Science videos update

Submitted by David Rosen on Fri, 11/07/2014 - 09:58
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Science and health literacy teaching colleagues,

You may be aware that a group of adult education teachers of science, led by Susan Cowles and me, has put together a list of free, online science and health-related videos suitable for adult learners, and we have reviewed several of these videos. Over fifty people, most of them teachers of science, have now downloaded the video list, and I am beginning to get comments from them. For example, an ABE/GED teacher from Virginia wrote "I have downloaded the list and looked at about 4 videos.  I particularly like the links for ck12 and oer commons.  I showed "The scale of the Universe" to my students and they thought it was really neat! Thanks so much for compiling the list.  I will continue to refer to it as my class progresses."

To download the science video list, go to https://docs.google.com/document/d/19F-_A7T-HcwwCCctxDoGFN0fyrryfKE1I_jG6-sLt1g/edit#  After you have had a chance to preview and use some of these videos with your students, please post your comments here on the LINCS Science Community of Practice (CoP) or email them to me to post. I am particularly interested in how you use science videos with your students. 

You will find a 20-page version of science video reviews, a few of the videos from this science videos list, at https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6715575/Science%20Video%20Reviews%208.17.14.docx

David J. Rosen

djrosen123@gmail.com

Comments

Hi, David,

Thanks for giving us this update.  I'm so glad to hear that science community members are downloading the video list and using the videos in instruction.  When others of you in this community use them, please let us know.  Also, as David has written several times, we are looking for additional suggestions of videos that our team might review.

Susan

 

Thanks Susan,

We now have more than 70 people who have requested the science video list, and some of those have forwarded the information on to others. This means that this list -- and the reviews of videos -- are being widely requested by adult ed science teachers. Are they previewing and using the videos? Yes, some have already begun previewing them, and a few may have already used them with their students. I am hoping in the next few weeks that we hear from them and that they post to this CoP. We'll see.

Meanwhile, I am wondering if this project has whetted any appetites to join the science videos review group this year. It isn't a lot of work, but it also isn't paid work. Some of the benefits are making a contribution to our field, getting your name included as a contributor or reviewer in a useful publication, and also directly benefiting from being part of a community of science teachers who care about using videos. If you teach science to adults and are interested in reviewing videos, drop me an email at djrosen123@gmail.com and I'll send you an invitation to join.

David J. Rosen

djrosen123@gmail.com

 

Hello, Randy!

Thank you for posting the link to this resource from Florida.  I found the science videos under the category of resources for GED & AHS.  As you say, there are handouts and other lessons there, too.  (It is also useful to see the videos for other subjects: mathematics, social studies, and reasoning through language arts).

Have you used the science Grab and Go activities?  I looked at the video "Distances in Space", which helped to explain the activity.  The link to the handout was helpful, as well.

Susan

I recently used two videos from David's lists in my HSE class, and I wanted to share how it went.

I was teaching a class on photosynthesis and used the following two videos:

http://mass.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/tdc02.sci.life.stru.photosynth/photosynthesis/    http://www.tv411.org/science/tv411-whats-cooking/video-photosynthesis    First, students read over a set of questions about photosynthesis.  We watched the first video and students wrote down any answers they could.  Then we watched the second video (we only watched until 3:15), and students added any answers they hadn't gotten the first time.  Then we reviewed answers as a full group.  After this exercise we went on to look at the chemistry involved in photosynthesis.   I think it worked well to watch both videos.  Each gives a slightly different look at photosynthesis, and I think it's helpful for students to hear the same information given in different words or contexts, as we all pick up on different cues.  By the end of the second video almost all students were able to successfully answer questions about the ingredients and products of photosynthesis.     I chose the order of the videos based on the opening of the first video.  Before getting into the details of photosynthesis, they address a misconception scientists used to have about how plants got their food--a misconception that I think some students still have.  The video shows how this misconception was disproved, and then goes into the details about photosynthesis.  I think this was a beneficial way to begin--clear misconceptions before moving forward.

Many thanks, Meghan, for your thorough explanation of how you used these two videos.  Your introductory process certainly set the stage for the viewings.  And I liked your explanation of why you chose to begin with a misconception before moving forward.

It is SO helpful to hear from partitioners who have used the videos in teaching and learning.  Thank you!

Susan