Posted by David Wetzel
This has been the best month every for the Teach Science and Math Blog. Unique visitors have exceeded 2,700 and page views have exceeded 5,400.
I want to thank all those who visited and ask you share this blog with others. Hopefully you and others will keep returning as the blog becomes a valuable resource for educators, parents, students, and those who are just interested in science and math.
Top Posts for March
10 Science iPod Applications for the Classroom
10 Math Applications for the iPod Touch
5 Things that Will Become Obsolete in Math and Science by 2020
Project Based Learning - Math Activities
Why Use Technology to Teach Science and Math?
Podcasting in Science and Math Classes
See How Easily You Can Create a Project Based Learning Activity
Thanks again!
Posted by David Wetzel
Podcasting Tools
A podcast is a way of publishing audio files on the Internet. With a podcast users do not have to check a web site for new episodes.
They can subscribe (via an RSS feed) and receive new episodes automatically. A video podcast, or vodcast, is a podcast that uses video.
An enhanced podcast is an audio podcast that has pictures associated with it, like a slideshow.
Required Equipment
Many people belief that you must have an iPod or other MP3 player to listen to Podcasts; however, the you can use any of the following:
- Palm handheld computers
- Windows Mobile handheld computers
- MP3 players (include iPods and others)
- Desktop and laptop computers
- Cell phones
How are Podcasts Relevant to Science or Math Education
The following are strategies for using Podcasts in science and math:
- Students create podcasts of their science or math projects that they embed in multimedia presentations or interactive posters using a website such as Glogster.
- A class can take a virtual field trip to a zoo, rain forest, museum, of other locations to support curriculum.
- Students are determining the properties of an unknown substance and recording notes using a digital audio recorder, MP3 player, or a computer. This allows students to capture thoughts and observations in real time that can be used to supplement notes.
- For any experiment that involves sound (examining how the length of a vibrating string affects pitch, for instance), using digital audio recording improves the quality of observation.
- Use science or mathematics in everyday life.
- Overview this day in mathematics history.
- Create a sports news show or sportscaster voice-over, exploring statistics or the mathematics of the physical laws governing the sport.
- Students discuss the impact of mathematics on society, or how the history of mathematics has shaped human history.
- Post a monthly puzzler or a brain teaser as an audio recording. Students have to listen carefully to the words and vocabulary used to figure it out.
Sample Podcasts
Science on the Wildside
Science and nature features, news, and humorous educational songs to listen and learn by.
Examples include:
- Salute to Dragonflies - time 4:35
- Salute to Gray wolves - time 4:27
Scientific American -
Examples include:
- 60 Second Science - Tune in every weekday for quick reports and commentaries on the world of science– it’ll just take a minute!
- 60 Second Earth - Tune in every Sunday for quick reports on the science of the environment and the future of energy. It’ll just take a minute!
The Video Math Tutor - Tips for Students - a series of video podcasts that provides students with a number of tips to help them along with their math classes. These will be most helpful for those from 7th grade through college.
Examples include:
You can also go to the iTunes stores and do a search, under podcasts, for science or math. The podcasts are free.
For example:
Science Education Podcasts - right hand column
Math Education Podcasts - first and second column
Podcasts can be created as an alternative to digital media such as videos, voice, or images. Student-created podcasts provide a good digital medium for student expression of concepts, projects, and related themes.
Posted by David Wetzel
Science Experimental Design
The importance of experimental design in science is that helps students infer about causes or relationships, as opposed to simply describe what happened in a canned experiment.
As students learn to develop their own experimental design they must be able to answer the most important question of all regarding the design process.
Essentially, they are determining a driving question and creating a science experiment to help find an answer for the question. This includes identifying and answering questions that their design does not answer.
Experimental Design Process
Driving Question – students must learn to not ask questions that result in a simple yes or no answer.Experimental design questions must be cause and effect, along with being open-ended.
An example:
- What is the impact of acid rain on the growth rate of dandelions during spring?
Variables – once students have identified the driving question for an experiment, the next step in the design process is to identify variables.
These include:
- Independent Variable – is what is manipulated or the treatment in an experiment.
- Dependent Variable – is what is observed from the effects of manipulating the treatment in an experiment.
- Control Variables – are factors that remain constant throughout an experiment.
- Extraneous Variables – influence the relationship between the independent and dependent variables of an experiment, which the student has no control over. These are variables influence the outcome of an experiment and are undesirable because they add error to an experiment.
Hypothesis – the next step in the design process is developing a hypothesis to determine if the experimental design is testable; i.e., are the independent and dependent variables measurable.
Here is a hypothesis checklist:
- Is the hypothesis based on information contained in driving question?
- Does the hypothesis include the independent and dependent variable?
- Is the hypothesis worded so that it can be tested in the experiment?
Hypothesis examples are:
- Raising the temperature of a cup of water (temperature is the independent variable) will increase the amount of sugar that dissolves (the amount of sugar is the dependent variable).
- If a plant receives fertilizer (fertilizer is the independent variable), then it will grow to be bigger than a plant that does not receive fertilizer (plant size is the dependent variable).
Impact of Using the Experimental Design Process
Now students can make a personal connection to scientific investigation process. A personal connection is essential to internalizing new knowledge and ways of learning. The key attributes of students gain from this process is:
- learning how to design research
- learning how to ask questions
- internalizing new knowledge
- realizing that findings depend on experimental design
- increasing their level of understanding of science
- learning how to investigate like scientists
Additional Resources
Understanding Scientific Inquiry
Experimental Design
