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TITLE
NASA Education
WEBSITE OF THE PRODUCT
NAME OF AUTHOR(S)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
TYPE OF PRODUCT
Web Site/Portal
SUBJECT TAUGHT
Math, Natural Science
LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE
Medium
TARGET GROUP AGE
10 – 13 years old
TUTORIAL SUPPORT
Yes
DESCRIPTION
The NASA Office of STEM Engagement works collaboratively with NASA's mission directorates to promote education as an integral component of every major NASA research and development mission. These efforts result in innovative and informative educational materials that engage student interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
NASA makes these resources available in convenient ways:
For students: https://www.nasa.gov/stem/foreducators/k-12/index.html
For Educators: https://www.nasa.gov/stem
NASA STEM Engagement Website serves as the gateway for information on missions, research, programs and services offered by NASA. The educational sections provide educators and students access to materials and resources produced through collaborations with NASA's mission directorates.
NASA makes these resources available in convenient ways:
For students: https://www.nasa.gov/stem/foreducators/k-12/index.html
For Educators: https://www.nasa.gov/stem
NASA STEM Engagement Website serves as the gateway for information on missions, research, programs and services offered by NASA. The educational sections provide educators and students access to materials and resources produced through collaborations with NASA's mission directorates.
COMMENTS
With schools nationwide returning to virtual learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to find quick and educational content is paramount. One NASA initiative looks to close the science-information gap.
NASA makes significant contributions to K-12 STEM education by providing access to its expertise in science, engineering, technology, and space exploration.
It is uniquely positioned to inspire and engage students in STEM subjects and to expose teachers and students to the nature of science and engineering through exposure to the agency’s missions.
NASA makes significant contributions to K-12 STEM education by providing access to its expertise in science, engineering, technology, and space exploration.
It is uniquely positioned to inspire and engage students in STEM subjects and to expose teachers and students to the nature of science and engineering through exposure to the agency’s missions.
TEACHERS’ COMMENT
As part of their Human Research Program, NASA aims to share what they have learned about space with the public. The site is aimed at educators, students or those curious about space and science. On this site you can find four different educational options - Train like an Astronaut, 21st Century Explorer, Math & Science at Work and Exploring Space Through Math. All four site options were last updated in 2017 and developed in 2013 so they are slightly outdated. The Train like an Astronaut section I found to be the best resource. It is available in 19 different languages and directs you to a Padlet-style page where there are YouTube videos, documents and links and interactive activities. These activities include PowerPoints with relative information, teacher and student handouts and students can submit their work to achieve e-badges. They are aimed to combine physical activity and fitness with Science. As a P.E. and Science teacher I really liked this site and shared it amongst other colleagues as a really simple way to reinforce learning in the lab with being active.
The 21st Century explorer is aimed at ages 8-11 and is available in English and Spanish. The link to this resource however seems to be broken or no longer available so I cannot comment on its efficacy. Math & Science at Work and Exploring Space Through Maths, both had only one working link, which led to Texas Instruments website and their learning resources. There are plenty of activities on this working link for a variety of Maths topics but it is a shame that the other links are no longer operating. Exploring Space Through Maths was aimed at students aged 16-18, to give a deeper understanding to key maths concepts, in a space context. While Math and Science at Work is geared towards advanced high school STEM classes, as supplementary work to challenge those more able.
The 21st Century explorer is aimed at ages 8-11 and is available in English and Spanish. The link to this resource however seems to be broken or no longer available so I cannot comment on its efficacy. Math & Science at Work and Exploring Space Through Maths, both had only one working link, which led to Texas Instruments website and their learning resources. There are plenty of activities on this working link for a variety of Maths topics but it is a shame that the other links are no longer operating. Exploring Space Through Maths was aimed at students aged 16-18, to give a deeper understanding to key maths concepts, in a space context. While Math and Science at Work is geared towards advanced high school STEM classes, as supplementary work to challenge those more able.