10 Online Learning Tools for Students

Check out this blog for details about these 10 online learning tools for students:

The list includes:

Dynamic Periodic Table -Chemistry
Periodic Table of the Elements - Chemistry
Foldit - Biology
Mathway -Math
SpeedCrunch (Windows, Mac, Linux) - Math
LiveMocha - Languages
VerbaLearn - Languages
Bullfighter (MS Word and Powerpoint plugin) - Languages
wePapers - Literature
Zotero (Firefox extension) - Literature/Resource manager

71 year old physics prof is a web star

And yet another reason for university faculty to podcast and get their stuff out to the masses. "Walter H. G. Lewin, 71, a physics professor, has long had a cult following at M.I.T. And he has now emerged as an international Internet guru, thanks to the global classroom the institute created to spread knowledge through cyberspace." Prof. Walter H. G. Lewin was No. 1 on the most downloaded list at iTunes U for a while, with objects he uses for his physics lessons.

Here is a good example of a great teacher taking advantage of the technology experts available to him to communicate and educate people all over the world. Some faculty fear the idea of having to keep up with the latest technology and are worried that as soon as they "get it", "it" will be come obsolete. The flaw with this way of thinking is that they don't have to have a PhD in technology and education to move into the information age. That is a field in and of itself. There are departments at universities dedicated to studying and implementing technology for instructors, thus making the technology virtually invisible to the faculty so that they can focus on the subject at hand. Faculty are the subject matter experts. Does anyone think that Dr. Walter H.G. Lewin was responsible for recording, optimizing, and uploading his podcasts? What about choosing the compression codecs? Or what system they chose to use for podcasting? Probably not. He is a great "physics" professor and relies on a team to assist him with the technology. Now of course there are faculty who love technology and want to know how everything works, but what makes it all come together is team work between the Instructional Designers, Multimedia Experts, and the Subject Matter Experts. Congrats to Dr. Walter H. G. Lewin for using the resources available to him at M.I.T. to make his lectures available world-wide. Check out the article in the NY Times about Dr. Lewin

PS3 network enters record books

Did you know that Play Station 3 Gamers are helping to fight disease around the world simply by being idle? The following is an interesting story from the BBC about a project that has entered the record books by harnessing the spare processing power of Sony's PlayStation 3 (PS3) to help understand the cause of diseases. Guinness World Records has recognized folding@home (FAH) as the world's most powerful distributed computing network. I guess it pays to play (or just sit idle in this case). Read full article

The Encyclopedia of Life

"Imagine an electronic page for each species of organism on Earth, available everywhere by single access on command." - Edward O. Wilson

This project is awesome in scope and looks to be be an amazing resource for the field of science and the world at large. It also serves as an example and reminder to institutions of higher education of the potential and power that online collaboration through technologies bring to the field of educating.

Watch the video:




What does Encyclopedia of Life seek to accomplish? What are its objectives?
"Ultimately, the Encyclopedia will serve as an online reference source and database for every one of the 1.8 million species that are named and known on this planet, as well as all those later discovered and described. Encyclopedia of Life will be used as both a teaching and a learning tool, helping scientists, educators, students, and the community at large gain a better understanding of this planet and all who inhabit it." - View the Site

Free video lectures

I just came across this resource today which I have not had a lot of time to explore, however, it looks promising. This website resource claims to have on-demand free video lectures from the world's leading scientists.

Check it out here: videolectures.net

A Collection of Science Podcasts

Are you in to Science? The following is a collection of science podcasts compliments of Open Culture:


All in the Mind iTunes Feed Web Site
An Australian podcast that explores the mental universe - neuroscience really - and takes a clear look at everything from addiction to artificial intelligence.

Guardian Unlimited - Science iTunes Feed

National Geographic Magazine (The Best of) iTunes Feed Web Site
National Geographic needs no particular introduction.

Nature Podcast iTunes Feed Web Site
Nature, a highly respected peer-reviewed science journal, offers well produced podcasts that feature scientists talking about their cutting-edge research.

NOVA iTunes Feed Web Site
A series of short videos ("vodcasts") from the world of science.

NOVA Science Now iTunes Feed Web Site
Irreverent stories and intriguing personalities from the world of science.

NOVA e = mc2 iTunes Web Site
Hear how 10 top physicists describe Einstein's equation in a few minutes or less.

Science and Society iTunes Feed Web Site
A host of distinguished thinkers speak about innovations in science -- nanotechnology, space explorations, life sciences and more.

Science Magazine Podcast iTunes Feed Web Site
Audiocasts from Science Magazine.

Science Talk: The Podcast of Scientific American iTunes Feed Web Site
The host, Steve Mirsky, explores the latest developments in science and technology through interviews with leading scientists and journalists.

The Naked Scientists iTunes Feed Web Site
Dr. Chris Smith, of Cambridge University, takes an interactive look at different aspects of science, medecine and technology.

The Science Show iTunes Feed Web Site
One of the longest running and well-regarded science shows on Australian radio.

60 Second Science iTunes Feed Web Site
From Scientific American, leading science journalists offer a brief commentary on the latest developments in the world of science.