This document discusses ways to engage students in science learning through global collaboration using online tools and social networks. It provides examples of how teachers can connect students around the world to share work via blogs, wikis, Skype, and other platforms. Specific projects mentioned include GLOBE, the World Moon Project, tree banding through SHOUT, and an international energy challenge. The goal is to enhance students' understanding of science concepts by allowing them to learn collectively with peers and experts globally.

1. Science Learning Around
the Globe
Britt Gow, Hawkesdale P12 College

2. Science and Maths teacher
Hawkesdale P12 College
SW Victoria
Technoscience blog since 2008
Twitter @brittgow
brittgow@gmail.com

3. “Science is the foundation of our future and it’s very
important that we remember that.” ~ Megan Clark, CEO
of CSIRO and recipient of the Order of Australia this year.

5. Today’s learner’s are:
• Multi-taskers
• Digitally literate
• Mobile and connected 24/7
• Experiential and Social
• Visual / spatial learners with
• Fast response times & short attention spans

6. • The Power to Engage
• Students use technology already
• It's not going to go away...it will only grow
• Professional development
• Employers want their workers to use internet tools

8. Aim: To engage students and allow them to
connect, communicate and collaborate with peers
and experts around the globe and enhance their
understanding of science concepts.

9. via blogs & wikis

10. via Skype @ScientistMags
via Twitter @genegeek

11. via Blackboard Collaborate

12. via Polycom
via Facebook

13. Over 50,000 views
and 1,200
downloads on
Slidesharehttp://www.slideshare.net/brittgow/malaria-powerpoint

14. https://www.youtube.com/user/brittgow/videos

16. Social Networks
• Edublogs – http://edublogs.org
• Wikispaces - https://www.wikispaces.com/
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/
• Skype - http://www.skype.com/en/
• Slideshare - http://www.slideshare.net/
• YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/
• Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/

17. What do these sites have in common?
• Sign up with a username and password
• Sometimes you can use another platform (eg.
Google or Facebook)
• Create a profile (image, occupation, interests)
• Share an object (text, image, slideshow, video)
• Connect with people based on interests
• Comment, ‘Like’, Discuss and Share

18. How can you find teachers willing
to work together to create global
projects?
• Science Blogs
• Twitter (#scichat)
• Skype for Education
• Nings (Classroom2.0)
• Conferences (online and F2F)
• Facebook for Educators

20. What tools can you use to allow
students to learn collectively?
• Google docs (upload to spreadsheets)
• Edmodo (create classes online)
• Wikispaces (Wetpaint or PBwiki)
• Skype
• Voicethread
• Blackboard Collaborate

22. Since 2011 I have used
Blackboard Collaborate to teach
Unit 3 and 4 VCE Environmental
Science to students from
different schools around the
state. We connected for 90
minutes each week
synchronously and used my
blog, email and Facebook
asynchronously.
We have met at Ecolinc, Bacchus
Marsh in term 1, Grampians in
term 2 and at EcoBeach Apollo
Bay YHA during term 3 holidays.

23. Some Global Science Projects...
• Google Science Fair
• Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the
Environment (GLOBE)
• The Moon Project
• SHOUT Tree banding program
• Online Science Fair
• International Energy Challenge
With varying degrees of collaboration.

24. https://www.googlesciencefair.com/en/
Google Science Fair

25. “The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment
(GLOBE) program is a worldwide hands-on, primary and secondary
school-based science and education program. GLOBE's vision promotes
and supports students, teachers and scientists to collaborate on inquiry-
based investigations of the environment and the Earth system working in
close partnership with NASA, NOAA and NSF Earth System Science
Projects (ESSP’s) in study and research about the dynamics of Earth's
environment.”

26. http://www.globe.gov/explore-science
GLOBE Science Projects

27. http://www.worldmoonproject.org/
World Moon Project

28. http://onlinesciencefair.wikispaces.com/

29. Online Science Fair
• Students chose individual projects using the
“Science Buddies” site.
• Teachers set up a wiki in which each student had
a page with a template.
• Template showed which parts of the project need
to be completed each week.
• The aim was to upload a digital product
(slideshow, video or Voicethread) that explained
their hypothesis, results and an explanation.

30. International Energy Challenge
http://energychallenge.wikispaces.com/

31. International Energy Challenge
• A Seimen’s STEM project, initiated by teachers in
USA.
• Five schools in four countries each looked at
Renewable and Non-renewable Energy sources.
• The main focus was a wiki, with all resources
linked or embedded to pages for each school and
energy source.
• Students worked together in groups around 12
different forms of energy.

32. International Energy Challenge
• Each group produced a wiki for research and
discussion and a Voicethread.
• The conclusion of the project was an online
“Town Meeting”, using Blackboard Collaborate,
moderated by older students, in which each
group nominated a spokesperson who outlined
their case for that particular form of energy,
stating the positive case and outlining why other
forms of energy where inferior.

33. http://shoutlearning.org/treebanding.html

34. SHOUT Tree Banding Project
• An international project sponsored by the
Smithsonian Institute.
• Resources available online (YouTube videos,
website and downloads)
• A tree-banding kit is sent out, which contains
all the necessary materials and equipment to
measure tree growth using dendrometers.
• Data is uploaded to the website for scientists
to use in climate change analysis.

37. CSIRO Scientists in Schools
• http://www.scientistsinschools.edu.au/

38. We use Skype and Blackboard Collaborate to
connect with our Scientist in Schools partner,
Melissa Toifl, from CSIRO Land and Water
Technologies, in Highett and Clayton.

39. Skype in the Classroom
• https://education.skype.com/help

40. @genegeek
Catherine Anderson,
a geneticist from
Canada.

42. @ScienceMags
Magdeline Lum, a
Metallurgist, photographer
and science writer from
Perth

44. Polycom with GTAC
• Grade 5 to VCE Biology
• http://www.gtac.edu.au/site/home.html

45. Polycom with Gene Technology Access Centre, Melbourne

46. Collaborations around the Planet
CAP Space - http://projects.twice.cc/

49. Facebook Pages for science lovers
• Science Alert
• I F*cking Love Science
• Australian Science Teacher’s Association
• ScienceDaily
• ABC Science
• Climate Reality
• An Inconvenient Truth

50. Citizen Science
• “Scientific research, conducted in whole or in part,
by amateur or nonprofessional scientists, often by
crowd-sourcing or crowd-funding.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science
• “The systematic collection and analysis of data;
development of technology; testing of phenomena
and the dissemination of these activities by
researchers primarily on an avocational basis.”
http://www.ala.org.au/get-involved/citizen-science/

52. Citizen Science Apps
• OzAtlas “Atlas of Living Australia”
• Ecolinc “Biodiversity of the Western Volcanic
Plains Flora and Fauna Field Guide”
• ClimateWatch
• Leafsnap
• Project Noah