Category Archives: SMART Boards
Scale of the Universe: Zoom right in, whizz right out (online app)
Learn.Genetics Size
This is what you get when you take the Learn.Genetics Cell Size visualiser and give it beans. Cary and Michael Huang at htwins.net have produced this great tool, which lets you zoom all the way into the smallest sizes and then out into the universe. You can click on each item to learn more.
It can be quite the time-suck as you whizz through inner and outer space.
Have a go!
Scale of the Universe App by Cary and Michael Huang (Click to play!)
Are you still here? Well then Morgan Freeman can give you a tour in this Powers of Ten clip from Cosmic Voyage.
Thanks to @AdamRutherford for tweeting the link to this.
The $50 SMARTBoard
This is just unbelievable, for two reasons:
1. If it works, you get thousands of dollars of functionality for near nowt.
2. You get an excuse to bring a Wii to school.
Here’s Johnny Lee and his Wii hacks (thanks to Henri Bemelmans for letting me know):
And while you’re at it…
Go and spend some time on the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) website – there are some really top-class talks.
Fizzix is Phun
I’m a bit worried about posting this so close to the DP exams*, but it is irresistable…
Ben Goldacre posted this video on the badscience blog – it’s a Physics toy for the computer, which can be downloaded here: phun.at.
The comments page turned up a load of other good toys to play with, so go on over to the original post and check them out.
There are plenty of videos of Phun in action on YouTube.
*potential 10 on the procrastinometer
Biologymad.com – A-Level study site and lots of resources
Biologymad has plenty of resources for A-Level Biology (many of which can be used for IB). There are a few simple animations on the resources page, including the golgi apparatus Flash linked to in the image.
They also offer free Moodle hosting for Biology courses, with the proviso that the course must be free to the students.
HyperHeart – da dumpf, da dumpf, da dumpf
Thanks again to bogstandardcomp from the TES Boards.
This Shockwave app shows the full cycle of the heart beat and can be paused at any point. It includes ‘live’ ECG and blood pressure graphs and some tutorials (though I had difficulty getting them to work). Conveniently, it can also be saved using Firefox or Flashcatcher, to be used on the whiteboard.
Derryclare also posted a great link:
How to Build Tricky Compounds and Make a Cup of Tea
Have a go at this demo from Presence Multimedia, aimed at A-Level students. It can be saved, is a bit of a challenge and works on the SMART Board.
A simple hunt around their site reveals other educational gems, such as ‘How to Wire a Plug‘, a ‘Personal MOT (good for ATL), and ‘How to Make a Cup of Tea‘.
Yes, you read that correctly – there is a Flash app on the internet to teach you how to make a cup of tea.
How to Wire a Plug
Simple flash app, allows you to blow up a TV. Can be saved easily.
Thanks to hooper from the TES Boards.
Learn.Genetics @ Utah
Easily the best Genetics resource out there. Loads of Flash animations, Shockwave virtual labs and up-to-date information. Well worth spending some time there and seeing what could be used in class. Teachers can register for news and teaching ideas.
Virtual labs include DNA Extraction, Gel Electrophoresis and a DNA Microarray. Perfect for the DP Genetics unit.
3D Body Models from Global 3B Scientific
Models you can manipulate – and the labels come in a range of languages, so ideal fo
r international students trying to learn the content in a foreign language.
You can zoom in and out, highlight different sections and turn it around.
eChalk.com – got any spare e-learning credits?
There are a few good resources here – you can get a 3-day trial for nowt, though resources can’t be saved. There’s a fun Periodic Table Tetris on the site, which can be played without a membership.
If it’s in the budget, might be worth a spend – especially if you have some spare e-learning credits weighing down your e-wallet.
i-Biology 