Tech+Tool+1

Tech Tool #1: A Weather Blog

For those who will teach science, I recommend the following tech tool, a blog, written by a local atmospheric science professor, about the weather of the Pacific Northwest. Below is the link to his blog:

Cliff Mass Weather Blog

This first tech tool I have provided is a blog about weather of the Pacific Northwest. This blog is written by Cliff Mass, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Washington. On a weekly basis, Mass writes blog entries about upcoming significant weather events or significant past weather events in the Pacific Northwest. His comments are meant for a general audience, he uses easily understandable language on his blog to talk about weather events. Mass provides graphics and data charts with comments as well in each post to enhance his entries.

This blog can be used in the classroom as a way to make science relevant for students. The blog only focuses on weather events that have or will happen in the Pacific Northwest, such as snowstorms and windstorms. Students will be affected by these events. Teachers can read this blog and easily understand the information Mass posts on it. He writes his entries for the general population, not weather experts. Terms and graphics are explained in his post. Lessons on the weather can be enhanced by this blog. When teaching about the weather, teachers can reference this blog to show their students actual examples of the information they just learned from the textbook. This blog can also be referenced on a regular basis, to generate interest in students about understanding what is happening with the local weather and why it happens. The graphics in the blog, such as the one I posted below, can also be used to teach students how to read weather data independently to further their learning about atmospheric sciences.



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