If you want to see some of the best in classroom technology today, look
at the software available for science classes. It's not hard to figure out
why science has been so blessed: Science teachers, often tinkerers and innovators
at heart, have been among the pioneers in using educational technology.
Beginning with the early movies and videos, technology has allowed science
teachers to safely demonstrate potentially dangerous lab experiments and
to take classes on electronic field trips to exotic locations. In the early
1990s, science teachers led the way in using laser disc players, which many
thought would be the next great technology for the classroom. But the players
never did take off -- they were too bulky, too expensive, and not very interactive.
In the end, they couldn't compete with the convenience and comparatively
low cost of CD-ROMs.
Over the past two years, I've watched the quality of CD-ROMs improve
dramatically. Many of the discs that impressed me in late 1996 and early
1997 pale in comparison to what's available now, especially for science
classes. (I've also seen some real duds, but more about that later.) Here
are my favorites, with Internet addresses and phone numbers so you can check
prices for volume purchases:
For the youngest scientists
My Amazing Human Body.
DK Publishing. (800) 937-5557.
Ages 5 to 9. This is undoubtedly my favorite elementary science CD. The
whimsical Seymour Skinless skeleton guides the user through a variety of
activities that are highly creative and interactive. Students can click
and drag to assemble a skeleton, can race against a timer in finishing the
assembly, and can even put body parts together in goofy ways. I particularly
like the sections on nutrition and health, which teach important concepts
about respiration, digestion, and other biological processes. Using Microsoft's
DirectX multimedia software for animations, this superb and sophisticated
program puts to shame other programs that offer washed-out versions of boring
videos on tiny computer screens.
 Thinkin' Science.
Edmark. (800) 691-2986. Ages 5
to 8. With Edmark's typical user-friendly installation and inviting interface,
this Mac/Windows hybrid disc is a delightful complement to Edmark's classic
Sammy's Science House,
which offers science lessons on everything from fungi to weather. In Thinkin'
Science, games like Animal Tracking, Fun Physics, Day and Night, Mystery
Cave, and What Did You See? are both fun and educationally sound, with activities
that help kids learn scientific methods and concepts.
Ultimate
Science Success Pack.
Knowledge Adventure. (800) 542-4240.
Ages 6 to 10. My son was upset several years ago when we switched to Windows
95 and the DOS version of 3-D Dinosaur became a little too unstable to run.
Now, this award-winning program is back, better than ever in full Windows
glory, as part of a four-CD set produced by the same folks who brought us
the popular Jumpstart software. The other discs in the set include 3-D Body
(warning: there's no fig-leaf option on this anatomy CD); Undersea Adventure,
which has neat games and nice movie clips; and Aviation Adventure, with
its comprehensive pictorial and video encyclopedia database plus an awesome
feature that allows kids to create aerodynamically sound paper airplanes.
For growing scientists
 Discovering
Endangered Wildlife and A
Fieldtrip to the Rainforest Deluxe.
Sunburst. (800) 321-7511.
Grades 4 to 8. These two new offerings are typical of the excellent programs
Sunburst is producing these days. I especially like the Wildlife CD, where
kids can hear animal calls, see video clips, research data, and challenge
themselves with an intricate puzzle game. Both programs come with superb
directions, both onscreen and in ring-binder teacher manuals. (The Rainforest
manual also contains extensive duplication activities that teachers will
like.) Check for lab pack and special offers on all Sunburst programs; the
company offers some exceptional budget pricing for volume purchases.
Everything
Weather: The Essential Guide to the Whys and Wonders of Weather.
The Weather Channel (distributed by Sunburst).
(800) 321-7511. Grades 4 to 8. Mac or Windows. If you like the Weather Channel
on TV, you'll appreciate this CD, with its great photographs, interactive
weather maps, and fascinating videos. (The quality of the QuickTime movie
clips is excellent, with some fantastic shots of killer tornadoes.) Also
nice: a comprehensive Teacher's Guide that provides a framework for using
the software across the curriculum, complete with lesson plans and master
student handouts.
Message
in a Fossil: Uncovering the Past.
Steck-Vaughn. (800) 531-5015.
Grades 2 to 7. This award-winning CD is my favorite science program for
middle-schoolers. It's loaded with fascinating information about plant and
animal fossils. Technology buffs will appreciate the fact that the program
can be run from the CD without installing any files on the hard drive. Jointly
designed by Edunetics and Sunburst, the CD is sold by both Sunburst and
Steck-Vaughn. I prefer the latter version because Steck-Vaughn also offers
a kit that includes manipulatives (real fossils), books, and several other
teaching aids.
Raintree
Interactive Science Encyclopedia.
Steck-Vaughn. (800) 531-5015.
