Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Ready to think big? How about an interactive timeline that covers all of time from the Big Bang to today? Chronozoom is an ambitious project, just launched (at the time of this review), that seeks to create zoomable, interactive timelines for the entire history of time. At present, the site is still under construction, but it is visually stunning and a little overwhelming. You will need to set aside some time to watch the video tour and to tinker with the site before presenting it to students. Every move of the mouse, every click, seems to create "explosions" of graphs and timelines; you'll need to be patient and get the hang of navigation.

The site's creators freely admit that they don't really know where the project will lead, and what technologies might emerge that will help them create more content for the site. There are some caveats for using the site. First, the site assumes a particular theory of the creation of the universe, and the timeline of its existence. Second, the site can lend itself to aimless "mousing," or the temptation to simply click and move the mouse to see how the site will react, with no attention to the content at all.

tag(s): charts and graphs (171), evolution (89), Microsoft (80), timelines (56)

What is STEM? With so much emphasis on pursuing STEM, find great resources here about careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Find articles, surveys, and other information about STEM careers. Find information geared towards students, teachers, counselors, and parents about pursuing STEM careers. Search through STEM disciplines, degree profiles, or other information.
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tag(s): careers (156), college (45), STEM (297)

Jefferson Lab is a tremendous resource for science. It has loads of resources for classroom use, divided by the type of activity. Hands-on activities include the lab's BEAM program for 6th-8th grade. There are descriptions of each activity along with a PDF of the lesson, handouts, and worksheets. Most activities also offer an online version. Worksheets, puzzles, and other interactives include items such as vocabulary lists, word searches, and crossword puzzles. Each activity includes a short description and explanation of how to play. Many activities have links to other, similar games. Another portion of the site has videos of science experiments such as shattering pennies and flying rings. Videos are generally under 5 minutes and would work well in most classroom settings. You can subscribe to the lab's YouTube channel and be notified when there are new videos to view.

tag(s): atoms (43), electricity (61), elements (33), experiments (55), magnetism (36), microscopes (10), periodic table (44), planets (113), puzzles (149), solar system (110), STEM (297), video (266)

Use this well designed 3D simulation to show the position of the sun and moon from any point on Earth. See the positions instantly in real time or choose a past or future time. Hover over the Moon to view the current moon phase. Sunrise and sunset times are also given. Choose different locations on Earth (it gives you the latitude and longitude) to see the differences. There is a lot of information hidden in the interactive, so explore carefully.
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tag(s): earth (184), map skills (63), moon (73), planets (113), seasons (37), solar system (110), sun (71), time zones (7)

This site hosts podcasts created and produced by science teachers Brian Bartel and Dale Basler. The creators discuss science news and science education with scientists, researchers, writers, and notable science figures. The topics range from standard curricular topics to latest science news. Science no longer lives inside the classroom. View the links and notes that accompany the episodes.

tag(s): podcasts (108), scientists (67)

Use Educreations' simple web-based whiteboard for the iPad app to record lessons and share with your students. Create your course(s) and control privacy settings from the beginning. Make the content public, private to your students, or private to all within the school. Create a lesson by using the online whiteboard and your microphone. Easily upload images from your computer and switch between whiteboard screens. Click on the Students tab to provide a link for students to be able to find your course. Students can self-register using the unique classroom code. Each lesson has a unique URL you can share, as well. Students can access your lessons via the web or an iPad. You can remove students from registration lists in this section.
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tag(s): blended learning (37), homework (29), remote learning (54), Teacher Utilities (198), video (266)

Find science news featuring the latest research, discoveries, and questions facing science today. Find interesting questions to inspire all of your students to wonder why and continue guessing. Examples of articles include: Second "Mozart effect" Premature Babies May Grow Faster, Huge Hidden Saturn Ring Found, and New Anti-Cancer Strategy Makes Tumors Age. Latest breaking news and science in images add a greater depth to the site.
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tag(s): animal homes (57), animals (294), diseases (66), genetics (80), news (228), planets (113)

