that most closely matches his or he
Welcome to the Web
Welcome to the Web is a great place to learn the basics of using the Internet and the World Wide Web. It is tailored to children, but if inexperienced adults can get past the cartoon drawings, anyone can benefit from the site. The first section provides an overview of the Internet and some terminology. Next is a section on guestbooks, followed by an overview of Web browsers. "Searching the Net" and research techniques comprise the last two sections. Each category consists of several interactive
Statistical Education Through Problem Solving
Statistical Education Through Problem Solving (STEPS) was a collaborative project between seven universities throughout the United Kingdom "to develop problem-based teaching and learning materials for statistics." The materials draw on specific problems arising in Biology, Business, Geography and Psychology to help students learn that statistical issues are "important natural parts of the process of reaching conclusions." The software developed as a result of this project, which utilizes the com
PBS: Quantum Computing
This episode of the PBS program Closer to the Truth provides some insight into quantum computing technology. The program summary discusses some of the potential uses for quantum computing and features excerpts from the program in which researchers from IBM's Watson Research Center, MIT and UC Berkeley were interviewed. Visitors can also download video footage of the show and the transcript. Short definitions for key terms such as Tunneling, Superposition, Entanglement, and Quantum Mechanics are
National Speleological Society (NSS)
At this website, the National Speleological Society (NSS) promotes its goals "to study, explore, and conserve cave and karst resources; protect access to caves; encourage responsible management of caves and their unique environments; and promote responsible caving." Individuals can view amazing images of the twelve preserves managed by NSS. Students and educators can investigate links offering virtual tours of caves, cave exploration safety, and materials about the geologic characteristics of ca
Toxicological Profile Information Sheet
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is continually assembling toxicological profiles for hazardous substances. This site contains 256 online profiles listed alphabetically by chemical name. Each profile begins with a non-technical public health statement discussing the chemical, its environmental and health effects, and risk of human exposure. A more technical version of this information can also be downloaded in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format.
University of Wisconsin-Fluid and Melt Inclusions
The University of Wisconsin-Madison created this website "for people interested in the properties, behaviors and origins of fluid and melt inclusions in natural and synthetic materials." The website offers downloads of publications in _The Canadian Mineralogist_ journal and other rock and mineral papers. Students and researchers can find out about meetings and work shops. The website fosters discussion of hot topics in the field of fluid inclusion. Users have a chance to join the fluid inclusion
Exploring Biodiversity
This new educational resource has been developed by the London's Natural History Museum to help students learn about biodiversity concepts and measures. Teacher resources include a glossary of terms and lesson plans with ideas for working through the online and field sampling activities with students. This is a valuable Web site that promotes an active approach to learning through concept and data investigation. Although the maps and data are specific to the UK, the concepts and lessons are appl
Antibody-Antigen Interactions
The experimental protocol in this Web site is just one of many microbiology resources provided by the University of Leicester. The procedure guides students in finding the antibody concentration of a test antiserum and the number of antibody binding sites on an antigen molecule. A results graph and correct answers to the required calculations are given, providing the option of performing a virtual experiment in lieu of an actual one. This activity is probably most appropriate for high school and
The Transistor Museum
The Transistor Museum is a fascinating site "dedicated to preserving the history of the greatest invention of the 20th century." The museum's front page mentions some remarkable facts and quotes that demonstrate the importance of the transistor in modern life. Visitors can read transcripts of lectures, oral histories, and short biographies of notable individuals who played a role in the development of transistor applications. An impressive photo gallery showcases some of the most prominent histo
Bio.com
Self-described as "the most reliable and up-to-date information resource for those working in the life sciences and associated industries," Bio.com brings together in one Web site daily news, information, and research tools geared mostly toward biotechnology. The Web site provides "live panel discussions and one-on-one interviews with leading scientists representing the diversity of research in biology and biotechnology, topical reviews and articles on cutting-edge topics in the life sciences, t
Wits University: Climatology Research Group
The Wits University Climate Research Group focuses its efforts on four main areas of research: atmospheric aerosols and their radiative forcing potential over southern Africa; microphysical processes in clouds; biogenic-atmospheric interactions; and air quality and management. After reading the synopsis of the many research projects, visitors can view a gallery of photographs of the group's events and endeavors. Although the research link is still under construction, individuals can find a list
Fractals, Chaos
Paul Bourke of the Astrophysics and Supercomputing department at Swinburne University of Technology is the author of this massive resource on fractals and chaos. He gives examples of many different kinds and classes of fractals, including the Mandelbrot set and various attractors; and brief explanations accompany each one. A substantial introduction to fractals covers the underlying principles and connection to chaos theory. Many stunning, high resolution fractal image galleries show elaborate p
Wired: New Browsers, Same Unwanted Ads
This article from Wired News reports on current trends in spyware and adware. The author discusses how people who stopped using Internet Explorer and started using alternate browsers, such as Mozilla Firefox, to avoid advertisements and improve internet security, may find that "spyware and adware writers are also making the switch." The author argues that as Mozilla gains more users, writers of spyware and adware programs will start writing for those browsers as well. On the positive side, the a
What's New at Sci4Kids
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the US Department of Agriculture offers its latest set of brief but engaging educational activities for kids in this Web site. The recently added feature, No Horsin' Around With These Tests!, introduces immunological concepts in the kid-friendly guise of a story about horses. Two older features are also available, one on using a biocontrol method to combat dry rot fungus in potatoes and another on mites. While these subjects may not at first appear to b
UniGene
Created by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, UniGene is "an experimental system for automatically partitioning GenBank sequences into a non-redundant set of gene-oriented clusters." In addition to gene sequences, this Web site also offers thousands of novel expressed sequence tag (EST) sequences, a useful gene discovery resource. Organisms currently cataloged include human, rat, mouse, cow, zebrafish, clawed frog, fruitfly, mosquito, wheat, rice, barley, maize, and cress. Users
GLOBIO: Mapping human impacts on the biosphere
A joint project of the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research and the United Nation's Environmental Programme, Global Methodology for Mapping Human Impacts on the Environment (GLOBIO) aims to "present a simple visual overview of the cumulative impacts of increasing resource demands on man and the environment." Hundreds of environmental impact studies were synthesized with satellite imagery, infrastructure data, etc. to create this "visual overview" of past, current, and potential future conditi
BigChalk.com
BigChalk.com's goal "is to be the single education destination that's trusted by teachers, used by students, and relied on by parents." This education mega-site contains excellent resources ranging from lesson plans and homework help to in-depth articles. For example, the physical science subject page contains over twenty subjects that lead to well written explanations and visually pleasing illustrations, along with links to pages with further information. Containing far too much to mention, Big
Ireland
This Topic In Depth focuses on the land, science, and scientists of Ireland.Offered by Enchanted Learning.com, the first site (1) gives kids a brief introduction to Ireland's geography through a description of its location, size, and major rivers; online and printable maps; and a quiz. The next site is called the Irish Scientist (2), which is an online version of a yearly publication that "provide a means for Irish scientists and technologists to describe -- to colleagues, legislators and the ge
