Content Area Learning Activities: Math & Science
Edheads: Trauma
In this simulation, the participant is a resident in the emergency department helping to treat and stabilize a patient that just arrived from a car crash. Participants are given information about the patient's condition when arriving at the ER, and asked questions throughout the process as a part of the decision making team with the doctor and pharmacist. The participant gets to interact with the patient by taking a blood pressure, cleaning a wound, and preparing a broken bone for a splint. The end of the simulation spends much time focusing on drug overdose. The entire simulation took approximately 30 minutes. The questions and interaction in the lesson as you progress through the simulation, so some participants may lose interest. Ease of Use: The simulation is very easy to navigate. There are on-screen prompts to follow in addition to the voice narration (which is also available in a manuscript just below the window). The simulation becomes more difficult when students are asked to identify problem areas on x-rays and ultrasounds, which students may not have had exposure to before and when students are asked to identify possible drugs that were used in the patient's overdose without providing much background information. Educational Value: The simulation would be very useful for a student who might be considering a career in health sciences. Some of the information was provided at entry level details while other information and questions required more advanced knowledge of the medical topics. This simulation would have a good use in a biology class, anatomy class, or health class to provide reinforcement and examples of the discussion on blood pressure, bones, x-rays, ultrasounds, or drug interactions. Age Appropriateness: The simulation is advertised for students in grades 7-12. I think that 7th-8th grade students will benefit from the simulation, but some of the medical information may still be too advanced for that age group. Application to Algebra 1: After completing the simulation, students will need to graph the Glasgow Coma scale scores taken throughout the patient's stay and calculate the rate of change. |
Gizmos: Distance vs. Time
This simulation allows students to adjust points on a graph to vary the distance from the starting point over a 4 second time frame. Users can manipulate a graph for 1 runner or 2 runners at a time. The user can also turn the graph and/or animation display on and off. Ease of Use: This is a very easy simulation to use. Students only need to move sliders on the number of points and the distance they want the runner to travel. They click the green stop watch when they are ready to see the race. Educational Value: The graph and the simulated runner at the bottom of the page offer students a good opportunity to discuss distance and the interpretation of motion that does not always appear horizontally on a graph as we see it in real life. The graphs can also be used to spark a discussion about the acceleration that may be required for a 2nd runner to pass the initial runner. A teacher might develop the graph prior to class and then display only the animation to have the students sketch their own graph of the runner to demonstrate understanding. Age Appropriateness: This simulation is advertised for high school level physics, and it can be used for manipulations in that case. It can also be used for middle school students who are just being introduced to graphs. Application to Algebra 1: The distance vs. time graphs would be useful in the classroom to show students that lines with a positive slope do not have to mean that a person is walking uphill. |
National Library of Virtual Manipulatives: How High?
This simulation requires students to predict the height of liquid in a new container when pouring it out of a container whose dimensions are known. The simulation does not tell you if your predictions are correct or not other than by a visual comparison of the liquid level and the height of your slider prediction, but it is difficult to tell the different between a height of 2.3 units and 2.4 units. Some of the sketches also make it difficult to tell if the slider height is at the front of the object or the back of the object in the 3D sketch. Ease of Use: The simulations is easy to use for making changes in the type of 3D object that is used, to make the prediction, to observe the results, and to try additional simulations. Educational Value: This simulation will provide students in younger grades with exposure to ideas about volume in different shapes. This simulation can also help secondary students to visualize the abstract idea of how changes in one dimension can affect the volume of a 3D object. This could also be used in a physical science or chemistry classroom prior to having students select a graduated cylinder large enough to hold all the required solutions for an experiment. Age Appropriateness: The website has this simulation available for students in grades 6-12. This simulation may not be as useful or challenging for students in the upper grades after completion of a 3D Geometry course. Application to Algebra 1: Students will need to practice using evaluation skills and the order of operations while calculating the volume using the formulas. Students can also practice solving literal equations for the height after knowing the volume that needs to fit into the second object. |
Web Adventures in Science: CSI - The Experience
This simulation is based in the television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. It has users participate as a rookie in a forensics laboratory with the option to explore the lab on your own to to take tours with with experienced characters from the TV show. Participants can explore forensic biology, toxicology, firearms, the medical examiner, and ethics. There are interactive questions to keep the audience engaged and make sure that the rookie is understanding the process before going to a real crime scene available in more advanced simulations. Ease of Use: The simulation is well designed to be user-friendly. There are many options available to allow the user choices in what topics to explore next or how to learn about the next item. Educational Value: The explanations use technical vocabulary, but they explain it so that participants can still understand without a background in this field. Students in an anatomy or biology class learning about the human body and DNA would gain a good deal of knowledge through this simulation. Some teachers might use this simulation as an introduction to a unit about the human body or others may use it as a wrap-up and review to demonstrate all that was learned. Age Appropriateness: The simulation is geared towards middle school and high school age students. The academic level of the content is appropriate for students to engage with. Some of the mention about screening for drugs or the use of firearms may be too mature for some students. Application to Algebra 1: Students can record data that they learn and then practice statistics while considering the probability of certain events occurring. |