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The solar system, the metric system, the circulatory system, the system of checks and balances, transportation systems, broadcasting systems, information systems, the Dewey Decimal system – we see the word “system” every day in a variet...
By Mary Bigelow
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I’m getting ready for a two-week camping trip to upstate New York for a family reunion, sightseeing, and hiking/birdwatching. I’m also looking forward to propping up my feet and reading in the fresh air. As I add to my bag of reading mate...
By Mary Bigelow
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In the ideal world, every school would have whatever materials it takes to provide quality learning experiences. But our world is not ideal and we teachers have learned to be quite ingenious....
By Mary Bigelow
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It’s always amazing to me that there is just about anything you’d want to know (and even things you didn’t know you wanted to know) on the Internet. Just a few clicks in your favorite browser and you’re off on a flight of sere...
By Mary Bigelow
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Whether it’s a riverbank, a lakeshore, or along an ocean or bay, the water is a popular vacation place in the summer. But what if your classroom could be extended to study these places during the school year?...
By Mary Bigelow
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For many teachers, the word “notebook” conjures up an image of a folder or binder in which students attach lab reports, homework, class handouts and notes, tests and quizzes, and/or completed worksheets. The students are given a list of r...
By Mary Bigelow
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It’s summer and maybe some of us are involved in writing/revising the science curriculum for our schools. Rather than just creating a laundry list of topics to be “covered” based on a textbook table of contents, you might be looking...
By Mary Bigelow
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Teachers (and administrators) love so see the word “free.” FREE in this case stands for Federal Resources for Excellence in Education. This website, maintained by the U.S. Department of Education, has links to hundreds of web-based resour...
By Mary Bigelow
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The ocean's hidden worlds
What do you get when you combine knowledge, passion, experience, and some fantastic graphics? A friend sent me the link to a TED video of Robert Ballard’s talk on Exploring the Ocean’s Hidden Worlds. I thought I was fairly knowledgeable, ...
By Mary Bigelow
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In previous entries, I’ve mentioned the online, collaborative projects that are part of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology’s (CLO) Citizen Science program. Well, they’ve done it again!...
By Mary Bigelow
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Doesn’t it seem like there’s always something new in technology? How can we keep up with what’s going on? I’ve found a resource that can be very helpful: TipLine – Gates’ Computer Tips. This award-winning blog is w...
By Mary Bigelow
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A different kind of assessment
Several issues of NSTA journals this year have had an assessment theme, including the April/May issue of Science & Children and the January issue of Science Scope. I recently became aware of another assessment project called MOSART, which stands ...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Assessment to guide instruction
“I don’t have many grades for this quarter, so I better give a few quizzes soon.” “I don’t have time for assessments – just let me teach.” I’m sure we’ve heard comments such as these (or thought them ourselve...
By Mary Bigelow
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At first when I saw this issue, I thought of community partnerships, in which students work with organizations outside of school. But I realized by reading the articles, that the activities and resources also apply to the communities of learners with...
By Mary Bigelow
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Well, this conference is history, and I’m exhausted in a good way— both physically and mentally. From talks by astronaut Barbara Morgan, Rodger Bybee, and Bill Nye the Science Guy to the awesome resources in the exhibit area to the sessio...
By Mary Bigelow
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So, you’re a presenter and your time slot is the last one of the conference, and your room is the farthest from the lobby. Will anyone come? In the case of Sami Kahn’s presentation on Wikis in the elementary classroom, she didn’t ha...
By Mary Bigelow
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Sunday morning is a tough time for a presenter. Early departures, church services, brunch dates, or too much Saturday evening make it difficult for some to attend sessions at this time....
By Mary Bigelow
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Some presenters had basic lectures with PowerPoints, some provided “think-pair-share” opportunities for participants, some had laptops for participants and guided us through simulations or software tools (an advantage to sitting up front)...
By Mary Bigelow
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This session prepared us to lead a one-week unit in which students take a “journey” to the Moon. Facilitators Tara Clopper and Heather Slatoff led us in hands-on activities, including designing our own mission patches. One perk with t...
