Astronomy - the United Streaming Way

These 7th grade students are learning about Astronomy. But instead of being force-fed a single video about our solar system by their teacher they were directed to explore on United Streaming.



Back in class the students were engaged and sharing what they had learned. One student had learned that Venus had no moon and the class pondered why this inner planet lacked a moon. The teacher allowed the discussion to gather steam and generate more questions... Other students who examined different US videos offered that the outer planets had moons. Hmmmm.

So the class as a whole had gained bits of knowledge that they could share. No one student could have learned ALL the facts about our solar system from a single video, but the combined class-wide knowledge led the class to insights about our solar system that happened because the teacher allowed the students to learn and research independently from a reliable source. AND the students are learning a valuable team skill of listening to their peers and bringing their knowledge together.

Just a few years ago our school district network could not have supported the task of having 30 students watching streaming video in a computer lab. It's wonderful to have the infrastructure and United Streaming service available for our student community to use. I'm glad our teachers are finding innovative ways to use it! Thank you Mr. Coll for empowering your science students with this tool.