Technology Fun in Science

Is it possible that, every time we take a breath, we are breathing air that was once breathed by famous historical people, say, Julius Caesar's last breath? A unit in an introductory chemistry course for MCTP students that concludes with the students constructing spreadsheets to answer this question.

GenScope introduces a new paradigm for educational technology, a hypermodel, that uses the computer to bridge the gap between a model and the physical world the model represents, between the "facts and figures" offered us by the natural world and the mental associations we construct to explain them. In the traditional textbook approach to teaching science the goal is primarily to give students information. GenScope helps them turn that information into knowledge. To illustrate genetic phenomena GenScope starts with a fictitious species -- dragons. These creatures are drawn in an appealing Walt Disney style and have a simple genetic structure that is useful pedagogically and does not prematurely raise such sensitive issues as the pros and cons of genetic engineering.

Gravitation is a two dimensional graphical gravity/orbital simulation for the Macintosh. Both fun and educational! Build solar systems, gravity slingshots, or create your own asteroid belt! Lots of sample solar systems are included or you can create your own with the built in point and click editor. Version 5.0 includes cool color graphics, an improved editor, 25 planet capacity (up from 10), the ability to simulate tiny moons and asteroids, System 7 help balloons and more. Documentation is built in. Shareware. Nominated for the Best Shareware award by the Boston Computer Society. Author: Jeff Rommereide (J.ROMMEREIDE@genie.geis.com)

Simulation of saving and investing for retirement. It shows how much you can accumulate in a tax-deferred retirement account (e.g. an IRA or 401k account) by saving a certain amount each year and investing it in any combination of fixed-interest or variable (equity) instruments. You can control the amount invested, the rate at which that amount is increased with time, the return on your investments, and the volatility (uncertainty) of the investment return. Graphs show the growth of your principal with time, the amount saved and the return on equiities vs time, for a 35-year period from age 30 to age 65 (normal retirement age).

Remarkable program that displays sound waveforms and spectra of sounds picked up by the microphone in real time. Requirements: any Macintosh model with an attached or built-in microphone.

Real-time, theory-based interactive simulations of some simple electronic circuits for a course in elementary practical instrumentation electronics. Used after the students have constructed and studied the circuits in the laboratory, in an effort to deepen their conceptual understanding. Simulations help to bridge the gap between the static, two-dimensional symbolic representations of traditional schematic diagrams and the real, 3-dimensional circuits in the laboratory. Students work with representations that actually work and respond to changes just like the real circuits, yet look just like the schematic diagrams in their textbooks. For Macintosh.