Sunday, March 18, 2012

Web Adventures

The Rice University Center for Technology in Teaching and Learning developed a series of interactive web activities called Web Adventures. These interactive science activities are accompanied with lesson plans and ideas and links for further exploration and learning. They also cover several of the National Science Education Standards as well as the National Health Education Standards, in addition to nearly all of the NETS for students and teachers!

Through these Web Adventures, students get to explore science concepts, conduct experiments in virtual labs, and role play careers! I would suggest these mainly for high school and some middle school classes, as the topics include infectious diseases, the impact of alcohol on different body systems, using neuroscience to see the impacts of substance abuse, forensic crime solving, and virtual apprenticeship to careers.

This website also makes it easy on teachers, spelling out the standards and providing quizzes, additional activities, lesson plans, vocabulary, etc. At the end of each Web Adventure are links for further exploration, so students who finish early have something to do.

I think these are great tools for teachers to introduce concepts that may be less exciting to students. Having students complete the Web Adventures at the beginning of the unit would excite students and keep them interested throughout the lesson. My only hope is that they create more of the Web Adventures to expand a wider range of units and grades.

Bowling, K., L. Miller. (2012). Web Adventures: Explore Science One Game At A Time. Learning and Leading with Technology, 36, 34-35.
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2 comments:

  1. ThomasMarch 20, 2012 at 3:22 PM

    Ms. McCune~
    I know how much you like science and all that it encompasses in the area of education and life. You have composed a fun and exciting post of exploration and provided a platform for creating inquisitive minds. I like how you stated that, " Having students complete the Web Adventures at the beginning of the unit would excite students and keep them interested throughout the lesson". So true that we as future reflective educators must provide stimulating lesson plans that start with eye catching beginnings. Well Done.
    Thomas

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  2. seth422March 27, 2012 at 4:43 PM

    Hi Kyleigh,
    This web site does look pretty great. With the rise of technology I am enthusiastic about the learning potentials of games in the classroom. These Web Adventures present nominally boring subjects like microbiology in a way that is sure to be engaging for kids. I agree with you in that I wish there was a wider range of topics, because at the moment the subject matter seems very narrow. Still it would be a great supplement for instruction on these subject matters.
    Seth

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