explain3D - 3D animations that explain how things work

explain3D is an app, available for iOS, Android and Windows Phone, that uses 3D animations to explain how things work. It is not free (under $2 for each version) but is a great resource for educators.

Simulations (20) include:

• Car workshop – 4 stroke engine, Car clutch, Manual transmission, Disc brakes, Ignition system
• Discover the Universe – ISS space station, Space shuttle, Solar system
• Electricity around us – Hydroelectric dam, Wind turbine, Nuclear power plant
• Transport simulations – Railroad switch, Submarine, Jet engine
• Our homes – Lock and key, Elevator, Toilet, Desk Lamp
• Tools – Jackhammer, Hand pump

They are well done and explain the concepts well.

Here is a video explaining the app:

Related:

Animations about Science Concepts

Virtual Science Resources

PhET - excellent, free, virtual labs and simulations for science - new materials available 

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CK-12 has over 100,000 teacher created digital textbooks available for free

CK-12, a great resource for free e-textbook and curricular resources, has just announced that there are now over 100,000 teacher-created digital textbooks available online on their site. These new "Flexbooks" were created by the 30,000 schools that are using CK-12's free digital resources.

 

They also have some great physics simulations and other resources available, as well as new elementary math resources and PLIX (Play, Learning, Interact, eXplore) which provides an interactive and immersive experience where students learn by doing, allowing them to use critical thinking and creativity. 

All of these resources are free and easy to use. The FlexBooks are customizable by the teacher using them to fit their needs and the needs of their students. 

Many schools have adopted these resources to replace traditional textbooks, saving millions of dollars and using those saving to purchase technology resources and other needed items. 

CK-12's resources are excellent quality, easy to use, and pedagogically well done. 

Related:

What I use with Physics classes instead of textbook

PhET - excellent, free, virtual labs and simulations for science

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SciencePrimer - free site with science resources and activities

SciencePrimer is a free web site that has some great science resources. The site has illustrations (animations with explanations) of concepts, practice questions and problems with hints and solutions, calculators and conversion tools, and a science glossary.

The illustrations are really good. They include interactive animations that let you change different specifications or characteristics, an explanation of the topic, and videos.

This site has some great resources that can help students understand and learn science resources.


Related:

MyPhysicsLab - Free Physics Simulations

PhET - excellent, free, virtual labs and simulations for science

Physion - free Physics Simulation Software

Great Physics Resources for Students and Teachers

Free Virtual Labs to use in science class

Virtual Labs is a collection of 4 virtual labs from South Dakota State University (SDSU) and New Mexico State University (NMSU). The 4 virtual labs are: Testing for Corn Mold, Disposable Lab Equipment, Gram Staining and Using the Microscope.

These labs are a great way to teach high school and college students some basic lab techniques before actually doing the lab. They are also a good substitute if your school does not have the ability to actually do these labs. The labs start with a scenario (why they are doing this) in a realistic setting, and then proceed to teach the lab step-by-step. They are well designed and a great resource.

BioLogica - interactive Biology lessons and learning resources

BioLogica is a site that has interactive labs and learning activities on biology that help students learn concepts. Students work through the activities, get feedback and hints and create a portfolio of their work.

BioLogica runs on Windows and Mac's. It doesn't just help students learn concepts in Biology, it also helps them make connections between different concepts and ideas. It focuses on genetics, including helping students to learn the parts, processes, and mechanisms of genetics.

The activities pose a problem for the students and then lets them solve it. The software will have the students explain their reasoning, help them with hints and eve suggest additional resources and material to help them. Teachers can monitor student performance and collect the student work into electronic portfolios.

There are also 3D interactive models of the cell on the site. These are great for helping students learn about the cell.

There are demos of the activities on the site and you can download a free copy of the prototype version of the software.  http://biologica.concord.org/index.html

Viscosity Explorer - simple virtual lab on viscosity

Viscosity Explorer is a simple site that allows you to explore the concept of viscosity. It consists of two containers and two steel balls. You select the liquid you want in the container, then drop the ball and observe what happens. You can also change the temperature of the liquid. Students can easily compare the viscosity of two different substances side by side.

It's a great site for science classes, and much faster, cheaper, and less messy than doing this for real. I would, however, want to at least demo the real liquids and pour them from container to container to show how the flow of the fluids is different based on the viscosity.

Related:

PhET - excellent, free, virtual labs and simulations for science

PhET - excellent, free, virtual labs and simulations for science - new materials available

PhET is an awesome resource from the University of Colorado at Boulder. The site has interactive simulations for physics, chemistry, biology, earth science, and math that teachers and students can use.

The simulations can be run on the site or downloaded. The simulations are accurate and real and can help students learn concepts in more depth. They are easy and fun to use, and really do demonstrate the concepts well. In the physics ones I use, a big benefit is that students can quickly and easily change variables and conditions and then see what happens. This is very hard and time consuming in many hands on labs. Students can also visualize things that are hard to see in a hands-on lab, such as magnetic field lines, and electron flow.

The simulations are also a great alternative to live labs if you don't have the resources available. Some of the simulations are better than any hands on lab because the students can truly see and understand what is happening.

You can search by topic, grade level, or just see the newest ones added. There are teacher resources for many of the simulations. Teachers who use the simulations post lesson plans and resources to the site for others to use also. These teacher created lesson plans and lab sheets are excellent and free for all to use.

I use the Physics simulations in my classroom and they work great. This is one of those sites that every science and math teacher needs to check out.

Here's a list of some of the new simulations they have and there are more simulations, and resources, being added all the time.

Learning Science - collection of great science resources

Learningscience.org is a great resource for science teachers. It is a free online collection of resources for teaching science, organized by subject area and standards.

The site has tools for science, such as graphing, timekeeping, and graph paper, links to other resources, ways to use Google apps in science.

When I looked under physical science, I found information and resources separated by standards for different grade levels. From there, I was brought to a list of online resources to use when teaching each standard. Some of them I already knew about, but many were new to me.

I recommend that all science teachers take a look at this site. It is well organized, easy to use, and has a lot of great resources for your lessons.

Virtual Fetal Pig Dissection

Virtual Fetal Pig Dissection is a great site from Whitman College that allows teachers and students to experience the learning of doing a fetal pig dissection without the expense (and smell).

The site is designed to supplement an actual dissection lab, but students and teachers can use it alone also.

The site is picture based, with descriptions and annotations on the pictures.




Great for schools who don't have the money to do actual dissections.

Virtual Cell Animation Collection - great for Biology

The Virtual Cell Animation Collection is an incredible collection of animations that show cells, cell function, and different cell processes.

There are 17 animations ranging from Insulin Signaling to Cellular Respiration to Photosynthesis.

This is a great way to show these difficult to visualize concepts to students. 

Interactive Engineering for 9-11 year olds

Engineering Interact is a great site with interactive lessons for 9-11 year olds that help them explore and learn science and engineering concepts.

The activities fall under the following topics: Light, Sound, Forces and Motion, Earth and Beyond, and Electricity.

The activities are in game form and are well done. I played with two of them and had fun myself.

There is also information about how engineers use the science of that particular topic which is a great way to show them why the topic is important.

I was very impressed with these games and I can actually see them being used for older students up to freshman in high school as a fun way to learn or review the topics.

It was created and is supported by the University of Cambridge Department of Engineering.

The games and activities require FLASH, so you won't be able to use these on an iPad or iPod Touch.