CommonSense Education: 3 Budget-Friendly Ways to Take Science Learning Outside

Below are excerpts from the blog post, " 3 Budget-Friendly Ways to Take Science Learning Outside" from the Common Sense Media site.

Here is a link to the full article

1. Use Apps That Collect Scientific Data   

Science Journal is a lab-sensor app that uses your Android or Apple phone or tablet to collect scientific data: light, sound, motion, and more. 

2. Participate in Citizen Science Projects   

Citizen science allows students to share local scientific data with scientists, and it helps them see how they can make meaningful contributions to science. There are many citizen science projects out there, from NASA's SMAP program, which helps make teaching about soil a little more exciting, to Project Squirrel, which helps students and scientists learn about the local ecology.  

3. Collect and Share Data Using Collaboration Tools

Many of us remember the time when, while conducting an experiment, we would collect data and then write all the results by group onto the board. Then each class would have to input these into the computer or on a sheet of paper. It was essential for students to collect and analyze data, but this process was extremely time-consuming. Collaboration tools like Google Spreadsheets changed all of this and made it so easy and manageable to share data and compare data from other groups and classes. This frees up more class time to analyze and reflect on the data and have in-class discussions on what the data means.

Link to the full article