Simply Science

2006-01-20T14:29:00.000+10:30

As alluded to in earlier postings I have been messing around with blogs and other associated technologies. I now have another blog, (3 in total related to teaching,

Simply Science, (All about science and the Simply Science Site),
Mr P's SMARTBoard, (a chronology of my experience with an interactive whiteboard), and
My Other Blog, (dealing with my experiences with ICT).

To make it easier to keep up with all of these I am now also using Suprglu as an aggregator.
My Science and ICT archive is at http://jpearce.suprglu.com/

2006-01-20T14:23:00.000+10:30

I have been messing around with blogs and wikis at school and have experimented with a free web-based wiki around the theme of minibeasts at http://middlej.pbwiki.com/ .

I have also been conducting a science extension class over this term and those students have blogged their experiences at http://manila.bellaireps.vic.edu.au/crest/. I was hoping that I might have involved some pre-service uni students in having some sort of oversighting of this blog to contribute stimulatory comments but we were a bit late in the year starting again and this hasn't happened, (however again next year???????)

2006-01-20T14:14:00.000+10:30

Following a PD session on the use of SmartBoard interactive whiteboards at our school, I have added the presentation to the Simply Science site. The Teaching and Learning With A SMARTBoard subsite at http://home.bellaireps.vic.edu.au/students/
Simply_Science/SmartBoard_Online/Index.htm has movies of the board in action, (beware though the files at 55Mb need a good broadband connection. You will also find information on Getting Started, Using the Internet, Capturing and Creating IWB content as well as links to a range of other IWB related sites.

2005-10-08T15:55:00.000+09:30

Thanks to a heads up from a colleague, I and my class have been messing around with pbwiki at http://www.pbwiki.com/ Here you can make a free password protected wiki they say, "as easily as a peanut butter sandwich". Actually it is pretty easy and some of my grade 3/4's have taken to it like a duck to water. You can see their 2 day old handiwork at http://middlej.pbwiki.com/ .

What's a wiki? It can be just about any sort of web based collaborative exercise you want it to be. We are sort of making a glossary based exploration of minibeasts in our wiki, check it out.

2005-10-01T15:41:00.000+09:30

Have been a bit lax of late getting onto blogger, (this is mainly because I have been messing around with other things bloggy and beyond).

The Science at the Shopping Centre in Westfield Bay City Plaza was a real hoot. Westfield did a great publicity job.
The kids had a lot of fun too as this article from the local Geelong Advertiser shows.

2005-08-10T19:17:00.000+09:30

Next week is National Science Week. We have been fortunate at school to have gained some funding to mount an expo at a local Westfield shopping centre. We have called it Shopping Centre Science and will involve some 24 student volunteers from grades 3-6 at my school Bellaire Primary School. I will post more details later.

2005-08-10T19:12:00.000+09:30

Though it isn't really science, I have recently added some Flash based animated Maths Strategy Games to the Other section of the Simply Science Site. You can either play them online or download a Word doc version to play at your table.

2005-07-16T16:50:00.000+09:30

I have been a little silent on this blog lately but nonetheless things have been happening. Two new additions have been made to Simply Science. Another Unit Of Work titled Journey To Space has been added to the Units Section. The direct URL is http://home.bellaireps.vic.edu.au/students/
Simply_Science/Journey_to_Space/default.htm

A new section title Blogs & Furls, about Blogs, Furls, RSS, podcasting and other issues has also been added. The direct URL is http://home.bellaireps.vic.edu.au/students/
Simply_Science/Bloggin_Furls/Index.htm

2005-05-23T17:17:00.000+09:30

I have recently started a new Blog. This one called Mr P's SMART Board and is detailing my experiences with our newly acquired SMART Board Interactive Whiteboard. It can be found at http://mr-p-iwb.blogspot.com/

2005-05-05T07:57:00.000+09:30

One of most popular aggregator today is Bloglines. Bloglines is web based, you don’t need to download any software to your computer. Just create an account on their website and subscribe to your favourite blogs. You can then follow your blogs from a Mac at home, a Windows PC at office or a PDA at some airport.

betterdays � Blog Archive � Using Bloglines (or How to keep up with dozens of blogs everyday) tutorial will show you how to sign up and subscribe to blogs with Bloglines. It also shows you some other interesting things you can do with Bloglines.

