The History and/or Application of Science
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Whew! Will section 3 ever end? It started off with critiquing Science ideas, moved into models and their limitation and then veered off into product claims and advertising. You would think that would be enough, but actually, it leaves the best for last. Application! Application is super important for Science learners because it gives meaning to the little pieces of indiscriminate trivia that Science content can turn into if we aren't careful. Learning Science in the context of history, careers and application to the real world makes Science far more interesting and easier to understand, however we may not be trained as history teachers or career counselors to be able to supply our students with the history or application of every science idea presented, so how do we go about teaching this very valuable topic? I like to teach it with comic books, short movies, video clips or cartoons.
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Video Clips and Animations
Ted Talks
Ted Talks are all the rage. If you haven't seen one, you might be hiding under a rock because they are not only hot on YouTube but they are hot with a lot trainers on the professional development circuit. Ted Talks are inspirational and informative short videos done by TED a non profit organization whose mission is to spread ideas throughout the world. Ted speakers range from all walks of life from scientists to businessman, to world leaders. The organization started in the early 80's and now there are so many Ted Talks on file that you could find TED Talks on just about any science topic. This is a great place to get current information about what is happening in science right now, and many of the speakers reach back into history to explain concepts. Its a great resource. Here is an example of a TED Talk for a science topic on how to use an astrolabe. |
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Ted Ed
Once teachers get hooked on Ted Talks, they usually end up using these fascinating talks as engage and explain pieces of a 5E lesson. Wouldn't it be great if there were actual lessons written for Ted Talks or Ted ideas that could be used in the classroom? Guess what, there is a place where you can go to do just that and it's called TED Ed. TED Ed is an off shoot of TED, a non profit organization dedicated to help teachers to design lessons regarding great ideas. Some are TED Talks, but there are many mini lessons being produced that are short animated videos that help explain ideas. The library is growing, and educators from around the world are asked to develop lessons on TED Ed to help spread information. One of my favorites that describes the history of cell theory is called, The Wacky History of Cell Theory, which is a great little video for 7th grade and Biology students. |
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Discovery Education
Of course, if your district has purchased Discovery Education, you can take advantage of their extensive library of videos and resources that are played on the Discovery Channel or in their vast library of documentaries from United Streaming. This library is wonderful because you can download or stream entire documentaries or parts of documentaries depending on a teachers need (do you have time to watch an entire documentary, or do you only want to show the part about how Isaac Newton discovered universal gravitation? One of the jewels of the Discovery Education collection is Bill Nye's Greatest Discoveries and Greatest Inventions which contains a top 100 per episode of great scientific events in small 1-5 minute snippets. Here is an example: |
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PBS
Ah PBS! Home to the original Cosmos and Nova, the Public Broadcasting System is a free resource for teachers with a library of lessons to share on line through their website, PBS Learning Media. This is a great resource with video on demand, including every Nova episode ever produced. Not only can you use this as a resource for the history of Science, you can also delve deep into practical applications and careers. Here is an example of a Nova video on demand, the story of Chemist Percy Julian: |
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Cosmos (the Original and the Remake)
Of course no history of Science resource collection would be complete without a copy of Cosmos, by Carl Sagan. This video series takes the viewer through a scientific voyage that explains the origins of the universe. It chronicles major achievements of scientists throughout the history of mankind and is a must see for all science teachers! The original Cosmos series can be viewed through Youtube, the new version, hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson is available for purchase through Amazon and can also be seen through Amazon Prime, Netflix and Youtube pay per view. I have my copy, do you? Here is the first episode of Carl Sagan's original series, provided by the Science Foundation, available through Youtube. |
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