STEM

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Why Aren’t There More Virtual Science Museums?

Why aren’t there more virtual science museums? (And when I say “science,” I mean “STEM-related.”) If a major barrier to access for science museums is their physical location or cost of admission (or both), why aren’t virtual museums flourishing on the internet? According to 2011 Census Bureau data, 71.7% of households in the US have access to the internet and there are about 2.4 billion internet users in the world. Although problems with access persist, and visiting a virtual museum isn’t quite the same as getting up close and personal with real objects, virtual museums could have great potential for increasing the reach of informal STEM education.

Personalized Learning

Takin’ STEM to the Streets

This month, I’m exploring alternate models of access to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math) learning. Previous posts have discussed the topic generally, and MOOCs in particular. This week, I revisit the portable reading room model of the Uni Project.

Personalized Learning

Museums & MOOCs

Earlier this month, I wrote about museums and alternate models of accessibility, from mobile brain science museums to portable pop-up hands-on STEM ‘museums’. These models, although mobile, still exist in a physical space – and there’s nothing wrong with that. The Think Tank is filled with brain science technology that just isn’t available to the average person, and the whole point of the Foundation for Early Learning’s Uni project is to bring hands-on science-related activities into public spaces.

Personalized Learning

Using Stories to Teach Evolution

Evolution is often a difficult subject for students to grasp, even putting aside politics and religion. It’s also a very important concept to understand biology.

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STEM: Coming to a street near you?

I love science museums. There are some things you just can’t experience anywhere else – a giant dinosaur skeleton towering over you, or looking through cabinets after cabinet of life from around the planet.