physed resources

PHYSICS EDUCATION

The order of the listing is random and does not imply any form of ranking. Please explore the sites to your heart's content and feel free to review the listed sites using the form on the Reviews, Comments, & Suggestions page. If you find additional sites that should be included in this listing, please e-mail (allenpe@appstate.edu) the URL to the author.

General Sites, Physics Demonstrations, Animation and Simulations

General Sites contain a variety of sources related to the teaching of physics K through post-graduate.

American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) - An excellent organization devoted to the teaching of Physics & Astronomy from K through university and beyond. The Physical Sciences Resource Center (PSRC) contains a lot of useful information, including the Science-Related Job Market.

Science Junction, from the SERVIT Group in Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education and the Science House at North Carolina State University is an awesome site. What I like most about the site are the internet resources (including an HTML tutorial), suggestions for evaluating web-based materials, lesson plans, and much, much more. This site is a must for any teacher interested in having students explore the web in ALL the sciences. The site is still under construction, but the materials already present will keep students, and teachers, busy for a long, long time.

The Physics Resource Packet Project (Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology) provides examples of the use of programs (like Maple and Mathematica) and/or spreadsheets to improve student performance and understanding of physics. DOS versions of the physics programs can be downloaded.

Some of the most promising sites for interacting with students via the Web are those involved with JITT: Just-in-Time-Teaching. Gregor Novak (IUPUI), Evelyn Patterson (Air Force Academy), and others have used Web-based assignments due prior to class or lab meetings to evaluate student performance, preparation and concerns. This feedback allows for "last-minute" adjustments, based on the students' needs, to be made to more effectively instruct the students. Make sure to visit the IUPUI (Introductory Physics) and Air Force Academy (Cockpit Physics) sites.

The Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education has many links to lesson plans, reform ideas and resources. "Innovator of the Month" and "Update Newsletter" are two features which highlight the people behind educational innovation and reform. This can go a long way to improving the educational network.

Physics demonstrations are an integral of the science classroom. Some of the more frequently visited sites are listed below:

University of Minnesota offers demos ranging from the very basic to more complex demonstrations.

The Physics Demo Room from the North Carolina State University's (NCSU) Department of Physics provides many useful demos for the classroom, including a "behind-the-scenes" manual.

The Physics Instructional Resource Association (PIRA) has a very useful site that links to other on-line demo sites.

Animation and simulation are additional methods of demonstrating physics concepts. JAVA Applets, and other forms of animation, are being developed throughout the Physics community for use in the classroom. Some of the sites that provide materials for use in the classroom are listed below.

The WebPhysics project of Wolfgang Christian (Davidson) and Gregor Novak (IUPUI) is a terrific site for using Web-based instructional material and methods in the physics classroom. Make sure to check out some of the Java Applets, known as Physlets, that have been developed by W. Christian.

Definitely check the University of Oregon's The Electronic Universe Project! I orginally planned to list this site in the Physics section, but placed it here because of its potential in the classroom. The site contains many useful (and "not-so-useful") tidbits that it's a lot of fun to explore. Make sure to check out the physics problems that will keep any undergraduate or graduate student quite busy. Also, make time to explore the various Physics Applets which have been developed at the University of Oregon.

Physics 2000, developed by the University of Colorado, Boulder, provides explanations and simulations of 20th Century science and current high-tech devices. The site provides nice support for any Modern Physics course.

To view some of the latest physics Java Applets, make sure to visit the Official Directory for Java, sponsored by developer.com (a site devoted to technical information). However, your browser must be able to support Java 1.1 (or later) to be able to view the most recently developed Applets. Many of the Applets can be used in educational settings without any copyright violation. However, it is recommended that each Applet's copyright restrictions be investigated before they are used in the classroom.

The Virtual Laboratory (see The Internet Pilot to Physics, Physics) serves a clearing house for physics related applets that are posted on the web. There is also a discussion group (Java/Physics mailing list) on development and the use of Java in physics education and research.

Visualize Science! is a Shockwave site that allows students and teachers to interact with the material on the web. In order to view the simulations, the Macromedia Shockwave Plug-In (used with Netscape 2.0 or greater) must be used (which can be downloaded from the Visualize Science! site).

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