Science Videos and Lectures in the Classroom
In the US, there is a program called the Toyota Tapestry Program, which since 1991 has awarded more than $8M to almost a thousand teams of teachers for their innovative science classroom projects.
With different categories like Physical Science Application, Environmental Science Education, and Integrating Literacy and Science, the Toyota Tapestry Program encourages and rewards teachers who deviate from the blackboard-notes-exam lesson plans, and come up with effective teaching tools and projects for the students to better understand the lesson.
While there may not be a program like this in the Philippines, teachers with innovative ideas are still needed, praised, and awarded. But the more important thing is to improve the learning and teaching of science for all students through effective science programs based on research, the best teaching practices, and strategic partnerships with other institutions.
Over the Internet, scientific research is but one of the things available for the consumption of young minds. Aside from the usual reference materials like online encyclopedias, there are also videos and lectures conducted by the eminent professors and experts of our time, all available with just one download.
The advantages of injecting a video related to the lesson into your regular classroom activity are obvious. It breaks monotony, and it allows students the chance to listen about the topic from the most brilliant minds on the topics. One no longer has to travel just to listen to a professor speak on NASA or the Arctic ice. It’s all there on the Internet, with the help of Information and Communication Technology.
Here are some videos and lectures, categorized by subject.
Health
Anatomy Lectures - of Prof. Dr. Marian Diamond on the organization of the body, skeletal and muscular systems, etc.
Health Video Library - has videos on osteoporosis, treatments, spinal stenosis, etc.
Maternal-Fetal Conflicts in Human Pregnancy - Harvard biology professor David Haig talks about genetic conflicts in the womb
Susumu Tonegawa: Genetics and Antibody Diversity - the 1987 Nobel Prize winner for medicine talks at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Museum
Theories/Issues
Cinema, Science, and Invention - behind-the-scenes perspective on how science is influenced by the movies
Mid-Ocean Ridges of the Pacific: Why the Sea is Salty - by chemical oceanographer Gary Massoth
Michio Kaku: Physics of the Impossible - the co-founder of the String Field Theory explains how mind reading or force fields can be common in the future
Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness - Harvard psychology instructor Tal Ben-Shahar discusses research on the science of happiness
Transrobotism (Human-Robot Bonds) - co-founder of the iRobot Corporation Rodney Brooks and a few others discuss human-machine relationships
Environment/ Nature
Global Climate Change: The Arctic - Harvard biological oceanography professor James McCarthy on how the Southern Ocean is undergoing an alarming warming trend
Hurricanes and Climate - MIT atmospheric science professor Kerry Emanuel on hurricanes
Hunting Killer Storms: Flying Into Isabel - story of a reporter who flew into the eye of a hurricane
Saga of an Undersea Volcanic Eruption - with photos and video clips on an undersea volcanic ridge 2,500 meters deep in the Pacific Ocean
Wildlife/Animals
Eavesdropping on Dolphins - learn how dolphins communicate
Gorilla Conservation and the Karisoke Center - on the current conservation status of gorillas
Journey to the Galapagos - a Smithsonian National History Museum biologist Carole Baldwin and her insights about the Galapagos expedition that led to the discovery of previously unknown species
New England's Humpback Whales - on the reproduction, social structure and ecology of whales
Ocean Exploration and Conservation - story of living in an undersea research station and doing coral reef research in the remote South Pacific Ocean
Researching Whale Sharks - research by the Georgia Aquarium in the Yucatan peninsula
Understanding Porpoises Using Technology - on the conservation of porpoises
Whale Tales! - what scientists have been learning about whales over the decades
All these help in the development and implementation of academics that can assist students with learning science.
Sources:
“Anatomy lectures.” Retrieved November 24, 2008 from
http://www.medicalgeek.com/anatomy/11917-anatomy-lectures-video-prof-dr-marian-diamond.html
“Creating a Tapestry of Science Teacher Ideas.” Retrieved November 24, 2008 from
http://nsdl.org/
“Improving Student Achievement in Science.” Retrieved November 24, 2008 from
http://www.nsrconline.org/pdf/StudentAchBro.pdf
“New Courses.” Retrieved November 24, 2008 from
http://freevideolectures.com/
“NSDL Highlights.” Retrieved November 24, 2008 from
http://expertvoices.nsdl.org/highlights/
“Science.” Retrieved November 24, 2008 from
http://forum.wgbh.org/wgbh/forum.php?category=Science
(Published 2 December 2008, Smart Communications, Inc.)
