How to Explore Science Online
In a time when you can obtain a college-level science education with information found online, using the Internet to explore science has never been easier. Whether for home school or hobby, direct your exploration like any savvy explorer: begin with trustworthy sources and a purpose. To aid in remembering what you explore, apply what you learn to your everyday life. Hold science-related conversations. Print copies of science web pages and tape them to your wall. Whatever you do, let science exploration entertain you.
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Instructions
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Enter the scientific topic you want to explore into your search engine, followed by a space, then "site:.edu" or "site:.org." Select web pages that you can easily understand. For example, while exploring gravity online, if you find the University of Tennessee, Knoxville's lecture notes for Sir Isaac Newton too difficult, look for a web page from a high school. Typing "site:.edu" after your search term searches educational sites, such as colleges and museums, while "site:.org" searches organizational websites, useful for topics such as health and the environment.
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Type your subject name, then "project," into your browser. Search for online science projects that relate to your topic. Many websites, such as Exploratorium, the website of San Francisco's museum of art, science and human perception, provide science information coupled with elementary projects.
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Enter Ocw.mit.edu into your browser. This directs you to the Open Courseware system at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, better known as MIT. The institute says it created Open Courseware in an effort to expand education throughout the world. Accessible to anyone with a computer, online information includes class lecture notes; assignments, although the website does not always include solutions; and audio-visual supplements.
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Listen to science podcasts, such as those you can find at the Science News, Scientific American and Science Update websites. In addition to their print publications, these organizations make free online articles and podcasts available. Topics range from human behavior to environmental science.
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Find primary sources for online articles, podcasts and websites. Read these to add depth to your understanding of science. Exploring primary sources enables you to read a scientist's or observer's findings directly, rather than through another's interpretations.
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Tips & Warnings
Exercise your memory of what you're learning by frequently engaging in conversations about the science topics you explore online.
References
Resources
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