The UK Clinical Virology Network has created a fascinating and somewhat twisted little online game called Killer Flu. The game allows you to click on a person who is then stopped in his tracks. It shows you what strain of flu he is immune to, and, by spinning a sort of slot machine, you can mix up the key genes in the flu virus to create a new strain to which this person has no immunity. You then return him to his home base – a factory, farm, office, home, or hospital – where he goes and spreads the virus. By infecting enough people you try to get 25% of the population sick within the allotted time.

It’s a neat simulation of how viruses spread through a population. Given the recent outbreak of swine flu in several countries, when and where this game is played should be handled with a fair degree of sensitivity.

That said, any resource that can take something dull like the spreading of viruses and add excitement to it makes for better lessons which is better learning which is better teaching.

Hanging out on Twitter this morning someone tweeted about a new online game they’d found called Energyville. In it you are the all powerful entity that makes energy choices for a company and determines just how it will be powered. Almost any type of energy is available, and you’re rated on the economic, environmental, and security impacts of your decisions. You play in the present, and again in 2015. Random events such as terrorists attacks, droughts, or storms at sea affect the supply of certain kinds of energy.

Being sponsored by the energy company Chevron, there are, understandably, some issues of bias. Yet this remains an intriguing introduction to the choices made when we use power. Whether solar power, gasoline, or hydro power, there are costs involved in these decisions and I think this game does a decent job of reflecting that. It should prove as an interesting jumping off point for a discussion on energy use, environmentalism and stewardship.

If you team Energyville with a few rounds of ElectroCity you might have a great class period. In ElectroCity you also need to keep your city powered, but this simulation offers fewer types of electricity but more of other things like building, powering and paying for city amenities like farms, camp grounds, docks or ski hills. Between the two these sims you’ve got a great start for thought provoking class discusion.

If you’ve ever done an astronomy unit with a class and been asked by a student to find a particular star on some picture, you probably got stuck. Well, now there’s an easy solution.

Sky Map allows you to type in the name of any star you want and this neat little site will locate it for you. You can zoom in and out so you can see the star’s position relative to other objects.

You can also click on any star on the map to find out more about it, whether you know the star’s name or not.

Well, there’s periodic tables and then there’s periodic tables. If you want a handy dandy reference chart of all the elements that also shows common uses for the element as well as all of its molecular properties, you need to check out this site brought to you by Popular Science. It’s always convenient to have the Periodic Table of the Elements close at hand if you’re working on chemistry homework, or writing a science report.

Who would’ve thougt that microbes could be cute? This blog, focussing in on microbes, is both cute and informative. Sounds bizarre? Well, you need to check out Adopt a Microbe to see just what I mean. It’s a great little site that you could use for daily classroom trivia, or to have students study on their own for a pop quiz.