WGBH Offers Free Online Digital Media Collection for Biotechnology Education
WGBH, the Boston PBS affiliate, has announced that its Teachers' Domain resource collection is now offering a collection of digital media specifically for biotechnology education.
Funded by the Amgen Foundation, the Teachers' Domain biotechnology collection aims to serve educators and students of a topic that, while an integral part of so much of our daily lives--food, pharmaceuticals, disease research, physical fitness, building materials, etc.--often fails to get the commensurate attention in the classroom. The collection offers streaming digital video and interactive materials to explore laboratory techniques, examine processes, and demonstrate the myriad of ways in which biotechnology is applied in many fields. There are also video profiles of scientists and technicians that may inspire students to explore career opportunities in the field.
"The availability of this Biotechnology collection provides my students and me with the tools to investigate what can be a very unfamiliar subject," said Melinda Joncas, a biotechnology teacher at Greater Lawrence Technical School in Lawrence, MA. "These resources will be an invaluable roadmap to design and teach new lessons, courses or supplement a full program."
Teachers' Domain is currently used as an online source for educational media resources in K-12 schools throughout the the United States by more than 450,000 teachers and students. WGBH is also developing a broader program for professional development in biotechnology education using its online resources. It is set to include an online course, as well as teaching workshops in several states and Puerto Rico.
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Scott Aronowitz is a freelance writer based in Las Vegas. He has covered the technology, advertising, and entertainment sectors for seven years. He can be reached here.