Whether you’re teaching Earth Sciences, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Applied Sciences or Space Sciences, there is a wealth of exciting Web 2.0 resources you can use to get your students thinking and applying their scientific knowledge. We’ve narrowed down our list to what we believe are the best Web 2.0 tools and websites available for encouraging investigative thinking skills, motivating students and promoting Science education.

We hope these interactive tools and websites help get your students experimenting, questioning and feeling excited about a wide range of Science topics.

Grades K-2
•   Computer Lab Favorites – Click on the Science tab. The activities on this site are 15-30 minutes and are easy to manage in a computer lab setting.
•   Zooburst – Students can create a virtual pop-up story about an animal at this site. For example, they can include information about the types of food the animal eats and its habitat.
•   Kinetic City – This site has a wonderful collection of different Science experiments, games and projects for K-2 students.

Grades 3-5
•   Big Huge Labs – This site lets students create their own trading cards. You could have students create a card on a specific scientist, planet or biome.
•   Fear of Physics – This is an excellent library of visual Physics simulations. It provides an interactive and non-technical way for students of all ages to learn about the Laws of Physics.
•   Voki – Use this speaking avatar tool as part of a Science research project. Students can research a scientist and create a Voki explaining who the scientist was and what he/she discovered.

Grades 6-8
•   Web 2.0 Science Projects – At this site, students can learn how to perform experiments on classroom air quality, local rivers and the ozone. Then, they can share their results with other classes and view other students’ published results.
•   Freeze Ray – This website provides a variety of interactive activities for students in Biology, Physics and Chemistry. Explore step-by-step experiments, drag and drop labeling activities and animations.
•   Science Book – This site offers many interactive animations as well as video clips on subjects ranging from space to the workings of the human body.

Grades 9-12
•   My Physics Lab – Students can explore different types of Physics experiments and interact with animations by dragging objects and altering parameters.
•   MyExperiment Virtual Research Environment – This site enables you and your students to share research findings and scientific workflows.
•   ChemCollective – This is a great library of virtual Chemistry labs, tutorials, scenarios and simulations.

K-12
•   PhET Interactive Simulations – This site has a large library of research-based Physics simulations for all grade levels.

What are your favorite Web 2.0 Tools for Science instruction? Let us know what engages your students and share your experiences with fellow educators by leaving a comment.

Tags: Applied Science, Earth Science, Interactive Tools, Interactive Websites, Life Science, Physical Science, Science, Science Education, Space Science, Teaching Tools, Technology, Web 2.0, Web 2.0 Resources, Websites