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Technology in Secondary Science Articles:
Barron, A.E., Kemker, K., Harmes, C., & Kalaydjian, K. (2003). Large-scale research study on technology in K-12 schools: technology integration as it relates to the National Technology Standards. Journal of Research on Technology in Education
35(Summer): 489-507.
Well-known for her extensive research in this area, Dr. Barron reports on a large survey related to technology integration. She found that half of the responding teachers felt they were using technology for communication in the classroom but few used it integrated into the curriculum. Science teachers reported the highest degree of usage of technology as a research tool or for problem solving; they were followed next by the math teachers. Assuming the data from this large school system are typical, the information could be used to help other districts see how they can help their teachers become better equipped to integrate technology at the higher cognitive levels in their classrooms.
Pringle, R.M., Dawson, K., & Adams, T. (2003). Technology, science and preservice teachers: Creating a culture of technology-savvy elementary teachers. Action in Teacher Education
24(Winter): 46-52.
In this study of the ways that preservice teachers incorporated technology into a microteaching unit, four uses of technology were specified. Looking at these four uses may help other teachers plan their integration of technology into their science classes. These four uses of technology were as a knowledge source, a data organizer, an information presenter, and as a facilitator.
SBC Knowledge Network Explorer (2004). Integrating technology into science.
Retrieved May 1, 2004, from http://www.kn.pacbell.com/news/CAschools/science.htm
In this 2004 article, a number of links are provided to help explain how science can be integrated with technology by designing or providing interactive activities, collaborative projects, work with content databases, and locating and using directories to help teachers located needed resources. This should be especially helpful for science teachers.
Technology Integration Websites:
CONTENT AREA: Science
GRADE LEVEL: Secondary
URL: http://www.liv.ac.uk/Chemistry/Links/refbiog.html
Ever wonder who that chemist was? Well, this site will give you the biographies of Madame Marie Curie, John Dalton, Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, and many other famous, and not-so-famous chemists throughout history. Science teachers can bring the history of science alive through this use of technology.
CONTENT AREA: Science
GRADE LEVEL: Secondary
URL: http://www.chem4kids.com/map.html
Just starting the study of chemistry? This free site explains the basics of matter, atoms, elements, reactions, biochemistry, and other chemistry-related topics The neat thing about this site is that it gives the explanations in a colorful and fun way so that middle or high school students can easily grasp the basics through its online tour. If you’re looking for tutorials and activities, then you may want to try its sister site, http://www.kapili.com, that charges a subscription fee. What better way to integrate technology into science classes?
CONTENT AREA: Science
GRADE LEVEL: Secondary
URL: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod Wow, you want excitement? Then drop into this astronomy Web site where a new picture is posted each day. Take a jump from this site over to one of the linked resources, such as the Apollo 15 mission photographs where you can also download a sound movie clip showing John W. Young, the Mission Commander of Apollo 16, as he tools around the surface of the moon on the lunar rover. You’ll see his skids and sharp turns throw up clouds of moon dust as Astronaut Charles M. Duke, Jr. films and narrates this unique event. Using these photos and videos won’t even feel like the technology is being integrated—it will just seem a natural way to get the information. And that’s probably what we all hope our use of technology in science will eventually feel like.
CONTENT AREA: Science
GRADE LEVEL: Secondary
URL: http://www.aimsedu.org The AIMS Education Foundation, founded in 1981 by NSF, is a non-profit organization that provides “Activities Integrating Mathematics and Science.” It is aimed at teachers and is aligned with key standards. Doing a search on this site for “math and technology” produced over 1,000 hits. These included ones such as: Water Pressure Applications (Fact Sheet); Tinkering, Toys & Teaching: Cams and Cranks; Basic Operations and the Model of Mathematics, Part 4; Building Bridges to Algebra and Beyond: AIMS Animates Arithmetic; What's in the Bag? (M&M's); and Mathematics, the Search for Patterns: The Expanding Square. And these are just some of the links on the first page! Although there are many math topics among these links, the importance of math in science can’t be overstated. This site provides a natural way to integrate science and technology.
CONTENT AREA: Science
GRADE LEVEL: Elementary
URL: http://pages.towson.edu/pryan/science
ANNOTATION: Ryan, T. (2003). Integrating Technology into the Elementary Science Curriculum~ Keeping it Real in the Field by T. Ryan describes the “Keeping it Real in the Field” research project. The project involves participants from multiple levels of education, including 5th grade students, teacher candidates, a university instructor, and a 5th grade teacher. Tricia Ryan, researcher, seeks to find evidence to respond to the research question: “How can technology support an inquiry approach to teaching and learning about science in the field for a university instructor, elementary school teacher, pre-service teachers and elementary students?” She captures the fifth-grade introduction to the project and presents multiple perspectives of the lesson including photos, transcripts, and video clips. Elementary teachers should be able to take hints from this research to help them use technology to prepare science activities that utilize an inquiry approach.
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