VideoScience: Another aptly named website
April 6, 2010
The fairy of obvious names has struck again. In this case, a website called VideoScience, will give you access to, you guessed it, videos about Science. However, they aren’t just any videos. This website offers several types of videos geared towards middle and high school science teachers. There is a collection of inexpensive, easy to re-create demonstrations and experiments you can use to illustrate basic science concepts. VideoScience is a part of Sciencehouse.com, an organization dedicated to “supporting science by bringing scientists and business people together for talks and workshops, making seed stage investments in high tech companies and funding projects which get kids excited about science.”
When you’re searching for something to add a little pizazz to your lesson, check out this website. Each video is two to five minutes long, and each explains how you can do the demo, what supplies you need, and most importantly, each one explains the science behind the demonstration. I can envision a teacher using this website as a self reference first. You could find a demo and learn how to set it up for your class. Then, you could show the class the video in order to review the science concepts behind the demo. Alternatively, a teacher could simply show the class the video instead of setting up a live demo.
In addition to the experiment demonstrations, there are other categories of videos. For example, in the “Toolkit” section, the videos describe various useful, inexpensive science tools you can use to illustrate several concepts. In the “Books” section, the videos review useful Science trade books. Finally, the “Interviews” section offers video interviews with various scientists who are passionate about their work. Your host for all of these videos is the educational consultant for Sciencehouse.com and science teacher, Dan Menelly.
If you’re looking for some ideas to spice up your lessons, to buy useful science tools on a budget, or to supplement your classroom library, this website has it all.
