Discovery Education's new Science TECHBOOK

(Linked image)

Those of you in the EDIM program at Wilkes are so fortunate to be given free subscriptions to DE Streaming, Science and Health so you can use Discovery's assets to enhance the learning experiences you're creating for your students. Canadian students also have access to the DE's Canadian collection. (It's a separate subscription, so if you haven't been given this information, email your advisor and ask her for the details.)

But you may not be aware of DE's newest product -- their Science TECHBOOK.

(Scott Kinney introduces the product)

(Patti Duncan's 60 minute webinar demonstration)

Ask yourself what's missing in a traditional textbook:

• does it keep pace with scientific discoveries and current events?
• is it designed around big ideas and essential questions?
• does it facilitate connections across standards?
• does it help students connect their learning to their own experiences?
• does it stimulate their curiosity and make it easy for them to pursue their interests?
• does it bring science alive for your kids?

I know that when I taught Earth Science 11, the book I used said Jupiter had 16 moons, Pluto was a planet, and there were no other Earth-like planets in the universe. Every year new discoveries made those facts obsolete (is that an oxymoron?), but there wasn't always time for me to research all the topics I wanted to cover to ensure my kids would have accurate information.

That's one of the big problems that DE's new Science Techbook solves. They've taken on the job of making it easy for you to deliver up-to-date content to your kids. They've also made it easy for teachers to be sure they're covering all the standards without having to carve up and dole out science content into isolated, decontextualised portions. The DE Science Techbook is all about the connections, the relevance, and the fascination of science that makes learning about science a way to learn more about ourselves, our world, and our universe and what can be more exciting than that!

So -- sign up for one of the Science Techook webinars and get a sense of what science teaching can be. Better yet, see if one of your instructors can arrange for a Wilkes webinar and request that Patti Duncan lead it. When I did my training with Discovery last year, Patti led the day on science making what could have been a stuffy training-for-trainers session fun and memorable. She teaches by example and models what she believes is possible in every science classroom.

The DE webinar schedule can be found near the bottom right of web page linked from the image at the top of this post. Enjoy!