SpaceTime TV: Quality science videos that are not just about space…or time!
February 16, 2009
If your school is like mine, the technology capabilities can be mind-scratchingly incongruous. I have a flashy new projector, which connects to DVD and the computer, but our media library has mostly VHS tapes. Huh? Luckily, here is SpaceTime TV to provide great science and technology videos via the web.
SpaceTime TV is a free program of SpaceTime Mathematics, which creates math applications for PCs and personal hand-held devices. When you get to the site, be sure you’re on the TV tab to begin browsing their selection of videos, which are organized into relevant curricular categories: space, nature, science & technology, history, environment, and health. Each selection provides a short synopsis, the source of the video, and the running time. The videos are largely culled from trusted educational sources such as PBS, the History Channel, and the National Geographic Channel. There are some YouTube-hosted videos, but SpaceTime TV seems to curate its selections carefully and you will not find any homemade, poorly-shot tarantula videos here.
As you consider how to incorporate these videos into your science units, you will need to investigate the way in which the video appears on your screen. The videos that are hosted by hulu.com can be expanded to full-screen and would be of a projector-friendly size. Others that open in YouTube, Quicktime, or through easily-downloaded plugins appear smaller and are more appropriate for students to watch on their own computers in the classroom or at the lab. Either way, your students will get that critical visual imagery that can cement a scientific concept or can spark new lines of scientific inquiry.
A final note: Should you happen to find yourself wandering over to the Arcade tab at the top of the site, you will find free math puzzles and games that are ridiculously addictive, as well as some difficult logical and visual-spatial challenges. Not that I spent my afternoon trying to crack PuzzleQuest or anything. -ABBY MARTIN
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- Tags: game-based learning, science, video
