JoinAll Blog Posts
Blog Post
The Carson HookUpz 2.0: The Missing Link Between Camera and Eyepiece
Over the years I have held digital cameras and phones up to the eyepieces of telescopes, spotting scopes, binoculars, and most often microscopes to take pictures, capture video, and stream imagery to projectors and TVs. In all cases the idea was soun...
By Martin Horejsi
Blog Post
The Micro Phone Lens: A Tiny Solution to a Huge Problem
Other than computer code, the Micro Phone Lens just might be the lightest accessory you can add to your tablet or phone. Weighing in at a fraction of a gram, the tiny lens leverages the optical power of existing cameras on phones and tablets. And lik...
By Martin Horejsi
Blog Post
Committee Approves DeVos Nomination, Senate Vote Expected Next Week
On January 31, the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee voted to approve the nomination of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education by a party-line vote of 12 to 11....
By Jodi Peterson
Blog Post
Let’s Help Every Student Succeed with STEM
NSTA, in collaboration with 100kin10 and other key STEM leaders, has developed a new campaign designed to ensure that STEM and science/STEM teachers are a focus of the new federal education law at the state and local levels....
By Kate Falk
Blog Post
Big Data, Small Devices: Investigating the Natural World Using Real-Time Data
Many students nowadays are dependent on electronic devices. In fact, it’s sometimes hard to separate them from their smartphones and tablets....
By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
Keeping Students Engaged Before a Break
I finished a unit in middle school science two days ahead of our winter holiday break. We went on to the next unit, but my students didn’t seem focused, and I think I’ll have to review or repeat the activities when we come back....
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Senate Confirmation Vote for DeVos Scheduled for Jan 31
Following a contentious confirmation hearing for Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos that evoked images of guns and grizzlies and showcased a lack of understanding of key education issues, the Senate HELP Committee postponed its planned confirmat...
By Jodi Peterson
Blog Post
Weather watching and phenology support using evidence to state a claim
Noticing changes in the growth and habit of plants is part of the science of phenology. We do this casually when we comment on the buds swelling on the maple tree (yay! not as many branches are dead as I feared) or the daffodil leaves sprouting above...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Career of the Month: Television Writer
“I aspire to translate complicated ideas in science into consumable stories,” says Katherine Lingenfelter, who writes for TV shows with science or science fiction themes, such as House and Westworld, respectively. “Television is a writer’s me...
By sstuckey
Blog Post
A Three-Step Method for Safer Labs
The lab can be an unsafe place. Under NSTA’s Duty of Care, however, the teacher is required to make labs safer (see Resources). One way of doing so is to follow the analysis, assessment, and action (AAA) method. The method requires teache...
By Kenneth Roy
Blog Post
What’s So Special about Disciplinary Core Ideas (Part 2)
DCIs provide explanations for a variety of phenomena ...
By Joe Krajcik
Blog Post
A love note to education conferences
In my suitcase I have a collapsible jug, tube, funnel, glitter, pebbles, foam hearts, sea shells, and empty plastic bottles—all part of the materials I need for a presentation at the 2017 ECSTEM conference (February 3-4), organized by The Children&...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
I’m looking for ideas to incorporate writing into my general biology classes. I’ve tried term papers but many of my students struggled and it took a lot of class time. Any ideas for other relevant writing assignments? —V., Ohio...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Science 2.0: Help Students Become Innovative Designers
Our past three columns described how teachers can implement the first three Empowered Learner Standards established by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). This month, we focus on classroom strategies to support the fourth ...
By sstuckey