Education
If you can tear your eyes away from the mesmerizing graphics on the main page, you'll find a very detailed and comprehensive cell biology tutorial created by graphic artist/biologist John Kyrk. Kyrk's animations demonstrate all major aspects of cell biology: amino acid structure, DNA replication, transcription and translation, cellular cycles (Krebs, glycolysis, mitosis), photosynthesis, and so on. The tutorial's beautiful graphics and cool animations should make studying cell biology relatively painless for any student. [RS]
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/changingthefaceofmedicine/
The Changing Face of Medicine is a new exhibit at the National Library of Medicine that explores "the many ways that women have influenced and enhanced the practice of medicine." The online version of the exhibit is quite extensive, and includes a resources section with downloadable lesson plans, a lengthy list of suggested reading, and a students' guide to a career in medicine. There are four groups of lesson plans for various grades (K-2, 3-4, 5-8, and 9-12). Topics covered include human senses, the circulatory system, adolescent health, and medical careers. The site also offers four online interactivities -- fun, multimedia features "that use games and learning modules to bring issues of science and medicine to life." [RS]
http://www.oup.co.uk/best.textbooks/biology/
In a word: score! This Oxford University Press Web site offers online companions to the following textbooks: Modern Statistics for the Life Sciences, Molecular Principles of Animal Development, Principles of Development, The Evolution of Plants, Plants, Bioinformatics, and Experimental Design for the Life Sciences (with more titles on the way). The companion Web sites are packed with great features for teachers and students, such as PowerPoint-ready illustrations and figures (perfect for lectures), chapter revision questions, downloadable datasets and programs, Web links…you name it. These Web features should prove tremendously useful, even without the textbooks for which they were designed. [RS]
http://www.namyco.org/education/k-12.html
The North American Mycological Association's online teaching manual is a collection of fungi-related activities for grades K-12. Nearly two-dozen lesson plans, labs, worksheets, and other resources are available to help students explore fungi in the classroom and the field. Resources range from basic information about fungi to hands-on activities like making bread, and some worksheets come with downloadable answer keys. [RS]
http://bcs.whfreeman.com/biochem5/
This Web site is the online companion to the fifth edition of Biochemistry, (W. H. Freeman & Co publisher). The site "is designed to help students review key concepts from the textbook through interactive exercises, animated 3D tutorials and learning tools." Most of these amazing resources, including animated flashcards and experimental techniques, are immediately available by clicking on chapter or resource headings. Additional resources, such as the online quizzing feature, require a free online registration (teachers must verify their instructor status). [RS]
When the Scout Report covered Froguts.com in February 2002, this amazing virtual frog dissection was available for free. Unfortunately, that's no longer the case. However, Froguts.com has added more of these extraordinary simulations, and free demos are available the frog, squid, and owl pellet. The squid demo covers external structures only, and follows a self-quizzing format. The frog dissection demo goes a bit further, but the owl pellet demo is little more than a puzzle game (although the reconstructed mouse does do a freakish, vibrating dance at the end). Demos are in development for the remaining dissections: fetal pig, rat, cow eye, starfish, earthworm, perch, and crayfish. [RS]
http://www.unlv.edu/Colleges/Sciences/Biology/Schulte/Anatomy/Anatomy.html
The Atlas of Plant Anatomy comes courtesy of Paul J. Schulte, plant physiologist at the University of Nevada, who created the Web site for his plant anatomy course. The Atlas contains microscope photos of different plant structures in cross section, including cell tissues, reproductive structures, roots, stems, apical meristems, and leaves. Each image comes with an informative description, and smaller structures are helpfully labeled. Some of the photos -- like the one of a pine bud in longitudinal section -- are quite eye-catching. [RS]
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20031007tuesday.html
This New York Times Learning Network Daily Lesson Plan explores the dangers of widespread medical myths. Designed for grades 6-8 and 9-12, the lesson focuses on a NYT article about "a particular medical myth and how it has prevented some lung cancer patients from receiving treatment." Story link and discussion questions are provided. Students then conduct research and develop educational pamphlets on the topic for a neat interdisciplinary way to demonstrate their understanding of the issue. Extension activities, vocabulary words, and Web links are all included. [RS]
