Interactive Transit of Venus Model
The folks over at the Sun Aeon website have put together a cool simulation of the 2012 Transit of Venus. which takes place on 5-6 June. It’s a neat way to demonstrate what’s taking place when Venus passes in front of the Sun in ths very rare astronomical event.
Take a look at : http://www.sunaeon.com/venustransit/
You can even get an embed code to host the model on your own school website or learning platform.
Science lectures from the Royal Institution
The Ri Channel is an online project by the Royal Institution showcasing the very best science videos from the Ri and around the web. The project continues the Royal Institution’s charitable mission to “connect people to the world of science”.
Alongside highlights from recent Ri events, the Channel features re-digitised footage from the Ri archive and a range of high-quality videos from filmmakers and scientific institutions across the UK and beyond.
You can also find an archive of past RI Christmas Lectures, with lectures by such greats as Sir David Attenborough and Carl Sagan. Excellent stuff.
Some of the videos can be embedded into a blog or VLE using a Vimeo embed code. Many also come with a subtitles and a full-text transcript too, which is very useful.
It’s an excellent resource and Science teachers should be able to find some great videos to use to supplement their lessons. Most videos will be suitable for KS3/4. The site is in beta, so expect some changes along the way, as well as more content being added. Well worth bookmarking.
Take a look at www.richannel.org
Read MoreGCSE Science Videos from MyGCSEScience
MyGCSE Science contains over 50 different Khan-academy-style videos covering different aspects of GCSE level science. The website is designed specifically for the AQA Core Science, Additional Science, Biology, Chemistry and Physics courses but you will find many of the videos will be suitable for any KS4 science course. The site is free, but they do plan to offer additional resources for a small fee.
They are lecture-style and so might not be suitable for all learners, but for additional support for students or for revision purposes it would be a handy website to have bookmarked.
The site hosts all the videos on YouTube, so you’ll need to check it’s not blocked before planning to use in a lesson.
See all the videos at : http://www.my-gcsescience.com/
Thanks to Martin Burret (@ICTmagic) for the link via Twitter. Don’t forget to visit his ICT Magic site.
Read MoreScience Blogposts on Promethean Planet
Just a quick post to point you in the direction of two blogposts I have written for Promethean Planet recently which will be of interest to Science teachers.
10 (more) Science Websites for Your Interactive Whiteboard – A list of 10 great websites for science resources.
Tour the Universe via Your Interactive Whiteboard – Ideas for different websites that can be used to demonstrate and explore the solar system and beyond from your IWB.
I”ll be writing a few new blog posts each month for Promethean Planet, so keep an eye out. I’ll post the links in the Whiteboard Blog Facebook page, so if you “like” that page you’ll be kept informed of any new updates.
Read More
Axon – neuroscience game from Wellcome
AXON is the latest addition to Wellcome Collection’s growing portfolio of free online games which has been commissioned to accompany their latest exhibition Brains: The Mind as Matter. It’s made by Preloaded, who I’ve written about before.
AXON is set inside a foetal brain, modelling real biological phenomena found in neural development. AXON offers players a rare glimpse of how the brains is formed and an ‘inside the brain’ introduction to the strange world of neurons, proteins and axons. In the game, you must click on protein targets to grow your neuron, connecting new brain regions. Climb through the tissue, outcompeting rival neurons to form the longest connection you can.
It’s an interesting idea, although there’s not a lot to do actually in the game, the screen you get on finishing links to additional information about neurons and the brain which would be useful for biology students. The game would provide a useful focus for discussion as a class. The site that’s built around the game also gives additional informatin about the brain, linking to the Wellcome Trust exhibition. There’s also a 360 degree brain viewer, which is rather neat.
To take a look, visit: http://www.wellcomecollection.org/axon
Visit other Wellcome Collection games here, and other games by Preloaded here.
Read MoreSunAeon – a solar system simulator for your IWB
SunAeon is a new solar system simulator from the makers of Solar System Scope and Sun Moon Scope.
It allows you to explore the solar system, look at each of the planets up close and see how they move relative to each other. The planets are rendered beautifully although there are no moons (even our moon). I hope these will be added later. There’s also no additional information about any of the planets.
You can switch between seeing it as a model with large planets that are easy to see, or as a “real” representation with planets correctly sized relative to each other.
It would be good to have a full-screen mode to remove the adverts, like you can in Solar System Scope.
