9 Science Centered YouTube Channels for teachers and students

ASAP Science

This YouTube channels currently has nearly 60 videos that focus on science in the "real world." Some of the topics they explore include yawning, snowboarding, and sleeping. 

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Steve Spangler YouTube collection
For science teachers, there may not be a better resource than Steve Spangler's YouTube channels. He not only performs fun and engaging experiments but he takes the time to explain the science behind what you see.

Sick Science
Here you can find nearly 500 interesting experiments that can be done at home.

Spangler Science TV

Here you will find hundreds of science experiments and some that have been performed on television shows such as Ellen and Minute to Win it.

The Spangler Effect

Finally you can enjoy another 100+ science videos produced by Steve Spangler including some recorded live and behind the scenes as well.

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Hard Science

Tara and Anthony are relative new comers to the world of YouTube science videos but they are fun to watch. They started in November of 2013 and currently have over 30 videos to watch. Their topics are all science based but are done in a very entertaining way.

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Minute Physics
Minute physics lives by the idea that "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." Their collection of over 135 videos are simple and yet very effective in explaining various physics topics.

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Whiz Kid 
Here you can find over 25 easy science projects that can be done from home. The objects used in the videos are simple every day things like eggs, chip bags, and balloons.

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Weird Science Kids

This channel is another great place to find simple experiments that can be done anywhere. There are more than 70 interesting videos to explore and you will enjoy watching them all.

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Newsy Science
With hundreds and hundreds of science related news stories, Newsy Science is a tremendous resource for teachers who want to blend scientific principals with current events. The channel draws from a wide variety of news agencies and has produced an impressive library of videos that will benefit any science classroom.

 

3 Sites every teacher should try this year

Newsela is a site that offers a wide variety of current events articles for students to read. Users can browse for articles by searching one of their eight categories and many articles come with ready made quizzes. What separates Newsela from other sites is the ability to set the articles to varying reading levels. Any article can be set for lexile levels ranging from a low of 530 up to 960 which is an invaluable feature in today's heterogeneous classrooms. The site is free to use but they do offer additional features for a fee.

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Kahoot is a great tool for creating formative assessments and review games for students of any age and it will be an instant hit as soon as you use it with your students. Creating Kahoots is very simple and intuitive and it allows you to add text, images and even  videos. Kahoot doesn't require any student information and kids simply use a special code to join your game. Kahoot also allows you to add YouTube videos to play at the beginning and when the game is over you can download your student's results to see how they did.

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Tackk is a great site where students can easily create online posters that can be shared via email, social media or be embedded onto a webpage or blog. As soon as you arrive on the website you can start creating your poster by editing their ready made template. The site is simple to use and users can easily add a title, body text, pictures, videos, and even songs. Content can be added from YouTube, Instagram, Vimeo, Sound Cloud, Hulu, and Spotify. Tackk is free to join and it is one of those great websites that anyone can use and students should enjoy.

10 very handy websites and tools you may not have seen

1- Publisher to PDF
Publisher to PDF is a website that allows you to convert a Publisher document to a PDF file without scanning and without any cost to you. You simply upload your file and submit your email and the site emails you a link with your PDF file. The final step is to download the file to your computer but please be aware that the message that explains this final step is below a more pronounced advertisement. While  Publisher to PDF does take a few steps, it is well worth it because it works and it is free.

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2- Book RX
Here is a very cool web tool from Northwestern University called Book RX. This website will generate a list of book recommendations by analyzing your Twitter activity. The site works best if your primary language is English and it does tend to recommend best sellers over more obscure books. Book RX could be good way to come up with book ideas for yourself or you could use it to find gift ideas for friends and family who love to read.

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3- Make Use of Guides and Tip Sheets
Make Use Of is one of my favorite sites and one of their great features is their collection of tips sheets, guides and shortcuts for popular programs and websites such as Gmail, Twitter, You Tube, Drop Box, Evernote, Google Drive, iTunes, and Facebook and that's not all. As of this post they have 42 of these help guides and best of all they can be downloaded for free. So you certainly should take advantage of these free help guides but be sure to check out Make Use Of, you'll probably become a devoted follower like me.

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4- All My Favs

There are many ways for you to keep all your favorite websites in one location but there is none quite like  All My Favs. This free website turns your bookmarks into your home page by allowing you to store all your favorite sites onto one all encompassing, visually impressive, web page. Creating your page is simple to do and when you are done you can share your page with others. All My Favs is a handy site that provides quick and easy access your favorite websites plus the sharing feature makes it a useful tool for anyone who wants to share resources with colleagues,friends and family.

