31 Aug
Building Relationships with Students When Teaching Remotely
*A version of this blog post is also published on the Tyto Professional Learning Community on Mighty Network. With the new school year quickly approaching, I thought I’d share some ideas on how to build relationships remotely. I recently had to think about this with a Virtual STEM Summer Camp I ran. I think we
17 Jun
Announcing the NGSS MicroGrant Award Winners!
Today we announce the winners of the 2020 NGSS MicroGrant program. Out of the more than 50 compelling submissions, we chose four applicants from each region of the United States. These organizations were selected to receive licenses of Tyto Online, the award-winning science simulation which empowers learners to engage in deeper learning, solving authentic problems
13 Jun
Upcoming Improvements to Tyto Online
Here’s a preview of improvements that will be coming to Tyto Online over the summer and for the fall semester, based on student and teacher feedback on what we can do to make Tyto Online better for your play and learning. We will put out more complete descriptions of how to use some of these
04 Jun
Anti-Racist Ways to Teach Science
In response to the outcry about systematic racism and police violence against black people in our nation today, many educators are wondering what they can do in their classrooms to create a more just society. This list of suggestions is by no means comprehensive, but does contain actions that can be taken by all science
08 May
Pressing Flowers
Flower pressing is a very old activity practiced by countless artists, scientists, and plant enthusiasts over the centuries. When properly cared for, a pressed flower can last for a very long time–some museums have pressed flower specimens that are centuries old! Plant specimens are everywhere! Flower pressing works just as well (or better!) with leaves
01 May
International Scavenger Hunt
Traveling is off the table for most of us right now, unfortunately. For anyone suffering from cabin fever, this is an activity for you! All you need is Google! Your goal is to go sight-seeing all around the world. This activity takes advantage of Google’s Street View feature, available for many parts of the world.
24 Apr
Make Your Own Biodex
Activity Directions Biodex Field Researcher In Tyto Online, students always have access to a biodex, which can give them all sorts of information on the various plants and animals that live in Espeth’s biodomes. In this activity, you’ll be observing your environment, using your research skills, and creating your very own with information on the
17 Apr
Punnett Plushies
In this activity, you’ll take on the role of geneticist, using Punnett squares to determine inheritance patterns for your toys! Note: It’s a great idea to do this activity after you’ve completed the ‘Feeding the Population’ storyline in Tyto Online. If you haven’t completed this storyline or you’d like a refresher course on dominance, recessiveness,
16 Apr
New Teacher Calendar & Student Account Creation Improvements
Assignment Calendar We’re excited to introduce a brand-new Calendar page as an easier way to keep track of your assignments that have not yet been completed by students. View it in the Teacher Dashboard. Visual Organization Each assignment will show up as a tag on the calendar, visualizing the order, type, and frequency of your
10 Apr
Creative Cladograms
In this activity, you’ll be using your powers of observation and classification to create your own cladograms! What is a cladogram? A cladogram is a type of diagram that is used to show common ancestry among a group of organisms. A cladogram is similar to a family tree because it shows generational relationships. Most family
