Getting students to think critically about and with data is one of the most important aspects of teaching in this information saturated world. Intel's Showing Evidence Tool gives students the opportunity to compile and organize support for a provided prompt while assessing the validity of the source and explaining how each piece of evidence supports [...]
Most students don't understand the influence that women (and especially women of color) had on the early development of computer technology and other science fields. Hidden Figures (the movie) did a great job of shining light on the human computers who made the moon landing possible, but there are many other stories that need to [...]
Research has shown that students, especially female students, are turning away from science at a young age because they think it is either too hard for them or too boring. Citizen science projects, like the ones hosted on the Zooniverse website, show students that anyone with a computer can be a scientist and can contribute [...]
With 21st century learning comes 21st century skills. Incorporating techniques like self-directed curriculum and more collaborative activities helps students prepare for the 21st century workplace but students (and teachers) can become frustrated if they don't have the social and emotional skills necessary to succeed in a new learning and teaching environment. CICS West Belden, a [...]
I love maps, and I especially love well-designed interactive maps that include different layers of information. Chronas definitely fits the bill. Students can zoom into various areas on the map and adjust the time period of the map and watch as political boundaries change. There are also icons on the map that indicate important people, [...]
Ask someone what they think a world of artificial intelligence will look like and they'll probably describe something that sounds like it comes from a Terminator movie. But what many people may not realize is that we are already living with a lot of artificial intelligence in our day to day lives. Siri or Cortana [...]
It can be hard to understand the lived experiences of different groups of people, especially if you've never met a member of that group. Newsela has a great set of resources that introduce students to different perspectives, both current and historical. Some of the focus groups are refugees, veterans, Muslim Americans, Native Americans, and groundbreaking [...]
Since the election, pundits have been making big claims about how America is splitting into two radically different sub-populations--those who live in the cities and those who live in rural areas. Turns out that educational attainment shows a similar pattern with Master's degree holders clustered in the larger cities. You can see how your neighborhood [...]
Helping students understand the journey that water takes to get to the taps in their house can be a daunting task. The EPA has put together a great list of resources to help explain the water cycle and the ways that human activities can affect the water that we use for drinking, bathing, and cleaning. [...]
Place-based education is a new way of teaching that centers the students' education on their local environment in an effort to get them to be better stewards of their communities. If you're confused or concerned about this method, you're not alone. The STAR school in Arizona has been working on a place-based curriculum for the [...]