The Challenge: create a resource to introduce students to the water cycle

The Rules: 30 minutes to make it, then will share and vote on best

The secret ingredient: Camel’s Head image http://gtm-media.discoveryeducation.com/videos//imagelibrary/web//690F1114-FB29-31C4-3314FB2420B1AD45.jpg

The Results:

All -4-One : used blabberize  and  Discovery song: teacher and the RockBots

Spitting Camels: used Discovery Images, Discovery Science for script and PuppetPals (included uploaded pictures of team)

Rainey:  used Discovery items to put into a Glogster with Blabberize element

L is for Love:  used a storying app with Discovery images with Teacher and the Rockbots song

AND THE WINNERS:  Spitting Camels!!!

That is the theme for this years Texas Computer Education Association conference.

The keynote speaker for Wednesday was none other than Mythbusters  co-host Tory Belleci!  Some notes from his talk:

He is dyslexic and was not a good student.  So, yes teachers, don’t give up on those different and difficult students.  They can achieve also!  He graduated from HS, went to college and is not on TV.

He preferred to learn by doing rather than listening or reading. He also liked teachers who showed an enthusiasm and excitement for their subject.

He says Mythbusters didn’t set out to be a science show; it is entertainment that also teaches science and particularly the scientific method.

As teachers, he says, we have the ability to encourage or discourage our students.  Be the one who encourages and supports the student, even the seemly unlikely ones!

Dyslexics — getting information through sight,sound and doing helps; repetition;used videos to help learn and analyze a play

I got Steve and Patricia in Texas while I was ready to board in Regina. We chatted about the DEN, the Summer Institute, a contest and other stuff. Steve will be giving away another prize package so listen and leave a comment as per instructions in the podcast. That’s a little sneaky way to get you to listen. Evil, but effective.

Also, since they kept making boarding announcements during our chat, I tried muting the mic which inadvertently mutes the recording. I clipped that part out so if Steve sounds a little disjointed and fragmented in his thinking, blame me.

NASA Educational Standards Quilts are a quick and easy way to find free NASA educational resources that align to National Math and Science Standards.

The materials are available online for download and print, or you can order copies.

The site starts with a menu of 5 quilts: Space Science, Mathematics, California Science, Girl Scouts, and More Education Resources. They are available online, text version, and an Excel version. The online version is easier to use and interactive. The text and Excel versions have the resource links in each box.

You click on the quilt you are interested in. The online versions take you to another page where you select the grade level (K-4, 5-8, 9-12), area (Science: Science as Inquiry, Technology Connections, Personal/Social Connections, Nature & History of Science, Unifying Concepts and Processes). The grid then has different concepts across the top. In science they have forces, motion, sky, solar system, etc.

The light blue boxes have resources. Click on the box and the resources show on the bottom left of the screen, with a summary of the resource on the right.

In less than 5 minutes I was able to find 22 resources for one lesson for my physics class. It’s a great resource for any Science or Math teacher.

Here are a lot more great, free Educational Resources from NASA

Discovery Education is thrilled to provide STAR Discovery Educators with access to the Discovery Education Science Techbook for the remainder of the school year. To access your state’s version of the Discovery Education Science Techbook you will need to log into http://community.discoveryeducation.com and click on Discovery Education Science Techbook Access for STAR Educators, which will be in red below your name on the community site.  

This will take you to a site where you can retrieve your state’s passcode. If you do not see your state listed you can either access the national version or choose another state to access.  You will need to create a NEW username and password with a different email than your current account.

In addition to providing access to the Discovery Education Science Techbook we have a fun little promotion to help get you started on utilizing the Discovery Education Science Techbook. Beginning in February we will be hosting a series of webinars to provide an overview of the Discovery Education Science Techbook.

At the end of February we will enter all of the attendees from the webinars into a drawing for an iPad 2.

We will also have two special promotions in March and April plus at the end of the special Star techbook promotion one lucky person will receive an exclusive invitation to the DEN Summer Institute July 21-26 in Bozeman, MT.

DEN STAR Techbook Webinar Series

You may know that Discovery Education has a great selection of educational videos for your classroom.  But, did you know that they also have an impressive collection (over 200 titles) of children’s picture books on video?

Here is a sample of some of the titles that you can find:

• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
• Danny and the Dinosaur
• The Emperor’s New Clothes
• Harry the Dirty Dog
• Make Way for Ducklings
• Miss Nelson Is Back
• Officer Buckle and Gloria
• Stone Soup
• Strega Nona
• Where The Wild Things Are
• Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears

Can you feel the excitement? It all begins at the Hershey Lodge and Conference Center in the sweetest place in Pennsylvania. Mark your calendar for Sunday, 2-12-12 from 9 AM – 3 PM.

The countdown to the Discovery Educator Network PreConference at PETE&C 2011 begins.

Can you feel it now?

A special thanks to Max Brooks, DEN Account Manager and PETE&C PreCon organizer, for the schedule of events.

You can download the PreCon schedule to your iPhone, Android, or Blackberry by visiting http://petec2012.sched.org. You can also store the PreCon data on your computer for offline reference. Nice job, Max!

Here is Jessi’s application to the DEN Summer Institute.

Wondering what this DEN Summer Institute is all about? Find our more about it including how to apply here.

Graphic Novels:

Graphic Novels such as Charles Darwin’s Origin of the Species: A Graphic Adaptation, Introducing Relativity: A Graphic Guide, and The Surprising World of Bacteria

Bestselling Science: Books by authors such as Michael Crichton, James Rollins, and Dan Brown are action packed and loaded with science facts. These authors fuse real cutting edge science issues with action and drama for a high interest read. Most importantly they all include appendices that address the truth and fiction behind the science concepts central to the plots of their amazing stories.

Audio Books and e-Readers: Have students listen to excerpts of popular novels with science concepts central to the story. Students may take an interest and decide to explore further on their own. Also, e-Readers like the Kindle come with free books and loan programs.

Explicitly Teach Tier 2 and Tier 3 Vocabulary to Students: Students often have difficulty learning science because all students are Academic Language Learners. Academic language is very different from social language, and must be explicitly taught. Tier 2 language is complex language not used often in social speech, but a common feature of written academic language. Tier 3 language is content specific language. Science has a lot of Tier 3, content specific language that is often taught as a part of a new unit of study. For more information on vocabulary tiers see the attached pdf that can also be found here.

182_VocabularyTiers
Use Reading Strategies: Strategies such as Cloze notes, Cornell Lectures and Cornell Notes, Graphic Organizers can be very helpful tools in engaging students in science courses, and ensuring that they have adequate background for abstract and important content. Websites like LD Online provide a variety of strategies for engaging students with learning disabilities that can be used with many struggling learners.

Build A Classroom Library: Collect a variety of informational reading materials at various reading levels to ensure all students have access to a literacy rich classroom experience. Use Discovery Education articles and resources to provide students with extra reading practice. Assign professional journal readings and activities to students in the secondary classroom to ensure that your students are exposed to real world scientific research and writing, and are prepared for college level reading and writing in the science classroom. To get help building your classroom library, consider making bookstores like Barnes & Noble, and others, partners in education. Reach out to authors, publishing houses, and scientific organizations for help in building your library.

If you have tried any of these techniques to increase reading in your science classroom, please post your comments and experiences. We would love to hear from you!