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5- BAM Radio
BAM Radio is the largest radio network dedicated to education. They have a wide variety of shows for just about anyone involved in education. There is a parents channel, an educators channel, and a leaders channel. They also have shows for school nurses, education technology, after school help, music, and the list goes on and on. They even have a "Quick Scan" section in case you are too busy to listen to full broadcasts. Their website is free to join and membership gives you unlimited access to their library of shows and podcasts. All of their shows are accessible through iTunes and are free to download to your device. BAM Radio offers great information and discussion about topics that everyone in education will find valuable.

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6- Jump Share
Jump Share is a site that will allow you to easily and quickly share files with other people. To get started you simply type in your name, email address, and password and you are on your way. The next step is to upload your files and the site gives you a link that you can email to anyone who you wish to share your files. The recipients will get an email message and can preview the files before they are downloaded. This site is free to use but the maximum size for any one file is 100MB and the total limit you can send collectively is 2GB. Jump Share supports over 200 different file formats and is a great tool if you have a variety of files to share with many people. It is simple to use and best of all it is free.

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7- Toogles
You Tube is great but there is so much video clutter on the side that accompanies the video you are watching. These "suggested" videos are distracting at best and can cause an uproar in a classroom full of students if they appear to be inappropriate. While there are options to make the You Tube experience less cluttered, none that I have seen are as good as Toogles. With Toogles, you can search and view You Tube videos with none of the accompanying distractions and you don't have to install any extensions or add ons. So the next time you are using You Tube in the classroom, use Toogles instead, and watch without worry.

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8- Learners TV
Learners TV is an online resource that provides thousands of videos, lectures, tests, and animations on a wide array of college subjects and disciplines. The website currently has over 29,000 video lectures on topics such as biology, history, law, philosophy, and economics to name a few. This website is an excellent way for college students to support their classroom instruction and best of all it is free to join. If you are a college student, or know a college student, then I would recommend you take a look at a long look at Learners TV. 

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9- Teach Parents Tech
Have you ever had to deal with people who are so technology deficient that you would rather do the tasks for them because it would take too long to teach them? Do you know anyone who has avoided technology for so long that even using a mouse is a challenge? Well Teach Parents Tech has the solution. Teach Parents Tech is a website that can address dozens of the most basic technology problems with one email from you. The site is a standard help form that you fill out by typing the name of the recipient, checking a few boxes, then typing your name and finish by entering your email and the email of the recipient. The entire process takes less than a minute and the person who needs help gets a series of videos that assists them with their problem. The site is great for helping parents, grandparents, or colleagues who have technology phobia or have yet to join the 21st century. I strongly urge you to check out Teach Parents Tech today, it may save you a lot of time helping friends and family.

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10- Have Fun with History
Have Fun with History is a website for people who love learning about the past. The site contains an extensive library of educational videos on American history topics. You can search either the "History Videos" or the "History Subjects" sections to get to their video collection. There is a third section, titled "History Activities" which has a small selection of fun puzzles and games for kids to enjoy. Have Fun with History's video selection is really impressive and their wide range of social studies topics means that teachers should have no problem finding material that will be useful in the classroom.

Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History - An amazing resource for history teachers

History teachers will want to spend some time here at the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website. It features great resources such as this American History by Era which allows you to learn about American history by era and or theme. There is also a section dedicated to primary sources which is also categorized by era. In their Programs and Exhibitions area there is an online exhibitions page which includes enhanced audio, videos and slideshows about history. The site also includes a multimedia section with hundreds of videos as well as a community section where members of the site can communicate and share information. Suffice to say that the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History  is a fantastic resource for history teachers and students.

Show Kids the Fun - Great Alternatives to TV and Video Games

Show Kids the Fun is a site that contains hundreds of fun and educational activities, crafts, and games for children of all ages and interests. The activities shared on this site come with a description as well as list of materials and can be done at home, in school, or any community center or church. The site  also has party ideas and themes and you can submit your own ideas for activities to be shared on the site. Show Kids the Fun offers great alternatives to TV or videos games and is a terrific site for parents, teachers, or for anyone who works with children.

Huge Collection of Free Government Resources for Education

In honor of Washington D.C.'s sequestration fiasco, I decided to share the federal government's entire collection of education resources. Animations, primary documents, photograph collections, videos, maps, articles, and the lists goes on and on. If you have never visited this incredible collection of educational resources for all subjects and grade levels, then you really have been missing out. For all that our government does wrong, their collection of FREE educational tools and materials is quite extensive and very useful. Head on over to this web portal ASAP, before they are threatened the incompetence (my opinion) of our leaders.