By Debra Shapiro
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With so much to see and do at the conference, I shouldn’t be surprised by the number of people I see no matter how early I arrive. If there’s a workshop going on, there are people in there....
By Lynn Petrinjak
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ISTE (the International Society for Technology in Education) sponsored a series of seven sessions presented by two of the most dynamic educators I’ve ever met: Ben Smith and Jared Mader of the Red Lion School District in PA....
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
The exhibit hall is like a science teacher’s paradise! There are so many new things, as well as some tried and true ones. All of the major textbook and trade book publishers are here as well as many of the lab equipment and supply companies. Th...
By Mary Bigelow
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Virginie Chokouanga, the SciLinks database administrator, did a session on using SciLink’s online assignment tool. This tool allows the teacher to create assignments based on the websites in SciLinks. The students can show what they’ve le...
By Mary Bigelow
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Is it madness to give away $150,000 worth of science equipment and supplies? No way! Cheryl A....
By Debra Shapiro
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Page Keeley, NSTA’s President-Elect, guided us through the use of probes (the written kind, not the electronic ones!) to uncover student’s knowledge and misconceptions about science concepts....
By Mary Bigelow
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OK, I’ve been to a number of sessions on topics that I’m familiar with. It’s time to stretch my mind and venture into unfamiliar territory to learn something new. Dr....
By Mary Bigelow
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At the NSTA conference bookstore, the current books are on display and available for purchase (but you can get a gre...
By Mary Bigelow
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I saw teachers lining up to spin the Fisher Science Education wheel to try for a “grand slam” of prizes, including balances, a forensic entomology kit, and videos. Consolation prizes included mini baseballs and baseball bats. ...
By Debra Shapiro
Blog Post
Look Out for the New Creationism
Eugenie Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education, told a packed room of educators that “it is their duty” to step in when they discover a colleague who is teaching creationist theory in a science classroom....
By Debra Shapiro
Blog Post
Unfortunately, with hundreds of sessions at a conference this size, not all are going to be terrific. I was at a clunker this morning. The presenter (who shall remain nameless) was not very prepared and really didn’t explain the point very well...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Watch presentations on Ustream
You can watch a few Presentations on Ustream.tv. Watch and chat with us! Current Presentation Schedule: Eugenie Scott: After Dover: The New Creationism Friday, March 28 3:30–4:30 PM EST Bill Nye: (The Planetary Society Lecture) Planetary Citizen...
By NSTA Web Director
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Today is Informal Science Day and everywhere I look there’s some kind of hands-on activity going on—in workshops and the exhibit hall. From attendees putting together simple tools from what looks like an assortment of children’s bui...
By Lynn Petrinjak
Blog Post
Science notebooks in real classrooms
It’s always fun to hear from teachers and former teachers. When they describe the wonderful and effective projects they do with real students in their own classrooms, it’s hard to say: Yeah, but that won’t work in my school....
By Mary Bigelow
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I attended a session presented by some folks from NOAA called Data in the Classroom. No, it’s not about student assessments and NCLB! It’s about an effort to make the huge amount of data that NOAA has on the oceans and atmosphere accessi...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
In her session on “Unleashing the Power of Data,” Nancy Love said cultural proficiency—knowing about and understanding different cultures—is key to interpreting data about science learning. “A child is not a number̶...
By Debra Shapiro
Blog Post
Lynn here. I attended the general session this morning as well. I found Barbara’s speech particularly inspirational. As folks were leaving the ballroom, she announced she had a special presentation to make....
By Lynn Petrinjak
Blog Post
Susan Morgan gave us tips for starting and running a science fair gleaned from her 18 years of experience with fairs. I appreciated her suggestion to let students choose something they’re interested in and develop a question to answer. Let them...
By Debra Shapiro
Blog Post
Barbara Morgan—exploring space through a teacher's eyes
Barbara Morgan was a featured speaker today, and it was a real thrill to see her in person. She described her Space Shuttle mission with slides and videos, a wonderful sense of humor, and a real pride in being an educator. As I listened to her descri...
By Mary Bigelow