^ !Click! ^
I've been sitting here at my keyboard for half an hour trying to find words to describe how amazing this tool is, and I still cannot even gather my thoughts; it's perfect. The music, the imagery, and the message.
This tool allows the user to "travel" from the smallest known distance (1 Planck Length) through atoms, cells, humans, the Eiffel Tower, the planet, galaxies, all the way until the projected known universe. All while playing extremely soothing and inspirational music in the background.
When teaching the students units of distance, this tool can be used to show them the relationship between all of the prefixes they will use, and their scaling in reference to each other. I will definitely be using this in the classroom, hopefully more than once!
Beautiful, simple, powerful! Not only does this provide a series of great answers and perspectives for students, but can easily spark new questions and build a hunger for a deeper understanding of the universe.
ReplyDeleteAll too often we see students go for such painfully long periods of time 'learning' content in the least engaging way - memorizing facts and learning problem solving techniques that become dull quickly for them. It can be a massive challenge for a teacher to illustrate why we are so fascinated by all that makes things act the way they do, but something like this just instantly broadens the mind and can easily shift an outlook from bleak to inspired.
I am definitely adding this to my arsenal- thanks, Joe!
Brian,
DeleteAfter all of the stuff you have posted on your blog, this is the least I could do to help! Truly, a great tool for our field!
Cheers,
-Joe
Joe, thanks for the link. Glad to see you are seeing connections to your science classroom.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, Kevin!
Delete-Joe
Joe, thanks for this link I think it is great! I know what it feels like to be sitting in a classroom and be talking about atoms or planets and know that one is small and the other is big but this link really puts everything into perspective! One does not realize how small subatomic particles are or how vast the universe is but by using this tool one is able to compare sizes and really understand what they are learning. Furthermore, one is also entertained and therefore becomes engaged on the particular lesson. Great find!
ReplyDeleteSara,
DeleteAhh, the famous subatomic daydreaming! My favorite past time!
Thank you for your comment! Glad you enjoyed the post!
-Joe
Joe, this is a very interesting tool to use in a science classroom. Like Sara, I agree that it really does put into perspective how small even our planet is compared to the universe. I think students would really respond well to this if introduced in a classroom setting. Way to go!
ReplyDeleteJustyna,
DeleteI will definitely do my best to use this in my classroom! Perhaps it can be used as a great icebreaker when introducing the System of International Units!
-Joe
Joe this link is great, even I was amused by it, it's obvious that our future students will too! It makes for such a great learning tool, and one that can be continuously used. Thanks for the heads up!
ReplyDeleteVicky,
DeleteAnytime! I know Geo science doesn't use SI units very often, but you can definitely use a portion of this applet in your own classroom!
-Joe
That is awesome and can be applied to any science classroom!!
ReplyDeleteGlen,
DeleteThank you! I hope you get to use it in yours!
-Joe