Math Warehouse - Tools and resources to support math education

Math Warehouse is a web portal that offers a variety of tools and resources to support math teachers and students. The site has a wide array of math games as well as an interactive practice page. There is a section dedicated to printable math worksheets that are free to use as well. The site also has a large collection of lessons for various math concepts and levels. To top it off there are two different online calculators that students can use. Math Warehouse is another great resource for students, parents, and teachers to utilize to help support learning at home and in the classroom.

Simple Booklet - create sleek and professional digital publications

Simple booklet, a site where you can create sleek and professional digital publications. You can create digital brochures, booklets, flyers, or product guides and then embed them into websites, blogs, Facebook, or send them in an email. There is a free option but your booklet will come with ads and a Simple Booklet watermark. Educators can get 10 free publications per year without watermarks or advertising. Simple Booklet could be a great tool for teachers or those with a small business.

BAM Radio - The Voice of the Educational Community

BAM Radio is the largest radio network dedicated to education. They have a wide variety of shows for just about anyone involved in education. There is a parents channel, an educators channel, and a leaders channel. They also have shows for school nurses, education technology, after school help, music, and the list goes on and on. They even have a "Quick Scan" section in case you are too busy to listen to full broadcasts. Their website is free to join and membership gives you unlimited access to their library of shows and podcasts. All of their shows are accessible through iTunes and are free to download to your device. BAM Radio offers great information and discussion about topics that everyone in education will find valuable.

Times Tables - Online Game to help learn multiplication

Tables Test is a new math site designed to assist students with learning their basic multiplication facts. The interface is simply a times table that students can use to practice their multiplication facts. There are six test that you can take that test your knowledge of times tables as well as your speed. For each level you are awarded points for correct answers and speed. The more students use Tables Test the better they will get at memorizing their multiplication facts. This site is perfect for elementary teachers and parents who want to support their child's learning from home. Thanks to Mark over at "Make Use Of" for making me aware of this site.

Science Bob - Making Science Fun

Science Bob (AKA Bob Pflugfelder) is a website that wants to make science more fun and interesting for kids. The site offers a variety of learning opportunities for visitors including a science questions and answers section, and research section with a huge collection of links to websites, and science fair ideas. The parts that kids might find most interesting are the three areas set aside for science experiments. There is the experiments page which lists materials and instructions for simple experiments that can be done at home or in the classroom. There is the experiments blog which is another page that shares simple experiment ideas only this page has pictures. Finally, there is the video page where you can watch Science Bob perform even more amazing science experiments. Science Bob is a fun and educational website that teachers and parents should take the time to explore. Teachers can integrate ideas from the website into their lessons while parents can use the website to help support their children's education.

Memrise - Learn Something New Everyday for Free

Memrise is an education website that will help you learn languages, history, science, math, geography, arts, and literature. Their methods are scientifically based and their lessons are interactive and fun. Teachers will be able to use Memrise to help reinforce curriculum and parents will love Memrise because they can use it  at home to help their child review and to support their learning. Memrise also allows members to create their own courses. The site offers such a wide variety of courses and lessons and it is free to join. Anyone who values learning will find Memrise to be a handy educational support tool.

Tackk - An Easy Way to Create and Share Online Posters

Tackk is a site I wrote about in one of my first blog posts and I thought it was worth mentioning again. Tackk allows you to create online posters that can be shared via email, social media or be embedded onto a webpage or blog. As soon as you arrive on the website you can start creating your poster by editing their ready made template. You can easily add a title, body text, pictures, videos, and even songs. You can add content from You Tube, Instagram, Vimeo, Sound Cloud, Hulu, and Spotify. Creating an online poster with Tackk is so easy to do. Check out their Tackkboard to see what other people have created. Teachers could also use Tackk and have students create online posters as a project. Tackk is free to join and it is one of those great websites that anyone can use and everyone will enjoy.

Succeeding With Science

Succeeding with Science is a website built around fun and interactive educational games, activities, and videos to help students learn and love science. The student activities are sorted by age range from 4-7 years up to 16+ and there is also a teachers section. Each activity come with PDF lesson plans and support materials as well. Science teachers at all levels should find this site to be useful way to support their curriculum.

See the world with Google Sightseeing

Who wouldn't love to travel around the world and go to all the amazing places there is to see. Well Google Sightseeing is a website that that allows you to do just that from the comfort of your own home. The site utilizes Google Earth and Google Maps to create a world tour of places you have always wanted to see and many you didn't know existed. The sight allows you to search by country you wish to see or by category and there is also a section dedicated to street view. The site could be utilized in the classroom or as a way to plan a vacation. Google Sightseeing is not affiliated with Google in any way.