The URL is http://preetamrai.com/weblog/archives/2005/04/25/
bloglines-how-to-keep-track-of-hundreds-of-blogs-and-some-
news-and-some-podcasts-and-some-flickrs-photos-etc-etc/"

2005-04-29T12:11:00.000+09:30

Join a group of grade four students from The Academy at King Edward and grade tens from Jasper Place High School as they explore the world of Simple Machines at ../:: The Simple Machine Blog ::\.. The fours are studying simple machines as part of their science curriculum and have drawn (on the computer) their favourite machines. The tens communicated with the fours using this blog to discuss how the drawings would be animated. The animations have then been displayed here beside the drawings along with the blog comments The URL is../http://www.resco.ca/machineblog/"

2005-04-22T21:19:00.000+09:30

For a nice little article on blogging in education, have a look at this offerin from one of the guru's Stephen Downes in the EDUCAUSE REVIEW | September/October 2004, Volume 39, Number 5. The URL is http://www.educause.edu/pub/er/erm04/erm0450.asp?bhcp=1.

2005-04-15T17:27:00.000+09:30

Education/Technology - Tim Lauer: is a great blog maintained by Tim, the principal at Lewis Elementary School in Portland, Oregon. He uses this site mainly to make notes to himself about technology and how it can be used by teachers and students to gain a greater understanding of their world, and as a means to tell their stories... The URL is http://tim.lauer.name/:

2005-04-12T08:33:00.000+09:30

If you want to check up on the sort of questions that have been asked in the TIMMS, (Trends in International Maths and Science Study then have a look in at Explore Your Knowledge in the Students' Classroom at the US National Centre For Educational Statistics for an online test you or your students can take. The URL is http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/eyk/

2005-04-10T19:40:00.000+09:30

We have just installed a SmartBoard interactive whiteboard in my classroom, the first of four we will have in the school. So far it looks an impressive tool and the kids and I are looking forward to the opportunities it will bring. More soon.

As to the Manila Blogging software things are still going slowly. Not having the technical knowledge or access to the server is a big problem :)

2005-04-10T19:38:00.000+09:30

HandySnap is a great little screen capture tool that is free at the moment. The URL is http://www.wisepixel.com/

2005-03-29T23:24:00.000+09:30

At last the new computer is here and things are looking up. I have been steadily adding sites to the Simply Science Furl, so go there for new things to explore. I have also been experimenting with blogging using Userland Manila software. It has been interesting though challenging to get the software running. Hopefully next term I should have some student blogs up and running. The aim is to have at least one, (or more running science based material), more of this later. I should also be able to post a tutorial on using Word 2003 and tables soon.

2005-02-16T17:03:00.000+10:30

You may have noticed a lack of posts over the last couple of months to this blog and also my Furl. Well apart from the fact that I have been doing the holiday thing for some of that time, I have also had to endure the pain of not one but two Hard Drive replacements and the associated loss of data and lack of access. In 3-4 weeks however I say goodbye to this laptop and hello to a brand spanking newbie, WOW..........

2005-02-16T16:54:00.000+10:30

For a fantastic example of how to use blogs in the communication of science ideas then take a look at Jack's Science Fair Project. The URL is http://homepage.mac.com/stevespangler/iblog/index.html. I am attempting to trial something similar with children from the school that I work in soon, (watch this space). Hopefully they will get inspiration from Jack. :)

2004-12-04T13:21:00.000+10:30

If you haven't been checking in at the Simply Science Furl at http://www.furl.net/members/jpearce, I have been adding regular updates with more to come as soon as the term ends :)

2004-11-15T21:36:00.000+10:30

It's back to the tutoring again. I have added a couple more tutorials,

one on how to make postcards with Publisher XP
another on how to set up a Looksmart Furl

I've also added some examples of Excel templates, some PowerPoint examples and some book making templates in Publisher.

2004-11-07T22:14:00.000+10:30

Long time no posts, (the laptop hard drive had some terminal problems). Now that the hard drive has been replaced and some fo the applications have been restored I can update the Simply Science site again. I have added two new tutorials to the Tutorial Section. One is related to PowerPoint XP and concentrates on how to use Action Buttons, great for making quizzes. The other shows you how to make neat little books with Publisher XP.