Grades 2 to 7. If you need ideas for science fair projects, take a look
at this disc, which comes with a full-color science projects book, a comprehensive
classroom guide, and a user's guide. I especially like the lab projects
and the interactive timeline of science. This CD contains 20 interactive
experiments and provides directions for another 150 experiments to try in
class or at home. It also serves as an encyclopedia reference disc, with
nearly 3,000 articles covering all areas of science. Students can use the
program to perform searches, keep records of favorite articles, take notes,
and see and hear photos, videos, sound effects, and even animations.
High school programs
 BioLab Fly,
BioLab Frog,
BioLab Invertebrate,
and BioLab Pig.
Pierian Spring Software. (800) 213-5054.
Ages 10 to adult. I used to firmly believe that nothing could replace the
hands-on experience of dissecting a real animal in a classroom lab, but
this software series comes close to convincing me otherwise. As a supplement
or an alternative to lab dissections, these programs are simply the best
around for software laboratory simulations. (The BioLab Invertebrate, in
case you're wondering, features an earthworm, a crayfish, and a sea star.)
BodyWorks
6.0.
The Learning Co. (800) 852-2255.
Ages 10 to adult. The latest update of the award-winning Bodyworks has some
neat new features: more than 80 three-dimensional rotating models, 100,000
new words, and video lectures delivered by a Star Trek look-a-like, Dr.
BodyWorks. The program also offers access to the latest Internet medical
information and an extensive web site directory. A fig-leaf option is available
for bashful classrooms.
The
Digital Field Trip to the Rainforest.
Digital Frog International.
(800) 621-FROG. Ages 13 and up. This new CD produced by a small Canadian
software company is even better than the company's two earlier offerings,
The Digital
Frog and The
Digital Field Trip to the Wetlands. Making extensive use of virtual
reality technology, the Rainforest version allows students to explore the
Blue Creek Rainforest Reserve in Belize, Central America. The menu navigation
system is quite innovative and can be run entirely from the CD -- a real
plus for machines with super-fast CD drives. Make sure you buy the educational
version, which provides a hard-copy workbook as well as a useful field guide.
 Eyewitness
Encyclopedia of Science 2.0.
DK Publishing. (800) 937-5557.
Ages 10 to adult. Coming from DK's extensive line of topnotch science programs,
this superlative CD-ROM program has an excellent section on famous scientists,
a Quiz Master that tests students on their knowledge, and informative sections
on mathematics, physics, chemistry, life sciences, Earth and the universe,
and the Periodic Table.
Eyewitness
Encyclopedia of Space and the Universe.
DK Publishing. (800) 937-5557.
Ages 10 to adult. My hands-down favorite for the high school crowd. A clean-cut
menu system leads to stunning visual effects and concise descriptions of
important facts about astronomy and the space program. I especially like
the extensive biographical information on scientists and astronauts and
the challenging, interactive games that involve students in landing a lunar
module and launching a rocket. Very well done indeed.
An Odyssey
of Discovery: Earth and Space.
Pierian Spring Software. (800)
213-5054. Ages 10 to adult. From the makers of an excellent multimedia authoring
program (Digital Chisel), this science program was developed by teachers
to impart critical-thinking skills and to align with the National Science
Education Standards. Students "enter" a three-dimensional building
and work with interactive modules on such activities as locating spacecraft,
helping a scientist from the past determine the circumference of the Earth,
or examining a fossil bed and developing theories to explain the evidence
they uncover.
 The Ultimate
Human Body 2.0.
DK Publishing. Ages 10 to adult.
It's not hard to find an anatomy CD that rotates pictures of human organs.
What makes this one special is that it also provides three-dimensional,
two-dimensional, and X-ray views of the body. An MMX version of this CD
takes advantage of Intel's new multimedia technology and allows remarkably
clear, full-screen videos at 25 frames per second. This CD would be great
for biology classes, as a reference in the library, and as an incentive
to the budding doctors in your school.
About those duds. . .
While I'm generally impressed with the high quality of the science software
currently available, I'm dismayed at the number of programs that are difficult
to install, hard to use, and/or just plain boring. Vendors need to work
much harder at developing programs that take full advantage of the 32-bit
Windows operating systems in both Windows 95 and Windows 98. Discs that
have confusing installations and instructions, or that depend on older 16-bit
QuickTime movie players, bring unnecessary (and sometimes expensive) grief
to schools.
Insist on PC discs that are truly Plug and Play, not Plug and Pray. If
you're not satisfied in this regard, demand your money back. Schools represent
a huge market for software vendors, and vendors need to learn that poor-quality
programs will ruin their business.
And before committing your district to large purchases, ask vendors for
preview samples that teachers and kids can try out. This will give you a
better idea of whether the CDs are easy to use -- and whether they meet
the objectives of your science curriculum.
Russell Smith, an educational technology consultant for Region 14 Education
Service Center in Abilene, Texas, recently received an award from the Texas
State Teacher's Association for the Best Continuing Educational Newspaper
Column for 1997. He welcomes comments and questions. |
