About SciLinks?
Getting Started with SciLinks?
Give SciLinks a Try!
How do I use the . . . ? (For Students)
Technical Questions?
Still have a question?
SciLinks helps science educators harness the vast resources of the Internet by connecting key textbook subjects to NSTA-approved web pages that enrich student learning both inside and outside the science classroom. By linking to a brief call-out found in the margin, which lists the topic, a code, and a URL (www.scilinks.org), teachers and students can access vetted web pages that provide real-time information and new content on a host of science topics.
The service points to 19,000 vetted web pages, each of which was selected after a thorough review against eight rubrics and then aligned to a specific topic and grade level. The topics are then featured as extensions in hundreds of textbooks and supplemental titles, as well as in selected NSTA publications.
Since its debut in 2000, SciLinks has registered more than 200,000 teachers and nearly 900,000 students at no cost to use the site, and countless more use it as "Guests." NSTA's premier Internet technology product supports the specific needs and interests of the different user groups—NSTA Members, Teachers, Students, and Guests – each of whom use SciLink tools unique to their needs.
For example, all registered teachers and members can use the My Favorites tool, where they may save their searches as Favorites for quick access whenever and wherever they log in. When their students login, they view a link that reads "Your Teacher’s Favorites." Clicking on this link reveals the topics the teacher wants them to view, and a list of vetted web pages for those topics is only one more click away.
NSTA members may use both SciLinked texts as well as the SciLinks keyword search to fine-tune an Internet search of web pages to a manageable number of vetted web pages. Submitting "simple machines" to a popular search engine may yield 2.6 million possibilities; submitting the same key words to SciLinks yields 18 web pages. Of these, five are selected just for teachers (lessons plans, activities, etc.), while the remainder are useful to students (simulations, animations, and other interactive opportunities).
Publishers subscribe to feature the SciLinks service in their books, so readers of SciLinked texts are able to access the service for free. NSTA members are able to access the service at no extra cost by virtue of their membership in NSTA. SciLinks is a great service to use in your classroom, whether you found it through the printed page of a textbook or accessed it through the members-only keyword search.
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SciLinks is a free service for textbook users, but obviously someone must pay for it. Participating textbook publishers pay a fee to the National Science Teachers Association for each book that contains SciLinks. Development was also supported by a grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
When designing the SciLinks system, we tried to make it as simple as possible to use. The SciLinks Code serves several purposes:
Also, by requiring users to enter a relatively short "code" rather than a scientific word or phrase, we hope to minimize typing mistakes that would cause the SciLinks system to respond with an error message.
Our web pages cover a lot of territory! The Search Team has located, evaluated, and organized tens of thousands of web pages, and we are adding more every day.
We do our best to screen all links and select only those that meet our stringent rubrics and review process. However, SciLinks does not operate or control the content found on such third-party sites, so we are not always aware when this content changes. If you discover a third-party link that contains inappropriate information, please contact us immediately.
In addition, please be aware that each of these third party sites maintains its own data collections and use policies. If you visit a web site linked to from SciLinks, you should consult that site's privacy policy before providing it with any of your personal information.
For more information about keeping kids safe online, please read about the http://www.coppa.org/coppa.htm.
It is still there, but instead of selecting from a drop down to login as a guest, users simply enter a code on the home page of SciLinks to see a listing of web pages for a given topic from a SciLinked text. This saves a step in the process, making SciLinks that much quicker.
Registration with SciLinks is easy.
Both students and teachers can register via the registration form, or teachers may register for their students and hand out user names and passwords fait accompli (already completed).
We collect a minimum amount of information from students (enough to identify them uniquely, such as first name, last initial, zip code). We also ask them a selected question which allows the Web site to automatically retrieve their password if they misplace it.
Having both teachers and students register enables the SciLinks utilities (Assignments, Favorite SciLinks) to work. Each registered student is linked in the database to his/her teacher, so that information passed through those utilities will go to the right person.
Finally, we request more information from teachers to help us identify where SciLinks is being used and improve our services. We also offer teachers the opportunity to add their e-mail address to a list for receiving news and information from the National Science Teachers Association.
There are a few reasons why your user name or password might not work:
You can obtain your password at forgot login page.
Teachers may enter the e-mail that was used for registration, and we will send the registered password.
If you are a student and did not answer the selected question (mother's maiden name or birth city) when registering, you may contact your teacher and ask him/her to provide your registration information, or you may re-register.
There are two ways to access the SciLinks materials:
Unfortunately, we cannot provide a master list of topic and SciLinks codes. You need a SciLinks text to use the publisher-supported service in its entirety, or you need an NSTA member ID # to access the keyword search version of the service.
That is because SciLinks is paid for by the textbook publishers or through NSTA membership fees. It is a service, with expenses, that NSTA provides free of charge to those using the printed material which contains SciLinks.
If you are a member of NSTA you can benefit from many of the features of SciLinks including:
If you are not a member of NSTA and would like more information, click here!
Yes. SciLinks is a feature that is paid for by the textbook publishers. It is a service, with expenses, that NSTA provides free of charge to those using the printed material which contains SciLinks.
If you are a member of NSTA you can benefit from additional features of SciLinks including:
Here are some sample SciLinks topics for you to try.
To learn how to view your Teacher's favorites, please visit here.
To learn how to register, please visit here: Teacher | Student.
Yes: grab any edge of the browser window by moving the mouse pointer over it, pressing the mouse button, and holding it down; now drag the edge to make the window larger or smaller. If you grab the lower right corner of the window, you can move the right and bottom edges at the same time.
To move the whole window, click in the colored bar at the top of the window and, keeping the button down, drag the window to where you want it.
You can maximize the new window to fill your entire screen by clicking on the middle button at the upper right of the window.
Yes, you can resize the text.
Do you have a question about something not covered here? Please contact us at scilinks.support@nsta.org.
Questions/Comments? Email us: scilinks.support@nsta.org or comment via the SciLinks Blog.