Before the internet, the most high-tech we could get in learning science was watching films. There were no flat-screen TVs yet, so a class of thirty or so would watch in a CRT TV. And needless to say, high-definition videos didn’t exist back then, so we had to make do with low-resolution media.
These days, students are way luckier because they can now learn any scientific topic from the palm of their hands. They would never experience squinting through a low-resolution screen, or not being able to download videos. As such, they can learn science in more interesting ways.
Technology has indeed made science more approachable. While books did an excellent job back in the day, the internet has been outstanding so far, and at this rate, it’s just unparalleled. Several websites, including social media, have given students loads of engaging material for free. In the past, we could only rely on encyclopedias, and we had to pay for them!
Hence, teachers and parents should get the most of technology to boost their students’ or kids’ love for science. To spark your creative teaching tactics, grab ideas from these high-tech ways to teach science:
1. Use a Microscope Camera
Since students are learning remotely nowadays, they cannot access their school’s science lab. But if teachers can use the facility, they should consider using a microscope camera. The device has a USB that connects to a microscope so that you can see footage of what’s underneath the lens from your computer. When teachers share their screens with their students, the whole class would get a view of the microscopic object from their teacher’s perspective.
2. Give Them Robotic Arm Kits
In the era where androids are slowly replacing humans, your students or kids are surely wondering what it’s like to control one. Give them a taste of the experience by buying them a robotic arm. It’s an inexpensive device that lets a user build and control their own, well, robotic arm. Elementary and middle school kids will love it.
3. Try DNA Play
Genetics and DNA are one of the most difficult topics in biology. But thanks to DNA Play, students can learn it in an easier and more engaging way. It asks students to build monsters and transform them by altering their DNA. Through that simple game, they will understand that a human being’s appearance is mainly a result of their DNA sequence.
4. Browse Interactive Science Websites
For high school students, learning is more interesting when they can do it from their own phones or computers. So recommend amazing science websites to them that may also help in their college education.
Consider PhET Interactive Simulations. It’s a website with a vast collection of free science and math simulations, perfect for kids who are also math wizards. NASA’s website is a handy tool for them as well. Its global climate change page, in particular, is packed with information and raw data about the factors affecting climate change. Middle schoolers will love it as well.
To give them an interesting lesson in anatomy, try BioDigital. It offers a 3D tour of the human body, with stunning graphics and every bit of crucial information.
And to teach them how DNA works without the kiddie toys, explore Learn.Genetics. The website delves deeper into the world of genetics, covering most high school biology topics.
5. Give Them a Science Museum Tour
Once it’s already safe to go out without observing social distancing again, take them to a science museum. Choose the ones with high-tech exhibitions, astounding COSM powers, and simulations close to a real-life experience.
Science museums are everywhere. The U.S. alone has an abundance of it. If you’re from Washington, book a tour to the Pacific Science Center. Situated in the shadow of the Space Needle, the museum boasts highly interactive exhibitions such as the Play Lab and Thinker Tank. It also hosts special events for young pupils.
But adults, science geek or not, can also have a blast in the Pacific Science Center. Parents or teachers can explore model railroad shows and the 4,000-foot butterfly exhibit. What’s more, the place features a planetarium too, so you can learn about the stars and the galaxy together with your kids or students.
For science geeks with a knack for engineering, the California Academy of Science is the perfect excursion. The place offers lectures in engineering for elementary students. It also houses a planetarium, rain forest, aquarium, and a natural history museum. Suffice to say, the California Academy of Science makes a science geek’s wildest dreams come true.
By incorporating technology in your science lessons, you make the subject more fun, as opposed to intimidating. Even if a kid has little interest in science, seeing high-tech tools and being subject to simulations will still engage them fully. As a result, they’d never sleep through their science classes again!
