How I’m Using GalaxyZoo in my Science Curriculum
In a few weeks, I’ll be starting a unit on galaxies formation and evolution in my homeschool science class and while thinking about what activities I could have the students do, the first thing that popped in my mind was GalaxyZoo.org.
I plan to have a few discussions on how galaxies form and the various types, then I’ll have the students register and log into GalaxyZoo. I’ll have them take the online evaluation test to make sure they can properly identify and categorize different types of galaxies, and then for a few weeks thereafter, we’ll spend about 15 minutes each class period going through the dataset.
Depending on how it goes, I may have them do this indefinitely throughout the year. For the first few weeks, they’ll evaluate galaxies every day, then we may cut back to once a week when we move onto other topics.
Here’s what I want them to get out of it:
- Learn how galaxies are formed, and evolve.
- Become familiar with the different classification types of galaxies.
- Know something about the distribution of stars in our Milky Way
- Typical number of stars in a galaxy
- Understand what the SDSS dataset is.
- How to work with large datasets like the SDSS.
- How the SDSS was taken.
- The importance of more than one measurement in an experiment
- The value of having more than one person looking at the same data and making the same measurement.
- How tedious going through enormous datasets can be and how that can be mitigated by distributing simple tasks to many, many people.
- How to be consistent in making systematic measurements.
It is wonderful that my kids are growing up during a time when programs like GalaxyZoo exist. Having my kids participate in doing real science, making their own little discoveries, becoming familiar with a dataset, making measurements and possibly getting bored with it, are all part of a scientist’s everyday life.
Using GalaxyZoo in my class is a no-brainer, it’s the perfect tool for introducing students to observational astronomy. I’ll keep you posted…
Illustration Credit: HubbleSite.org
Technorati Tags: astronomy education, galaxies, galaxyzoo, homeschooling, homeschooling science
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1 opinion for How I’m Using GalaxyZoo in my Science Curriculum
Randy
Aug 29, 2007 at 7:55 am
That is a great idea Tony. I was thinking of how I could incorporate GalaxyZoo in my classroom, but now you’ve got the ball rolling. I have previously used the SDSS. My class tends to be based more on observational astronomy (constellations, celestial spheres, how telescopes work), but I really want to incorporate some of these ideas.
Thanks for post!
Randy
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