For part of a class for technology in the science classroom we taught mini lesson to our peers using technology. Through the process of choosing and developing a lesson for middle school science, I discovered some pretty nifty apps that translate really well in the classroom and provide students with a hands on, visually appealing way to learn about science – specifically biology for the lesson I created.
I thought I’d post them here so other folks can see if they might work for their classroom planning purposes.
iCell 3-d cell model – I used this one on my Microsoft Surface to take advantage of the touchscreen capability. It gives students the option to see and interact with a 3-d model of a plant, animal or bacteria cell. Each part is labeled with a definition that you can see when you touch the organelle. The text can be adjust from basic, to intermediate to advanced. This is what I used for my lesson. It was free windows store download.
Adaptive Curriculum apps – I looked at several of their apps before choosing to use iCell. Their apps are interactive, provide scaffolding of learning and built in assessments. They do charge for their apps, but they are a relatively minimal cost at $1.99 to $2.99 for the ones I was considering.
Apps and screen time can’t replace all learning in the classroom, but it is a nice way to change the pace, keep students engaged and appeal to those learners who may be more visual in nature.