Virtual science labs are popping up everywhere online. It appears that there are several types of labs. There are interactive sites for elementary and middle school science. A few of these were documented in my earlier blog (see Virtual Science Labs, Friday 3/21/08). In some of these sites, students can move objects around with their mouse, collect and analyze data, and draw conclusions (such as the Weight and Mass lab from explorelearning.com). The virtual school I am working with has several of these laboratories.
For example, in the sixth grade science course, students learn about density in a virtual lab. The student has a virtual object of a given shape. The student picks up the object with the mouse and places it on a virtual scale. This gives the student the mass of the object. The student then puts the object in a virtual graduated cylinder filled part way with virtual water. The student finds the volume based on the displacement of water. The student is to calculate density by dividing mass by volume. Next, the student is asked to predict if the object will sink or float in a pail of water. The student will look at density to aid in the prediction (density < 1 =" float;"> 1 = sink). Finally, the student will put the virtual object in a virtual pail of water to test the prediction. Throughout the process, there are also questions the student can answer to receive a self-check, and instant feedback.
Wouldn’t it be better to do this lab with real objects, scales, and graduated cylinders? There are many opinions on this matter. In the article “The Virtual Lab Experiment”, Dan Carnevale discusses the positive attributes of virtual labs. His article is written from the college perspective, but I believe the arguments hold true for high school and middle school science. Here is a summary of some of the positive attributes of virtual labs:
1. Students can conduct experiments from the safety of their homes
2. Dangerous chemicals are not used
3. The student has some flexibility to experiment on their own rather than follow strict and rigid rules
4. Students have time to experiment freely
5. Students can experiment with any combination of items without danger to themselves
6. Real lab supplies and equipment are costly
7. Some schools do not have budget for costly items
8. Virtual labs may be adequate for students who need a science course but are not planning on studying science in college
9. Students may be given more variables in a virtual lab than in a real lab
Article from the January 31, 2003 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education Information Technology (http://chronicle.com/free/v49/i21/21a03001.htm).
Another angle on the virtual lab is to combine a virtual experiment with an experiment conducted at home using inexpensive, store-bought materials. The same sixth grade science course offers labs such as these as well. For example, in a laboratory on mitosis, a student works with a parent or guardian and cuts an onion, stains it, and looks at it up close with a magnifying glass. The student should at least see little dots on the onion, which would be the nuclei of the cells. The student then goes online and gets feedback photos of onions, onion cells, nuclei, and cells undergoing mitosis. There are written comments and picture downloads the student can get from their instructors. The student answers questions online about the onion, phases of mitosis, and other similar information. The teacher in turn provides feedback to the student.
Just a note about these online labs at the middle school level: The virtual school requires that all physical labs are supervised by an adult. Prior to performing a lab, the parent must sign and fax in a lab safety and adult consent form.
3 comments:
I can see the pros of virtual science laboratories. I do not teach science and will not even pretend that I remember much of it today. The fact that a sixth grade student can receive lab materials in the mail and successfully complete a lab seems far fetched; however, it's happening. Your comment about the enjoyment of have hands-on labs sticks in my mind. There seems to be a sense of accomplishment and excitement in being able to manipulate variables and discover the patterns present.
I keep wanting to compare virtual experiments to flight simulators used by pilots and astronauts. The mention of using a home hands on lab with a virtual experiment is similar to pilots that use simulators to learn the tough aspects then can actually use real planes or rockets. An extreme, but if they can make the combination work surely other areas in science and engineering can.
I can't imagine my science labs not being hands on, but I also would have enjoyed virtually working with materials that are otherwise too dangerous or expensive.
I think at this point in time one of the extreme benefits of the virtual science lab would be the fact that the expenses are minimized. In a day when budget cuts are ramped throughout the education system, the more financially conservative option is more likely the one that will be chosen. In your opinion as a science teacher, do you feel like students walk away with the same knowledge that is obtained by those who participate in hands-on labs?
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