A presentation prepared for the Science Teachers Association of Victoria Conference in Melbourne in November, 2011.

2. Professor Suzanne Cory ,
President of the Australian
Academy of Science, addresses
The National Press Club on
28th September, 2011.
“A decade ago, a review of Australian science education,
revealed many students were disappointed with their high
school science. Today, this disenchantment continues, as
evidenced by the declining number of students choosing
to study science in senior secondary school.”

3. Children are naturally curious about how
the world around them works; so why do
we have a shortage of scientific expertise?

4. “A recent survey conducted by Science and Technology
Australia and the Academy of Science revealed some
alarming statistics:
• 30% believe humans were around at the time of
dinosaurs.
• Over 20% of our university graduates think that it takes
just one day for the Earth to travel around the sun.
• 25% say human activity is not influencing the evolution
of other species.”

5. Created online with “Create-A-Graph”
http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/index.asp

6. Today’s Learners are:
• Multi-taskers
• Digitally literate
• Mobile and connected 24/7
• Experiential
• Social
• Visual/spatial learners
• Fast response times, short attention spans
© 2006 “Teaching the 21st Century Learner”
http://depd.wisc.edu/series/06_4168.pdf

7. Why do we need to teach with
technology?
1. The Power to Engage
2. Students use technology already – educate them to
use it for good and not for evil!
3. Professional Development
4. It's not going to go away...it will only grow
5. Employers want their workers to use internet tools
http://www.emergingedtech.com/2009/05/5-reasons-why-
educators-need-to-embrace-internet-technologies/

8. “How can you successfully integrate
digital tools into science classes to
enhance student learning?”

10. I get overwhelmed by all the choices –
there are so many different web2.0 tools
and informative resources to use!
Try a social bookmarking site:

11. How can I get to know my students better
at the beginning of the school year?
Try using Survey Monkey or
Google Docs to create a
student survey about their
strengths, interests and concerns.

12. How can I introduce a new
topic with web2.0 tools?
You can use Flickr and PowerPoint to
create slideshow of interesting images
around your topic.

14. How can I connect with
experts using web2.0 tools?
Use Skype or Blackboard Collaborate to
participate in presentations, ask
questions and connect with scientists.

15. 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.

16. Peter Barnett, Geologist
from Hot Rocks Ltd.
Connecting with experts in the field increases motivation
and engagement by allowing students to ask questions and
actively participate in presentations.

17. Participation in web conferences with ActWild,
facilitated by the Melbourne Zoo, develops student
knowledge and empathy for our wildlife.

18. Students collect data
about tree growth to
upload to the
Smithsonian Institute
website, where
scientists use the data
for climate change
research.

19. This year I used Blackboard
Collaborate to teach Unit 3 and
4 VCE Environmental Science to
students from four different
schools. We connected for 90
minutes each week
synchronously and used my
blog, email and Facebook
asynchronously.
We met at Ecolinc, Bacchus
Marsh in term 1 and at
EcoBeach Apollo Bay YHA during
term 3 holidays.

20. How can I find out what my students
already know about a topic?
Try creating a group word cloud using
Google Docs and Wordle or Tagxedo.

23. How can you encourage students to
connect different concepts or show their
understanding of how ideas are related?
Bubbl.us (online) and Freemind (download)
are digital mind mapping tools that are easy
to use and display on blogs.

26. How can mobile devices be used effectively to
enhance science learning?
Use mobile phones to scan QR codes, take
pictures or record data during excursions
and trips outside into the school garden.

27. Students can create their own webpage in a wiki and
use the URL to create a QR (quick response) code that
directs the user to the information in their webpage.

29. How can you encourage students to work together,
collaborate on projects and share their results?
Google Docs and Wikispaces are free tools
that allow students to work together online.

30. International Energy Challenge
150 students, five schools, three
countries and 12 energy sources.
http://energychallenge.wikispaces.com/

31. How can students describe experiments or work
together to explain the results of investigations?
Voicethread is a simply wonderful way
to use images with audio and text.

32. My students have difficulty remembering
definitions of scientific terms – how can I help?
Flashcards db is an online tool where students
can create digital Flashcards, which can be
used online or printed out. There is a similar
app for iPods and iPads called Flashcardlet.

34. How can I help my students
revise effectively for tests?
Quiz Revolution (formerly My Studiyo) is a free tool for
creating online multiple choice quizzes. It is simple for
students to create their own quizzes and send a link by
email to their friends and teacher or embed the quiz into
a blog. Quizlet is similar.

36. How can students demonstrate their
understanding of a topic?
Ask students to create a digital story
using
Animoto, Slideshare, Photostory, Win
dows Movie Maker or iMovie.

37. Your students can enter the 60 second science
competition by explaining a scientific concept.
http://www.60secondscience.net/

38. How can I find out what students
learnt during a lesson or what they
may not have understood?
Wallwisher can be used as an exit slip – a
short, low-stakes, assessment task. A
prompted (or unprompted) written
reflection that is posted online.

39. • What did you learn about cells today?
• How could you get a magnification of x400?
• What is the difference between a light
microscope and a stereo microscope?

40. REFERENCES
• Prof. Suzanne Cory’s National Press Club Address on
28th September, 2011
http://theconversation.edu.au/science-maths-and-the-
future-of-australia-3577
• Bored students image from
http://ap018.edublogs.org/2010/10/17/pop-culture/
• Survey by STA and Academy of Science at
http://www.fasts.org/images/News2010/science%20lit
eracy%20report%20final%20270710.pdf (04/10/2011)
• Teaching the 21st Century Learner at
http://depd.wisc.edu/series/06_4168.pdf