FORA.tv's claim to fame is as the Web's largest collection of conference and event videos. These videos come from sources such as universities, think tanks, and other intelligent discourses. Videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

Please preview anything before you share it with your students. At the time of this review there was a subcategory "Sex" which may not be appropriate for most classrooms. But always preview! Teachers may want to share ONLY specific video links.
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tag(s): business (52), cultures (180), elections (82), energy (133), environment (252), evolution (89), genetics (80), investing (8), news (228), politics (118), psychology (65), religions (95), sexuality (15), stock market (11), sustainability (50), video (266)

Use Calculator.com to access a variety of calculators to use in a classroom or as a reference tool. Choose from standard, fraction, scientific, percent, mortgage, area, units converter, as well as other calculators. Note: This site has many ads as calculators are chosen.
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tag(s): calculators (36)

Nobelprize.org is the official website of the Nobel Prize. Here you find information about Alfred Nobel, the prizewinners, interviews, and photos. Videos of interviews of Nobel peace prizewinners, speeches, ceremonies, interviews, banquets, lectures, announcements, award ceremonies, and documentaries fill the gamut of all of the prizewinners. The Nobel prizes awards are in literature, chemistry, medicine, peace, economics, and physics. Under the Education tab at the top find arieties of educational games/activities and lesson plans help explain many of the Nobel Award winners' work. This site clearly explains and illustrates the purpose of the awards, the award winners, and their ideas. Videos give an insider look at each of the winners.

tag(s): creativity (86), literature (221), medicine (57)

Space.com is your one stop extraterrestrial resource! Featuring current information and articles about all things out of this world, Space.com is a resource full of images, videos, and interactives. Images here are brilliant and beautiful. Articles are professional and meaningful.
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tag(s): moon (73), nasa (30), space (222), stars (71), sun (71)

Photojournal is a good collection of NASA images of the solar system and other space objects. Click on a planet, small bodies, or the universe itself. Search various objects or choose from among the gallery. Search images by mission, spacecraft, or type of image collector. Add images to your favorites. Note that, with the exception of the NASA and JPL logos, all the images in this Photojournal may be used in projects and web projects as long as proper credit is given. See the FAQ pages for full information on terms of use.

tag(s): mars (26), moon (73), planets (113), solar system (110), space (222)

The JASON Project home page is a portal to a huge number of scientifically significant activities, video clips, curricula packages, lesson plans, and more! While you could create an account to use one of the current curriculum pieces individually, it is a far more valuable resource if you register and join the website for FREE! Once registered, you can easily access all of the interactive content and archived activities. In fact, to fully access all archived curriculum you MUST register for a free account. Once inside the "member only" Jason site, simply click on the Curricula tab on the left side to see all current and past missions still available on the site. This could turn into your next "go-to" resource for online interactive science in the classroom. This is a MUST-SEE site with a ton of high interest topics for students. It is definitely worth the 1-2 minute FREE registration. Looking for some examples of topics? There are lessons/activities about Mysteries of Earth & Mars, Humpback whales, Monster Storms, Rainforests, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Great Lakes, Measurement, Forces, Velocity, and many, many more. It appears that they update this site frequently, so check back often.

tag(s): ecology (103), energy (133), geology (62), video (266), weather (160)

Curriki is a nonprofit organization that encourages teachers and learners' to collaborate in developing quality educational materials in a global community. Click What We Do from the top menu and slide to CurikiStudio, and click Creators to create a free account and find resources like questions, photos/images, multimedia, and more for interactive lesson creation. Next under Solutions is CurrikiGo, where you will publish your lessons, etc. Last on the dropdown list is the CurrikiLibrary, where you can search by subject area, grade level, or resource type (interactive, video, or podcast). For a thorough summary of Curriki click the Explore a CurrikiStudio Activity. Join different groups for a more involved way to explore new areas in online learning, subject area interests, or focus questions. Create collections of your resources to keep private or share with others. This site focuses on providing free access to teachers, schools, students, or parents to many new creative ideas for in-class learning, digital learning, and hybrid or blended learning in a global community. Free membership includes monthly newsletters. Follow Curriki on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), or blogs.
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tag(s): graphic organizers (48), literacy (122), OER (43), operations (72), resources (83), rubrics (37), Teacher Utilities (198)