2004-08-08T12:43:00.000+09:30

In the Tutorial section of Simply Science I have added a beginner's tutorial for making a simple website with FrontPage XP. It is 1Mb Word download however, (mainly because it is so graphic heavy :)

2004-08-08T11:56:00.000+09:30

BIG NEWS Thanks to Seaghan in Ireland I have just discovered FURLing. A FURL is a place to store records of your fave links. You can annotate, rank and comment on links so that as the list grows you can search for topics, rated links or even the key terms. Pretty Cool I think and just what I have been looking for. From now on new links for Simply Science will be listed on the Simply Science FURL. They URL to view the Simply Science FURL is http://www.furl.net/members/jpearce

2004-08-06T11:15:00.000+09:30

Pfizer FunZone has a couple of nice articles on "real" scientists as well as a couple of tried and true experiments. It also has a neat timeline of the development of drugs. The really great feature is a Shockwave enabled "digital microscope" in the Discoveries section. The URL is http://www.pfizerfunzone.com/index.html

2004-07-29T22:35:00.000+09:30

The Dirt on Soil is a Discovery School site that provides a neat explanation of the importance of soil and how fragile it is. The Flash animated Soil Safari is pretty cool. The URL is http://school.discovery.com/
schooladventures/soil/index.html

2004-07-28T22:25:00.000+09:30

Mount Washington Observatory: The Big Wind has a neat little animation and other easy to read information about the Beaufort Scale. The URL is http://www.mountwashington.org/discovery/
arcade/wind/index.html

2004-07-28T20:20:00.000+09:30

Ever wondered why all the fuss about wind energy? Wind with Miller is a an animated introduction to how wind turbines work. The URL is http://www.windpower.org/en/kids/index.htm

2004-07-26T17:00:00.000+09:30

Welcome to EcoKids! has games, activities, printable pages and information for kids and teachers about wildlife, science & nature, energy and environmental issues. This Canadian site is very appealing at http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/index.cfm

2004-07-26T11:53:00.000+09:30

Science Blog: Open Science Directory is a very extensive list of links to thinks educationally science. The blog itself is a great resource. The URL is http://www.scienceblog.com/community/phpodp/odp.php?
browse=/Science/Educational_Resources/

2004-07-25T20:33:00.000+09:30

The Standards Site: Science at key stages 1 and 2 is from the Bitish Department for Education and Skills. It has a series of teaching units that can be viewed online or downloaded. The URL is http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes2/science/?view=get

2004-07-25T20:04:00.000+09:30

The weather: How to measure the weather is a page that is part of a UK based project. It contains some nice simple ideas on apparatus to measure weather. The URL is http://www.4seasons.org.uk/projects/weather/measure.htm

2004-07-25T11:12:00.000+09:30

Meteorology-Online is a very well put together Thinkquest site all about things meteorological. It has a range of sections and is written by students for students. The URL is http://library.thinkquest.org/C0112425/

2004-07-24T15:55:00.000+09:30

Australian Insects Common Names is a great site if you want to identify not only Australian insects but other minibeasts as well. Maintained by the CSIRO, the URL is http://www.ento.csiro.au/aicn/index.htm

2004-07-24T14:49:00.000+09:30

Weather Wiz Kids is maintained by meteorologist Crystal Wicker. It has all the usual weather bits plus a few more. The Weather Experiments are interesting. The URL is http://www.weatherwizkids.com/index.htm

2004-07-23T08:18:00.000+09:30

For some great commentaries on the science behind lots of everday items then you need to check in regularly atBill Hammack's Engineering & Life Public Radio Program. If you wish you can even subscribe and get Bill's commentaries each week via email. The URL is http://www.engineerguy.com/index.htm.

2004-07-23T08:12:00.000+09:30

If you didn't know that there are four not three states of matter then you might like to check out this Commentary: Plasmas from Bill Hammack's Engineering & Life Radio Program. Bill tells in laymans terms of some of the very important roles that plasmas play in our everday life. You can even listen to a commentary on plasmas using RealAudio. The URL is http://www.engineerguy.com/comm/4471.htm.

2004-07-20T08:19:00.000+09:30

Welcome to Kids Gardening! is an American based site that has lots of interesting resources and articles about things gardening. Well worth a look at http://www.kidsgardening.com/teachers.asp

2004-07-16T10:32:00.000+09:30

The Find-a-spider Guide is an Australian online guide to some of the most common Aussie spiders. It has great pics to help identify them as well as lots of other interesting facts. The URL is http://www.usq.edu.au/spider/index.htm

2004-07-16T08:29:00.000+09:30

If you are into comfort food then chocky is the go. To find out some more relevant info about chocolate for school use go to Cadbury School Projects The URL ishttp://www.cadbury.com.au/sites/cadbury/index.php?pageId=33 but no they don't provide free samples online yet :)

2004-07-14T22:02:00.000+09:30

I have added a basic tutorial for Inspiration version 6 to the tutorials of the Simply Science site http://users.pipeline.com.au/jpearce/default.htm , (I know that Inspiration is now up to version 7 however we only have version 6 at school).

