The Science of Gardening - Interactives and Videos

The Science of Gardening is a superb collection of interactive graphics and videos about gardening that I learned about from Mark Dunk on Twitter. Produced by Exploratorium, Science of Gardening has three basic categories; Feed, Control, and Bloom. In each category there are multiple videos and interactive graphics for students to explore.

In the Feed category students learn about dirt, compost, and seeds. The "garden variety" interactive reveals to student the origins of some common plants like corn, squash, onions, and carrots. Students can also take a video tour of a garden and learn what it takes to create good soil.

In the Control category of Science of Gardening students learn about like hybridizing plants, biodiversity, growing plants in a greenhouse, and take a look at a giant pumpkin competition.

Finally, in the Bloom category students explore pollination, the attraction of flowers, and see that a garden can grow just about anywhere when it is cared properly cared for.

Applications for Education
As spring approaches in the Northern Hemisphere (just a week away now) I'm sure many of us will be thinking about the blooming plants around us. Some of us may even have students planting gardens at home or at school (the alternative ed school in my district does that). The Science of Gardening could be a good resource to build a science lesson around that students can relate to outside of the classroom.

Interactive Visualization of the Scale of the Universe

I just received an email from a reader, Mary Murphy, who shared with me a fantastic interactive visualization of the scale of the universe. The Scale of the Universe 2 features a huge selection of objects in the universe that are arranged according to size and scale. You can zoom-in on the image to objects as small as neutrinos and quarks or as large as planets, constellations, and galaxies. When you click on an object in The Scale of the Universe 2 a small window of information about that object pops up.

Applications for Education
Trying to wrap their minds around the true size and scale of the universe can be a challenge for some students (I know it was for me). The Scale of the Universe 2 could be a great way for students to explore the size of the universe by comparing objects they're familiar with to objects that they've only read about.

How to Create Interactive Images Using Thinglink

Thinglink is a neat tool for creating interactive images. I first wrote about it last summer and have since mentioned it in a couple of webinars and workshops. Every time I show it to people, it is well received. In the video below, I demonstrate how easy it is to create interactive images using Thinglink.




Applications for Education
One way that Thinglink could be used in a  US History classroom is to have students upload pictures representative of  concepts from the Industrial Revolution then tag different parts of the images to link out to further explanations and examples. And here's an example of an interactive infographic created with Thinglink.