7 Online Science Projects for All Grade Levels
Project Based Learning Science Activities that Connect the World
Aug 20, 2009
Online science projects provide active and engaged learning, along with encouraging students to develop a better understanding of science. Students are also more likely to retain the knowledge gained through these online activities, because they are more connected with the learning process. The collaborative nature of the science projects listed below help students develop the ability to work in both team-based and independent work.
Teaching Science Using Online Technology
Project based learning science activities are an effective method of integrating online technology into the science curriculum. A typical project can easily accommodate computers and the Internet, as well as other technological tools. This approach to teaching science can invigorate the learning environment, energizing the curriculum with real-world relevance, and spark students' desire to investigate the real-world.
Using online technology resources fits within best practices of web-based tool integration, because teaching science using online project based learning resources provides opportunities not typically available in the isolation of a single classroom. Web-based science activities provide students with access to additional resources for learning science concepts, because these online activities remove the walls and bring the world into the classroom.
Web-Based Projects in Science to Support Student Learning
The following seven online project based learning activities in science are designed for students in elementary school, middle school, and high school science. Enrollment is free and students collaborate with other science students around the world. These projects lend themselves to inquiry based teaching and learning, along with applications of the science process skills.
- Down the Drain – a science project designed for middle school science students to share information about water usage with other students around the country and the world. Students collect water use data in their household and school for determining the average amount of water used by one person in a day. Then students compare their calculated average amount of water used per person per day with students in other parts of the world (ongoing project).
- Bucket Buddies – a science project designed for elementary school science students. Students collect samples from local ponds and identify macro invertebrates. Then they research resources and predict if the same macro invertebrates are located in different locations, both around the country and around the world (Fall 2009 & Spring 2010).
- Global Water Sampling Project – a science project designed for high school science students from around the country and world to test fresh water. This collaborative project compares the water quality of local rivers, streams, lakes, or ponds with fresh water sources from around the world (September 2009 – June 2010).
- The Global Sun Temperature Project – a science project designed for middle school science students. The project uses web-based applications to allow students to collaborate in large numbers around the world to determine how their school’s proximity to the equator affects their school’s average daily temperature and hours of sunlight (Fall 2009 & Spring 2010).
- Square of Life – a science project designed for elementary school science students. This project tasks students to select square meter plots in their school yard. Then students record all living and non-living things found within the meter square plot. Next students compare and contrast their findings with information submitted by other classes around the world (Fall 2009 & Spring 2010).
- The International Boiling Point Project – a science project designed for middle and high school science students. The project’s focus is to discover which factor in an experiment has the greatest influence on the boiling point of water. Examples include room temperature, elevation, volume of water, or heating device. (Fall 2009 & Spring 2010).
- The Noon Day Project – a science project designed for middle and high school science students. Students calculate and measure the circumference of the earth using a method that was first used by Eratosthenes over 2000 years ago. Students around the world measure shadows cast by meter sticks and compare findings for determining the earth’s circumference (Fall 2009 & Spring 2010).
These online science activities do not replicate traditional lesson plans because they take advantage of the full capabilities of the Internet. They do not fall into the categories of WebQuests or online simulations. These activities use real-time data from government and commercial databases, along with shared data from all students participating in the projects.
Additional information regarding these and more collaborative science projects, along with registration procedures, is available at the Center for Engineering and Science Education.
Making Connections with Project Based Learning Science Activities
Teaching science using project based learning science activities is a dynamic approach in which students explore real-world problems and challenges. With this type of active and engaged learning, students develop a deeper understanding of science concepts as they use online technology.
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