This site offers a complete lesson plan to use with students prior to beginning a first research project. The lesson takes students through the process of analyzing book titles to determine ones that would be helpful in their research. It then builds on class discussion to enable students to make informed decisions on appropriate research material. One especially useful part of the lesson is the Hints About Print interactive link included in the lesson plan. This would be a wonderful site to use on your interactive whiteboard to lead the class through basics of choosing materials for research. Other useful items on the site are the nonfiction book reviews and nonfiction book evaluation forms that are available in pdf form for easy classroom use. Find all resources and print material by choosing the Resources and Preparation tab near the top of the page.

tag(s): book reports (28), interactive stories (22), Research (87)

This free software offers real time views of outer space, and you can select where you want to view. It has zoom capabilities, settings for labels, and a neat demo of what the software can do. Not for the casual user, this interactive download requires some practice. This is not the type of tool to put in the hands of students and just say, "play," unless the students are advanced. One caution with downloads such as these: be sure to have administrative access or permission to install on computers. If it cannot be installed on student computers, then it could still be used with the your computer and an interactive whiteboard.

tag(s): geology (62), planets (113), solar system (110), space (222), stars (71), sun (71)

This website includes a stunning collection of over thirty videos and essays from women who contribute to NASA's mission in many different ways. The stated goal for the site is "we hope that these stories will inspire girls everywhere to reach for the stars, and explore the myriad of opportunities available to them through pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics." Each story includes a biography, story, and video about the woman highlighted. Stories include information about their background, academic degrees, current work, and future goals with NASA. The site includes a blog, X (formerly Twitter) feeds, and a Facebook page which you can subscribe to. The videos reside on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): careers (156), scientists (67), space (222), STEM (297), women (151)

ScienceFix is one man's blog to show the world his educational and scientific demonstrations. It is clear, straight forward, and entertaining. These video clips and explanations are fantastic. The site offers a great variety of topics: What Makes a Planet a Planet, Water Bottle Rockets, Flaming Dollar, Books Smash Eggs, Magnesium Reacts with Oxygen, Isotopes, and much more. At the time of this review, there were eighteen pages worth of science videos (and fun). This is truly a MUST SEE for any science class. The videos are all hosted on YouTube. These demonstrations would be great for science classes, students experimenting at home, or independent science fair projects. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may be blocked at school.

tag(s): blogs (65), density (17), experiments (55), fire (22), motion (47), planets (113), rockets (11), space (222)

This site has embedded videos from over 1600 documentaries located all over the internet. These videos are not necessarily "short" clips. Some are longer than 15 minutes. Search the videos via several methods: browse the library, most popular, recent videos, or by categories. The categories vary greatly and include the bullying of those with disabilities, 9/11, aftermath of the Japan Tsunami, import and export of oil, and countless other topics. Each video comes with a short explanation and ratings (out of 10 stars). Viewers can also leave their own rating. Many include suggestions for related videos. Be aware: some of topics may not be suitable for the classroom. Please preview before (or IF) you choose to allow students to peruse on their own. You may want to share only specific videos with the class. It has been noted that this website opens rather slowly at the busy times of the day. But it is WELL worth the wait. Note that videos are recommended for inclusion by the video creators, so there could be very strong bias in documentary presentations. What better way to challenge students to stop and ask, "What is the source of this information and can I trust it fully?"
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tag(s): archeology (28), biographies (94), bullying (48), disabilities (32), psychology (65), senses (20), sexuality (15), tsunamis (15)

Did you ever wonder what you weigh on other planets? This site offers the opportunity to compare the effect of gravity across our universe in a personal way. Simply input your weight to find out what you would weigh on other planets, moons, and even stars. Be sure to check out the explanations and information provided below the weight calculations. Information is provided on mass, weight, gravity, and distance, and the formula for calculating the weights are provided.

tag(s): density (17), gravity (43), mass (19), planets (113)