Given the affordances of the World Wide Web, one of its true instructional applications of high potential are online simulations of science experiments and phenomena. Thus far in the evolution of the Web this has surfaced in the form of virtual science museums - websites that offer vicarious science experiences using Web technologies. Most of these sites are the online presence for actual museums located around the world, but it is their specific orientation to science that can make them especially invaluable for the classroom. Consider the University of Toronto's Museum of Scientific Instruments, whose Mystery Instruments page <http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/cgi-bin/utmusi/display?mystery=Y> offers all kinds of opportunity for higher level thinking and detective work. It's offbeat, unconventional, and it offers a learning experience that you can't replicate in your classroom.

This week's digital dozen offers great examples of virtual science museums that can enrich and enhance science study in your classroom. I've included contact info on each museum for your use. Thanks to Jerry B as always for his recommendations!

• Australian Museum Online - http://www.amonline.net.au/features/index.cfm
  Here's a wonderful collection of exhibits that cover everything from Australia's unique flora and fauna to body art, living color, and materials conservation. Be sure to check out the Terence site, which models how American school children made use of the Australian Museum to beef up their down under studies in California. See also DiscoverNet <http://www.amol.org.au/discovernet/>.
  • Australian Museum
    6 College Street Sydney (opposite Hyde Park)
    NSW 2010 Australia
    General enquiries: (+612) 9320 6000
    Scientific enquiries: (+612) 9320 6202
    Media enquiries: (+612) 9320 6181
    Research Library enquiries: (+612) 9320 6152
    
• Children's Museum of Indianapolis - http://www.childrensmuseum.org/funonline/funonline.html
  Discover how to use science to make dinosaurs that dance and move, solve a geo-mystery and become a bones expert at this nicely designed site for kids. Other features include the Science of Art, CosmicQuest, and several online games in familiar formats. Most features require the Flash plugin to run.
  • The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
    3000 N. Meridian Street
    Indianapolis, IN 46208
    Phone: (317) 334-3322
    Fax: (317) 921-4019
    
• COSI - http://www.cosi.org/index.html
  The Center of Science and Industry was always a hot ticket when I was at Ohio State, and its online presence verifies that it is still doing fabulous things for children. Consider the simulation Bet the Farm in which students try their hands at successfully working in agriculture. There's also great presentations here on open heart surgery and simple machines!
  • COSI
    333 West Broad Street
    Columbus, OH 43215
    Phone: (614) 228-COSI
    or (888) 819-COSI
    
• Discovery Museum - http://www.discoverymuseum.net/in_1.html
  You'll want to see the Moccasin Trail and Dino Update pages, along with the lesson ideas from Try it Out! The International Public Science Day segment includes scavenger hunts, experiments and teacher support materials to help make science come alive in the classroom. A lot of emphasis on communication technologies here.
  • Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum
    54 S. Loudoun Street
    P.O. Box 239
    Winchester, VA 22604
    Phone: (540) 722-2020
    Fax: (540) 722-2189
• Exploratorium - http://www.exploratorium.edu/
  Part of the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, this is the granddaddy of all virtual science museums in both longevity and quality of presentations. The Learning Studio is a must-see and the Sport Science features are always popular with students. The live Webcasts (we just missed two yesterday) are also a great use of Web technology to promote science learning.
  • The Exploratorium - All rights reserved | Privacy Policy | Use Policy
    3601 Lyon Street
    San Francisco, CA 94123
    Phone: (415) EXP-LORE
• Florida Caribbean Science Center - http://www.fcsc.usgs.gov/Education/index.html
  A USGS Resource site, the Florida Caribbean Science Center offers great video clips and sound bites of indigenous animal life, diversity and change in a coral reef, and the plight of endangered manatees. There's games, coloring pages and teacher resources to boot.
  • Florida Caribbean Science Center
    7920 NW 71st Street
    Gainesville, FL 32653
    Phone: (352) 378-8181
    Fax: (352) 378-4956
• Franklin Institute - http://sln.fi.edu/learning.html
  Like the Exploratorium, the Franklin Institute is one of the grand old virtual science museums online. It has a strong tradition of working with educators to develop excellent materials, so even if it's not as slick as the Exploratorium it is just as instructionally viable. Be sure to see The Heart: An Online Exploration, Flights of Inspiration and the Online Museum Educators links.
  • The Franklin Institute Science Museum
    222 North 20th Street
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103
    Phone: (215) 448.1200
• Miami Museum of Science - http://www.miamisci.org/www/exhibitscurrent.html
  Currently this site is in transition, but in its glory days it has been a great science resource for teachers. Consider Microbes: Invisible Invaders & Amazing Allies with its Fungi Cam and 15 page virtual exhibit. Another popular presentation has been the Atoms Family (currently being revamped) in which famous monsters present energy concepts to students.
  • Miami Museum of Science and Space Transit Planetarium
    3280 South Miami Avenue
    Miami, Florida 33129
    Phone: (305) 646-4200
• Museum of Science and Industry - http://www.msichicago.org/exhibit/exhome.html
  Enter NetWorld and discover the world of cyberspace, examine the various tools man has used to measure time, and even track the progress on the International Space Station from this well-designed site. The Tales from the Underground learning lab is full of fascinating data on testing for hydrogen, phosphorous and nitrate in Chicago area soils.
  • Museum of Science and Industry
    57th Street and Lake Shore Drive
    Chicago, Illinois 60637
    Phone: (773) 684.1414
    or 1-800-GO TO MSI
• Museum of Unnatural Mystery - http://www.unmuseum.org/unmain.htm
  While this main page is cluttered and hard on the eyes, the left frame holds fourteen online exhibitions your students can peruse. Many of the topics are offbeat, covering extraterrestrial life, the mystery of the Loch Ness monster, and the extinction of the dinosaurs, but used sparingly by a master teacher to accent science studies they can be extremely high interest add-ons for students.
  • Cyberspace museum only
• Pacific Science Center - http://www.pacsci.org/
  The Pacific Science Center offers features like the Nutrition Cafe, the First Alert Weather Center and the Internet Maze. Mostly Music covers the art and science of music, and Aliens: Worlds of Possibilities offers an examination of the possibilities for extraterrestrial life in the universe.
  • Pacific Science Center
    200 Second Avenue North
    Seattle, WA 98109
    Phone: (206) 443-2001
    Fax: (206) 443-3631
    
• Tech Museum of Innovation - http://www.thetech.org/exhibits_events/online/
  This site is a little more advanced in its coverage of science topics, like robotics, satellites and DNA. They are very well done and also include topics that easily integrate across the curriculum like Make a Splash With Color and Science Fiction to Everyday Life. Definitely worth a look.
  • The Tech Museum of Innovation
    201 South Market Street
    San Jose, CA 95113-2008
    Phone: (408) 294-TECH
    

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