21st Century Learning tools.

There are many online resources available for today’s teachers. The plethora of available resources can make finding valuable, useful resources a time consuming challenge. That is why I not only search on my own but rely on other teachers to find valuable resources. In designing a unit on electricity for my enrichment class I was able to borrow from veteran science teachers as well as find several online resources that will help to make this unit fun and exciting for my students.
The website that I found to be the most exciting is the Internet Plasma Physics Education Experience (IPPEX) website. IPPEX is a site that has online interactive physics modules. These modules can help students gain a stronger understanding of physics concepts while utilizing technology and saving money on resources. IPPEX can be found at http://ippex.pppl.gov/interactive/electricity/. Another website that can use in my classroom is the BBC Schools website. This site can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/ and is a great site for elementary and middle school students. This site provides educational games and simulations that help students grasp and practice scientific concepts.
Both of these sites are valuable resources that I can use in my classroom to help my students experience science concepts in ways that we would otherwise not be able to do in our classroom setting. These sites are among many that I can use to create online learning experiences for my students. I like to periodically use online learning experiences to help my students become better researchers and more technology literate.
Being able to search and research online is a necessary skill for today’s students. With the large number of websites out there students need to be able to determine whether a site is useful and students need to be able to find and take information from these sites. The two sites that I have chosen for this exercise provide the opportunity for students to become better researchers, but also provide them with opportunities to become 21st-century scientifically literate citizens. Both of these sites have modules that lead students through a discovery process. When used in conjunction with other sites and classroom experiences students will gain a firm understanding of the scientific concepts being studied. These sites also allow students to use and practice their problem solving skills through scientific inquiry.