2004-07-07T12:00:00.000+09:30

For an absolutely delightful example of a school based site on flight you need to Meet the Wright Brothers. The URL is http://www.pocanticohills.org/wright/wright.htm

2004-06-16T17:02:00.000+09:30

For an interesting look at what is inside the computer you are working on take Intel The Journey Inside. This part of a much larger site also has some other interesting resource materials on electrical circuits. The URL is http://www97.intel.com/scripts-tji/index.asp.

2004-06-15T20:49:00.000+09:30

If you are looking for some easy to make Paper Airplane Designs go over to http://www.paperairplanes.co.uk/planes.html

2004-05-30T16:59:00.000+09:30

Though it is contained within another site that has ads, popups and other minor irritants you can find the Beakman comics that deal with a range of interesting science topics at Bonus.com - Fun and Games - NetScooter�. The URl is www.beakman.bonus.com/beakman/.

2004-05-27T21:26:00.000+09:30

If you are interested in Fabrics and clothing and you are working with junior school children then BBC - What Where When Why Technology - Home might be of interest. The URL is http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/education/wwww/tech/.

2004-05-23T22:11:00.000+09:30

A huge site that covers so many topics but is primarily about our planet and it's place in space is Windows to the Universe. The best part is that it is written at three different reading levels. The URL is http://www.windows.ucar.edu/windows.html

2004-05-23T07:29:00.000+09:30

Another creative use of Flash to design your own inventions is at Rollercoaster - Spark: Get Inventive: Games. The URL is http://www2b.abc.net.au/spark/games/inventions/default.shtm

2004-05-12T11:23:00.000+09:30

ACS Education Home: American Chemical Society the website of the American Chemical Society has some really nice activities and teaching resources for both primary through to university. The URL is http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/
acsdisplay.html?DOC=education\index.html

2004-05-12T11:14:00.000+09:30

For a really neat little site made by the kids of Novi Meadows Elementary about What swims in the ocean go to http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215242/welcome.htm

2004-05-09T21:19:00.000+09:30

For some links to sites that follow a theme I've just come across Grades 3-5 Themes. A cursory check suggests that this is an interesting set of links. The URL is http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/3-5.htm.

2004-05-09T20:46:00.000+09:30

Are you looking for great Aussie information about the bugs in our streams then B U G A S A U R U S E X P L O R U S is for you. Don't forget to check out The Buglopedia in the Stuff on Bugs link. The URL is http://www.bugsurvey.nsw.gov.au/index.html

2004-05-02T07:39:00.000+09:30

For those interested in Blogs, David Wiley has a very A Beginner's Guide to Blogs with links to other articles and key features. The URL is http://wiley.ed.usu.edu/docs/begin_blog.html

2004-04-28T16:15:00.000+09:30

42eXplore is another interesting links site. The links here are ordered around a theme, (though they are American). The URL is http://www.42explore.com/index.htm

2004-04-26T21:57:00.000+09:30

For a neat little Shockwave animation that shows the phases of the moon and is manipulable select the OnLine activity at the scienceweb Earth, Sun & Moon page. The URL is http://www.scienceweb.org.uk/html/f_5e.htm

2004-04-26T21:37:00.000+09:30

For some really interesting ideas on using ICT in a study on the body systems have a look at this pdf, (A hint to save time downloading and then saving pdf files it is often much quicker and less memory intensive to LEFT mouse click and select Save Target As on the pdf link such as this one), http://forum.ngfl.gov.uk/presentations/
primaryscienceonline/sherlock_smallpres2.pdf

2004-04-25T11:55:00.000+09:30

Spacekids has a neat Flash Solar System Tour at http://www.spacekids.com/solarsystem/index.html

2004-04-25T11:47:00.000+09:30

If you really wanted to get into medicine but didn't get the entrance score or if you just want to see a really great interactive then go to Edheads - Virtual Knee Surgery - Total Knee Replacement and practice away till your hearts content. Oh don't forget to try the Simple Machines and Weather interactives too. The URL is http://www.edheads.org/activities/knee/index.htm

