Making Science More Engaging With Technology

Posted

(NAPSA)—While most parents and teachers agree that science education is important for a child’s future, many also say it needs to be more engaging to capture the attention of kids today. A new national survey conducted by Harris Interactive shows how technology, including the Internet, is a good way to provide the resources and teacher mentoring opportunities that will help kindle a love of science in children. The survey showed that almost all science teachers (97 percent) and parents (92 percent) agree that the Internet should be used more to make interesting science education materials available to teachers. Additionally, they agree that it can be a great way to support mentoringefforts (99 percent and 96 percent, respectively) and a good tool for parents to engage in their child’s education (98 percent and 96 percent, respectively). “It is important that students today understand that science is more than what they read in a textbook,” said David Miller, president and CEO of the educational nonprofit Illinois Biotechnology Industry Organization Institute (GiBIO). “As educators, parents and mentors, it is our responsibility to take science beyond the pages of a book.” To help science teachers make science more engaging andrelevant in the classroom, Astellas PharmaUS, Ine. launched Science WoRx, a program that provides mentoring opportunities with A recent national survey found that science teachers and parents agree that technology, in- cluding the Internet, should be used more to make fun andfasci- nating science education materials available to teachers and support teacher mentoring efforts. real-world scientists, as well as online resources for teachers, all accessible through the Internet. Through video lessons and online resources such as Skype, teachers can bring a Science Pro into their classroom virtually to work with their students and conduct grade-level-appropriate experiments that demonstrate the impact of science. Parents can even watch the videos with their kids, helping them learn more and get more excited about science from their home computer. More information about Science WoRx and the Virtual Science Pro program can be found at www.scienceWoRx.org.