Internet Neuroscience Resource For Middle School — Phase I

Abstract

The Internet specifically the World Wide Web (WWW) has the potential to deliver science education materials directly to classrooms media centers libraries and homes. The current application seeks to use this new technology through a collaborative effort of an active scientist and a group of middle school science teachers to develop disseminate and evaluate educational materials related to neuroscience for use in middle school science classes. This project attempts to introduce new technologies into the science classroom extend science education to include the information superhighway and increase parental involvement in their children’s education. Materials will be integrated with the existing middle school science curriculum and will include l) on-line and off-line experiments and activities covering a range of topics in neuroscience 2) a “virtal neuroscience laboratory” 3) an Internet neuroscience resource list and 4) a “Neuroscientist Network” consisting of active neuroscientists around the world who will serve as experts answering student questions. All activities will be designed will attention to being self-paced hands-on entertaining and to involve Cooperative learning. Both quantitative and qualitative methods will be used to evaluate the usage of the Intemet Neuroscience Resource. It is hoped that this project will serve as a model to other scientists and teachers and to encourage them to develop Internet resources in their own areas of expertise for use in the classroom.