I remember fondly the early Tom Snyder Production materials where they supplied good learning experiences for classrooms with only one computer. In fact, I still use Rainforest Researchers (first published in 1996) with my biology methods students (students who will one day be high school or middle school biology teachers).

It seemed to me in the mid 1990s, that the Tom Snyder materials helped fill a temporary need—clearly computers were important in education but clearly access to computer labs was still not always easy for most science classes. How nice to provide high quality learning experiences for classrooms with one computer (and hopefully a TV screen or projector). The solution was to have books and worksheets for students to work in jigsaw cooperative learning groups. Conversations and decisions were made prior to the different groups coming to the computer to enter their decisions.

Fast forward to 2008 and the situation has not improved as much as I would have predicted. Sure there are now laptop carts that many schools have, so entering the computer lab isn’t the only way to get students on the computer. But still, the goal of students working on computers during class time can be difficult. Plus with interactive white boards (such as Smart and Promethean Boards), there is a greater need for the “one computer” software.

So lets hear from you. What one computer software have you used to teach science that worked well?

This blog will present ideas and issues to promote dialog and understanding with the goal of improving the use of educational technology to promote science learning. I will cover fun science activities, relevant research findings, classroom observations, and pedagogical approaches that can help students master scientific concepts.

In science, we have a rich collection of methods including hands-on science, demonstrations, student projects, and educational technology. I see educational technology as a tool that teachers can efficiently use to provide new ways of discovering, new ways of knowing. But when I visit classrooms and talk to teachers and instructional leaders, it becomes very clear that in most places, instructional technology has not achieved its potential for improving science teaching and learning. There are now brilliant computer technologies but in many schools it seems as hard or more difficult to get students onto computers for learning about science as it was for me 20+ years ago.

I’m pleased that Adaptive Curriculum is sponsoring the blog. Their products are an exciting innovation that support many of the core concepts I believe in.

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