I was recently asked about my thoughts on the ongoing shift to digital education and social media legitimacy as it pertains to science and biotechnology. It seems in the past 2 or so years, it isn't enough for a scientific journal to publish it's papers online, but, nearly each and every one has created an entire network of learning tools. This is a general trend among all facets of media, not just the biotech industry. In the sciences, experts in various fields of research are recruited to write online material. In my experience, the legitimate sites with a history of producing peer-reviewed journals, subject the material to stringent editing and review by other scientists.
I have participated in several projects for building online educational resources, most recently one on purifying cytosolic protein complexes and various methods of analysis. I can appreciate the challenges associated with capturing an audience and keeping their attention, preparing material that is appropriately brief for posting on a website, but also detailed enough to be relevant, while also trying to maintain a suitable level of complexity. The work I have done has been limited to papers with various links to other resources, but some websites contain videos, games, puzzles and intellectual challenges that capture the imagination and are invaluable tools for teachers at all levels of the sciences. Sites like these can remind us of what facinates us about science. While I don't believe that classroom learning should be completely eliminated, I think there are countless oppotunities for teachers to enhance the students experiences by directing them to these resources. Tell me what you think - and teachers, please share your experiences and favourite sites.
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