EDUCATIONAL LINKS
LAST UPDATED: NOV 2011
There is a wealth of free educational multimedia online. Below is a sampling that I have found to be pedagogically valuable. This list is periodically updated, so let me know if you find other good sites to share with our colleagues. You can reach me anytime at Contact.
Check out PBS if you are unsure of your rights and responsibilities under the "Fair Use" provision of copyright law. They've done a good job of explaining the details all educators should be aware of. Acting within the constraints of this provision, it is still possible to assemble a huge library of multimedia resources that can make your classes more visual and dynamic. Over the years I actively sought to build my collection, I accumulated gigabytes of material.
Students love this stuff. Having it all there on your classroom (or home school) computer is a great tool. It's the practical equivalent of a 3D moving chalkboard, supplementing your traditional materials, allowing improvisational breaks from the routine, and providing visual answers to student questions. Using multimedia in your classroom is guaranteed to expand your repertoire of educational methods. Here's a list of online resourses that focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) concepts. I've tried to avoid sites with excessive advertsing, but if it's a good site, and not an educational or government host, you're going to run into some ads.
| URL | TITLE | DESCRIPTION | ||
| http://heimhenge.com/skylights | SKY LIGHTS | Dan Heim's astronomy and meteorology blog | ||
| http://www.phunland.com/wiki/Home | ALGODOO FOR EDUCATION | billed as a 2D physics sandbox, cool games and simulations | ||
| http://linerider.com/ | LINE RIDER | classic kinematics and mechanical energy simulator | ||
| http://khanacademy.org/ | KHAN ACADEMY | exhaustive collection of free math and science videos | ||
| http://www.kettering.edu/~drussell/Demos.html | ACOUSTICS & VIBRATIONS ANIMATIONS | outstanding animations by Dr. Dan Russell of Kettering University | ||
| http://woodgears.ca/eyeball/ | THE EYEBALLING GAME | test your visual acuity and innate sense of geometry | ||
| http://fantasticcontraption.com/ | FANTASTIC CONTRAPTION | great puzzles based on accurate physics simulations | ||
| http://www.learner.org/resources/series42.html | THE MECHANICAL UNIVERSE | classic 80s Cal Tech series available as streaming video | ||
| http://www.rainbowsymphony.com/ | RAINBOW SYMPHONY STORE | source for budget 3D glasses and anaglyph images | ||
| http://maps.jpl.nasa.gov/ | JET PROPULSION LABORATORY | NASA gateway for images, maps, and videos | ||
| http://www.acronymfinder.com/ | ACRONYM FINDER | a translator for those ubiquitous acronyms | ||
| http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/archive.htm | ASK A SCIENTIST | DOE knowledgebase with many great questions and answers | ||
| http://www.shallowsky.com/moon/hitchhiker.html | SHALLOW SKY | astronomy, computers, programming, geology, and more | ||
| http://www.allmeasures.com/ | MEASURE CONVERTER | easy conversion for all units of measurement | ||
| http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/index.html | NASA SKYWATCH | where and when to look for spacecraft in your skies | ||
| http://travel.flightexplorer.com/ | FLIGHT EXPLORER | real-time tracking of commercial aircraft flights | ||
| http://www.animationlibrary.com/a-l/ | ANIMATION LIBRARY | large collection of animations, some nature and science content | ||
| http://www.science-ebooks.com/publish/news.htm | SCIENCE E-BOOKS | science e-books, animations and links, some free, some pay | ||
| http://www.softpile.com/Education/Science/Review_00739_index.html | SOFTPILE.COM | physics software and animations, some free, some shareware | ||
| http://www.dmoz.org/Science/ | DMOZ OPEN DIRECTORY PROJECT | software and animations for STEM and other topics | ||
| http://www.stsci.edu/exined/exined-home.html | EXPLORATION IN EDUCATION | electronic picture books, mostly astronomy | ||
| http://www.programfiles.com/Default.asp?CatId=1111 | PROGRAMFILES.COM | physics simulation programs, some free, some shareware | ||
| http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/abandonware/pc/ | GAME DOWNLOADS | educational arcade games, science and others | ||
| http://www.scienceu.com/library/ | SCIENCE U LIBRARY | cool site with lots of free science graphics and animations |