A fourth grade student was given a lengthy assignment that required much Internet “research.” I put the word research in quotes since the word was used, but not necessarily in the spirit of its traditional meaning let alone its direct implications in science. The student spent many hours searching Internet sites for the various facts necessary [...]
What would happen if you could dive in and out of any particular moment of time within a brilliantly conceived visual interface that marries Prezi with the universe? Well, I’m not sure, but I bet it would look something like ChronoZoom. I know it sounds silly or cliché but ChronoZoom (www.ChronoZoomproject.org) is really jaw dropping! [...]
While much of the tablet-interested world was waiting for the latest iteration of the iPad to be announced today, there was another launch of a great looking “tablet” device yesterday. Vernier.com announced the next version of their LabQuest, the LabQuest 2. Back in 2007, still years before the iPad was even in diapers, Vernier launched [...]
TED.com provides “Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world,” as videos (streaming, downloadable, podcasts, etc.) captured during the conferences. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design. Here are some of my favorite TED videos, and this list corresponds to the list published in our Science 2.0 column this month along with a few [...]
The launch of a formal, deliberate, across the board attempt to produce digital textbooks has arrived. Not just digital version of paper texts. Not just .pdf pages mimicking textbooks. Not just webpages trying to walk like a textbook. No, this is a sincere attempt to redefine the concept and use of a textbook firmly planted [...]
One year ago, this blog highlighted the unique opportunity of the Google’s Global Online Science Fair. Well, the fair was a success and the winners have been announced. According to a Google website, Over 10,000 students from 91 countries submitted amazing science experiments. With project topics ranging from “Can I program a robot in English?” to “Can [...]
It seems with each passing week, another tablet (computer?) is announced, reviewed, and sits on the store shelf. At last count, there are 54 options of the device occupying the “space” called a tablet. But how many of us have ever seen more than one or two or perhaps three different species of tables out in [...]
Between now and December 7, 2011, entries are being accepted for the YouTube Space Lab contest. Individuals or teams up to three students aged 14–18 can submit up to three experiments that could be accomplished in a microgravity flight. As expected, the entries are in the form of a YouTube video such as in these [...]
The computer mouse has been a stable since 1984 when it was popularized on the Macintosh computer. And has gone relatively unquestioned since. However, the mouse also prevents us from doing many things. Like what, you might ask? Well, doing those things that we now commonly do with touch-screen tablets and phones. A computer mouse, regardless [...]
Do cell phones cause cancer? Those five words have been floating around for over a decade, but only recently has it caught the attention of mainstream cell phone users, some of whom out of fear have changed their usage habits. My take on this, and I’ll get it out of the way up front so [...]
