Name: Plants-In-Motion

Brief Description of the Site:
Ask your students: “On a perfectly still day can a plant move?” Most will probably say “No!” Then show them any of this site’s time-lapse movies (in QuickTime format) demonstrating seeds germinating, plants responding to light, flowers opening, etc. Created by a biologist at Indiana University, the site demonstrates wonders that the ordinary person could never hope to observe, unless s/he were to watch the plants for hours on end. In support of the wonderful movie clips are well-explained and thorough scientific explanations of what exactly we are watching. There is also a guide for anyone interested in attempting time-lapse photography.

How to use the site:
Teachers of biology/life-science/botany at any level will appreciate this site, for it demonstrates true wonders of nature. The explanations are excellent, but as they are on a college level it would be best to adapt them to your students’ level of sophistication. Despite that, only the most jaded student could fail to respond to some of the ‘little miracles’ shown in these film clips. They have a strong ‘wow’ factor and can be used either pre- or post-teaching of a particular topic. Also some teachers might want to use the time-lapse tutorial to get their classes involved in a similar venture.