A Tremendous Resource

I was reading a chapter written by two of our university professors on virtual science classrooms. This chapter is from a book on the use of technology in secondary science classrooms.

Reference: Dana, T. & Ferdig, R.E. (2008). The virtual science classroom. In R. Bell, J. Gess-Newsome, & J. Luft (Eds.), Technology in the Secondary Science Classroom (pp. 83-90). Arlington, VA: National Science Teachers Association Press.

In the chapter, the authors mention Merlot, which stands for Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching. Merlot is “a leading edge, user-centered, searchable collection of peer reviewed and selected higher education online learning materials”. You can find Merlot at
http://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm

Some of my fellow students have been finding it difficult to find quality information regarding online and virtual education in their content areas. I would recommend that you visit Merlot for some great resources. For example, the collection includes learning materials on the following broad subjects: Art, business, education, humanities, mathematics, statistics, science and technology, and social science. For example, in the science and technology section, I found many excellent sites for online and virtual science education. For example, the Virtual Chemistry Lab is a place where students can perform virtual chemistry experiments. In one lab, students collect pH and concentration data on unknown acids to identify them. There is a place to submit the answer, and the website checks the answer and supplies feedback to the student. Another interesting website is the eSkeletons Project, which is a simulation site where bones can be viewed, and species compared. A third virtual location is Neuroscience for Kids. This is a site where students and teachers can do experiments, activities, and games that teach about the nervous system. These are just three of thousands of interesting sites that relate to science.

Merlot also sponsors the Journal of Online Teaching and Learning (see http://jolt.merlot.org/). JOLT is “a peer-reviewed, online publication addressing the scholarly use of multimedia resources in education”. Topics may include learning theory, use of multimedia, online learning, teaching initiatives, use of technology in online education, etc. Today I found an excellent position paper on technology-enhanced science education, with included a digital resource library of valuable IT resources for use in science education. Please see:
http://socr.ucla.edu/htmls/SOCR_Recognitions.html

You can become a member of Merlot by going to the main webpage listed at the top of this article and creating your own member account. Membership would allow you to submit publications and share advice and expertise about education with expert colleagues. I recommend that you spend some time investigating Merlot for your subject area.