2004-04-25T10:43:00.000+09:30

Jackie Miers has some great Rocks and Minerals links at her site at http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/jmresources/rocks/links.html

2004-04-25T10:42:00.000+09:30

Though it is an American site, most of the pests at PestWorld for Kids are common to the Australian experience. The URL is http://www.pestworldforkids.org/

2004-04-24T16:22:00.000+09:30

Cool Climate Kids' Club is the Official site of a Canadian club for kids who want to inspire their community to live in an earth-friendly way!! Great kid friendly information on Climate Change. The URL is http://www.coolclimate.org/index.html

2004-04-23T17:14:00.000+09:30

Funology -- The Science of Having Fun! is a site that is developed specifically for kids. Though lots of the activities are oldies they are still goodies presented in a kid-friendly way. the URL is http://www.funology.com/index.cfm!

2004-04-17T09:27:00.000+09:30

For some great ideas on the use of ICT, particularly in the literacy numeracy area cruise over to the New Zealand LEA site. Especially explore the ICT learning objects link, though all the links are very practical. The URL is http://www.lea.co.nz/

2004-04-16T12:39:00.000+09:30

If you want some neat ideas that you can try online as well as in the classroom, plus also go on virtual field trips and adventures then TryScience is a place you should visit. The URL is http://www.triscience.org/home.html

2004-04-15T12:37:00.000+09:30

If you want to know what happens when you strike a match and start a flame have a look at the PBS Flash animation at NOVA Online |On Fire at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/fire/onfire.html

2004-04-15T11:14:00.000+09:30

For a great set of materials about states of matter including worksheet pdf's and some neat Flash animations got to the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry Solids Liquids Gases site. URL is http://www.abpischools.org.uk/resources/solids-liquids-gases/index.asp

2004-04-13T14:54:00.000+09:30

Playing With Time has some great Quicktime movies that shows change over time. I especially loved the balloon filled with water. The URL is http://www.playingwithtime.org/index.html

2004-04-08T08:46:00.000+09:30

The ICT section of Simply Science has been revised and updated. A couple of sections have been consolidated and some extra material added.

2004-04-07T21:33:00.000+09:30

If you want to capture items from your screeen then you should be using Printkey. For a free download go to http://www.webtree.ca/newlife/printkey_info.htm PrintKey

2004-04-05T06:58:00.000+09:30

Another great use of Flash that deals with the sensitive issue of The Dog Pooh Lifecycle. from envirolead at http://www.envirolead.com/lifecyc2.htm.

2004-04-02T16:55:00.000+09:30

I have managed to secure some server space at school so the ICT section is now up, (albeit in a draft form). To access it go to the Simply Science homepage or alternatively the direct URL is http://home.bellaireps.vic.edu.au/students/
Middle_P/ICT_Science/ICT_Index.htm

2004-04-02T10:01:00.000+09:30

If you are like me and interested in the use of blogs, at our school we are looking to investigate Movable Type as a basis for the blog.

The URL for Movable Type is http://www.movabletype.org/

For an interesting introduction to blogging you could check out “Blogging Across the Curriculum” at http://mywebspace.quinnipiac.edu/PHastings/bac.html

EdBlogger Praxis has links and discussion about Blogs used in Primary, (Elementary), schools at http://educational.blogs.com/edbloggerpraxis/
primary_teacher_blog/index.html

You might also look in at Weblogg-Ed at http://www.weblogg-ed.com/

2004-04-01T14:01:00.000+09:30

To see some really creative use of Flash animation that shows the inner workings of an earthworm cruise over to the WormWatch Virtual Worm. The URL is http://www.naturewatch.ca/english/
wormwatch/virtual_worm/index.html

2004-03-28T22:57:00.000+09:30

I have just completed a makeover of the front end of the site however because I have used up all of the server space I have not been able to add all the new content to the site that I had wanted. The ICT section will have to be reloaded on another server later.

2004-03-17T16:36:00.000+10:30

Science news for kids looks interesting because it has current science news written in kid friendly language Science News for Kids: Home Page The URL is http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/

2004-03-17T15:30:00.000+10:30

If you are doing anything related to energy and fossil fuels you really need to look in at Venoco Inc | Primary School for some great pdf resources. URL is http://www.venocoinc.com/learning_primary.html