Microbial Life-Educational Resources

The Marine Biology Laboratory of Woods Hole, Massachusetts and Montana State University re the collaborators on this easily navigable website of educational resources about microbial life. The goal of the site is to provide expert information about microorganisms for K-12 classrooms, university educators, and the general public. They effectively accomplish their goal here, with a host of resources, in formats appropriate for different knowledge levels, in a well-organized manner. For all of the topics covered, three levels of information are provided. Resources such as newspapers, websites, and magazine articles are provided for general learners; journal articles and academic reviews are provided for advanced learners; and activities, assignments, and readings are provided for educators. Interestingly, one of the activities found in the "Teaching
Methods" tab on the left side of the homepage, is how to use the Socratic Method with students, with question suggestions, rules of participation, and what to expect from the students. An interesting part of the website is its focus on the microorganisms that live in extreme nvironments. Visitors can learn about the many types of extremes environments, the extremophiles, and how to teach about extreme environments in K-12 classrooms, by clicking on the "Extreme Environments" tab on the left side of the homepage. The photos of the extreme environments resemble abstract art with their close ups of the microorganisms in their environment. By clicking on the "Online Resources" tab on the left hand side of the homepage, visitors will be taken to a virtual index of their resources, where they can also narrow their view
by resource type, subject, environment type, and grade-level. Each category that can be used to narrow results also shows how many entries are available for that category. [KMG]
http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/

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