This would be great to use in any lesson about the Solar System from KS2 up. Take a look now at http://www.sunaeon.com/, and if you like that, also take a look at Solar System Scope and Sun Moon Scope.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
Read MoreWhat is a Leap Year?
You may have noticed that 2012 is a leap year. And that means that this year we get an extra day on February 29th. So why do we go to all the trouble to have a leap year?
Epipheo shows you how, based on astronomy, the Gregorian Calendar uses leap year to keep us in tune with the sun, the stars and the universe.
And why not check out Feb29th.Net to see how the Blogging the Leap Year project is getting on!
Read MoreThe Faculties : University Lectures for the A-level Curriculum
The Faculties is a free educational resource for secondary schools and aimed particularly at A-level students and teachers. The website provides short films of university lecturers speaking on topics drawn from the A-level curriculum in Maths, English, Biology, Psychology, Chemistry and History. There are currently over 300 podcasts on the site, with more to follow.
In bringing the expertise of research scholars into the classroom, the aim of the site is to encourage deeper learning, stretch and inspire students and help them make a successful transition to university. In addition to the podcasts, there is information that helps students compare University departments across the country and choose the best one for them.
The site aims to differ from sites such as YouTubeEdu and iTunes U in that these sites contain recordings of lectures delivered to undergraduate students. Whereas on The Faculties, the recordings are specially designed for the A-level classroom. All the topics have been provided by the major exam boards and by teachers and so consequently, they are more directly relevant to the A-level curriculum.
It’s an interesting idea, and would definitely be worth exploring for potential revision resources.
Videos are hosted directly on the site, and not pulled in from YouTube which should avoid filtering issues in some schools. Videos can be downloaded, but only on request. Videos can still be embedded into VLE’s etc, and linked to directly.
It would be useful to be able to download a transcript of each video, and also have subtitles for hearing impaired students.
Take a look for yourself at http://www.thefaculties.org
Read MoreValentine’s Day Heart Resources for Science Lessons
It’s Valentine’s day, and as our thoughts turn to matters of the heart, here’s a stack of useful links to resources all about the heart to use in science lessons.
This resource from The Wellcome Trust provides some interactive activities, and lesson resources for teaching about the heart and the effect of exercise. Lots of other body resources there too.
An excellent animation, and still one of my favourites, which shows what happens as the heart beats. HyperHeart shows bloodflow, aortic/ventricular volumes and pressures present in a normal cardiac cycle. Also included are an electrocardiogram and heart sounds graph. Tutorials are provided for each phase of the cycle.
Habits of the Heart was developed as a resource for students and teachers interested in learning about the cardiovascular and circulatory systems. The site includes lesson plans, on-line interactive activities and videos about the heart along with other links and ideas for the classroom. Some great images of heart surgery!
This interactive resource lets you explore the human body, including the heart, in great detail. You do need a modern browser for this to work, older versions of Internet Explorer won’t work.
The British Heart Foundation produces resources for schools covering the heart and heart disease. Visit their site to find out how to get hold of copies. Also check out their YHeart site for teenagers with resources for teaching about keeping fit and healthy.
The Freezeray website has a nice little activity for labelling the parts of the heart that would work well on an IWB
Hybrid HeartThe Hybrid Interactive Heart is an exploration into the various and novel ways a beating heart may be visually represented using the latest technology. In this case you have the the ability to blend and even replace the “normal” opaque tissue with refractory “glass,” allowing for a view of the valves and chambers. There is a link to a nice animation of a beating heart too.
This site has some good information about the heart, with diagrams and images. Also lots about the other body systems and organs too.
This animation focuses on the gross anatomy of the human heart. The model of the heart is semitransparent, allowing you to see through the thick cardiac muscle into the four heart chambers.
Other Valentine’s Day resources.
For less scientifict, and more romantic resources you can also find a Valentine’s Day resource pack on Promethean Planet which includes 36 resources to develop flipcharts with a Valentine’s Day theme. You will find images, backgrounds and page templates including two voting templates. Note: Cupids are anatomically correct! No fig leaf provided.
Also don’t forget that word cloud generators such as Tagxedo can make heart shaped word clouds, which could make for a fun visual piece. The one below was made from the words on the wikipedia page about the heart.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Read More
About Me
Danny Nicholson : Educator, Science teacher, ICT Consultant, PGCE lecturer, Author and Web2.0 / SMART Masters/ Interactive Whiteboard Trainer. Contact me for any training requests. 
Buy the book!
