Resources
Airplanes
Leonardo Da Vinci
Exploring
Leonardo
A comprehensive overview of the life of Leonardo Da Vinci is explored at this
location. Included at the site are interactive activities that explore his life
as a scientist, an inventor and as an artist.
The Leonardo Museum in Vinci
This is the official web page of the Museum of Leonardo. Visitors can take a
virtual tour of the exhibits and locate geographical, historical, and
biographical information.
Leonardo’s World
The web site provides an overview of the Renaissance. Features include “Become
a Renaissance Man in 9 Easy Steps” and “A Renaissance Timeline.”
Inventors
Web Resources:
Ancient
Inventions
This
is a collection of inventions from antiquity compiled by students and faculty at
Smith College. There are scores of ancient oddities, with photos and
descriptions of each. It's a great site to show that people have been inventing
things for centuries.
Exploring
Leonardo
This site is sponsored by the Museum of Science, Boston, Mass. - An excellent
site approaching Science through Leonardo DaVinci. Site includes The Inventors
Workshop, (showing Leonardo’s inventions), Leonardo’s Perspective, a
Biography and a section about his habit of writing from right to left! There are
4 pages with interactive elements and 5 lesson plans including hands on
activities. Students can comment and send their ideas electronically to the
Museum staff. Four stars from our reviewer!!
How
Things Work
Complete Computer
Solutions - - Read a text explanation of how a
fountain pen works or how a pneumatic hammer works. This would be a great
reference for students of physics or inventions. It would also go well in a unit
on inventions for any age, though the reading level is middle school or above.
Edison's
Miracle of Light
This companion to an American
Experience episode doesn't offer a lot for teachers, but there's a good timeline
showing Edison's life and work, as well as a gallery of some of his most
important inventions. You'll need to find other resources to tell the full
story, though.
Eureka!
Here's a student-created Thinkquest site that profiles
inventions and inventors from around the world. Lots of very useful content,
though the user interface looks a bit dated.
Inventure
Place - The National Inventors Hall of Fame, Akron, Ohio
Read brief biographies of inventors who are
in the hall of fame. The site is indexed and searchable. Students could easily
use these biographies to start a research project, or you can post them on a
bulletin board.
Nikola
Tesla, Inventor
Bogdan R. Kosanovic,
University of Pittsburgh - This site features Serbian inventor Nikola Tesla,
inventor of a telephone repeater, rotating magnetic field principle, polyphase
alternating-current system, induction motor, alternating-current power
transmission, Tesla coil transformer, wireless communication, radio, fluorescent
lights, and more than 700 other patents. It is a small site, but includes a
biography and quotes from the scientist as well as links for student researchers
to learn more.
Forgotten
Inventions
There are several "forgotten" sites, but this one
from American Experience reminds us of the folks who invented some things that
are still in widespread use, such as Levis and oil burners. Here's proof that an
invention doesn't need to be a scientific breakthrough to be successful.
Innovative
Lives
Inventors didn't just live in the
past! This site from Smithsonian introduces several dozen men and women whose
inventions - in science, biology, engineering, etc. - have made major
contributions to their fields. Students working on inventor projects will find
these bios a welcome change from the standard fare.
The
Invention Dimension
The Lemelson-MIT Awards Program -- Learn
about inventors by reading the biographies of the current inventor of the week
or browsing through the archives of past weeks' choices. This could be a great
resource for student research or a classroom bulletin board (simply print each
week's candidate). Bios have links included, so you can click to other places on
the Internet to find out more.
The
Inventors' Hall of Fame
Try this elegantly designed site for
information on inventors in a wide range of disciplines. It's a great starting
point for students interested in advances in specific fields. Spend some time
exploring this one. Teachers will be interested in the background information
available on inventions in each field. Parents may want to check out the
Invention Camp section.
Kids'
Design Network
This site from an Illinois museum offers an elaborate,
on-screen facility for students to design "gadgets" to solve specific
problems, then submit them for review and assistance from a real-world engineer.
There is also information on brainstorming, problem-solving, and lots of the
other things that engineers and inventors do. This site could be useful either
as an entire project or as an example of how real-world problems get solved.
A
Medieval Technology Timeline
There's more here than meets the eye. This site offers a time-line showing the
evolution of simple tools and technologies during the middle ages. Those who are
persistent will also find more detailed drawings and explanations of the various
implements. This is a great site to show how major changes can arise from simple
inventions.
Whole
Cloth
This
site was developed by the Smithsonian as part of this year's History Day
competition, which deals with the role of invention in American history. The
site traces the way in which advances in the manufacturing of textiles created
wholesale changes in American industry and social structures. Among the results:
Once women were freed from the need to make clothing by hand, other
opportunities became available. Good site for students interested in history day
projects, or for use in a history or social studies curriculum.
Become
an Inventor
Teachers interested
in creating an inventions/inventors unit will find this site useful. It shows
students the inquisitive process by which inventions come to be, and gives
students a chance to search out problems that need inventive solutions. Lots of
links to other inventors give you a way to show how others developed their own
inventions.
Who
Invented it? When? Chinese Inventions: An Introductory Activity
Social
Studies/Science/Inventions: - Learn
about Chinese inventors and deflate erroneous stereotypes about Chinese
technology. From the Ask Asia series.
Flights
of Inspiration
his site about flight
offers information on both the science and history of flight. Created by
American and British museums, it offers students a chance to explore both the
people who pioneered flight and the aerodynamics they had to master to get
airborne. Lots of instructional possibilities here.
Forgotten
Inventors
A few inventors become
famous. Many are forgotten, though their inventions remain important. Here's a
site that chronicles some of the forgotten creative minds that gave us
inventions still in common use today. This is a good site for "inventor
report" research.
Patently
Absurd
This British site offers a collection of oddities and other
devices for which patents have been issued. It's a great way to look at all the
interesting ideas that never made it to commercial success.
Ingenious
Inventions
Ever wonder who invented
a can opener or where Levi’s originated? Look no further, this site chronicles
The American Experience through famous inventions and their not-so-famous
inventors. Ideal site for American History teachers looking for an interesting
approach to understanding history. Plan a "famous inventors day" and
have your students come dressed as their favorite inventor (or invention!).
Spotlight
on Inventors
The Smithsonian offers this collection of short biographies
of famous American inventors. Each biography includes several links to
information or exhibits in the Smithsonian collection that illustrate the
inventor's life or work. This is a great combination of basic biographical
information and interesting visual content.
Technology
- 1900
This kids' page from the PBS American
Experience series offers a look at some of the technological revolutions with
which people were coping 100 years ago. How did Americans react to the coming of
the automobile, the telephone, and the phonograph? Find out here.
The
Rube Goldberg Site
This one's
mostly for fun. A retrospective on Rube Goldberg's wacky inventions, this site
includes examples of how present-day engineering students devise 20-step ways of
accomplishing simple tasks. Good "idea site" for students getting used
to invention and problem solving.
Simple Machines
Edheads
- Simple Machines Activities - Lever - Pulley - Wedge - Screw -
Inclined Plane - Wheel and Axle - Gear
Edheads Simple Machines
Activities help teach grades 2 and up all about Simple and Compound Machines.
Simple Machines, Work, Force & Energy
Simple Machines ~ Society of Women Engineers
Simple Machine Quiz - online and interactive