Phun and Molecular Workbench

Students, especially visual learners, often have great difficulty in grasping abstract scientific properties, and therefore are prone to avoid the continuation of such courses in the future. Students feel that the study of the sciences is not relevant to their lives and cannot visualize real-life applications for the subject matter. According to the National Science Foundation, fewer students enter and complete engineering programs. In 1983, over 441,000 students enrolled in full-time engineering programs, but the figure only reached 367,000 in 1994.

Through the generosity of the Motorola Foundation and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) (Molecular Workbench) and commercial advertisements (Phun), students and teachers have access to interactive, web-based programming that models complex mathematical and physics concepts in simplistic and entertaining activities. Engaging simulation activities, such as Phun and Molecular Workbench allow teachers to feed the curiosity of potential future mathematicians, chemists, and physicists. These high-quality, free (!!) educational programs assist students in developing high-level scientific skills through holistic and concrete applications for once complicated concepts (which undoubtedly turned potential science students away in the past due to frustration and inaccessibility to these simulations). Not only do the programs increase skill-level, but they foster interest in the subjects.

Phun is described as a “2D physics sandbox” in which participants construct objects and environments in order to observe their interactions and consequences of variations, such as adding hinges or springs, or manipulating properties such as friction or density. I viewed a well-designed video tutorial in order to build a brick wall and a catapulting machine. Step-by-step instructions allowed me to use properties of mechanics and physics to modify my machine. My machine was somewhat effective as it catapulted a sphere at the wall, knocking down half of it. Phun was addicting because I continued to alter characteristics of the machine in order to knock down the wall. After a little over an hour into the activity, I succumbed the Phun force and decided it was time to throw in the towel and move on.

The Molecular Workbench/Nanotech activity is more outwardly technical and, in my opinion, not as entertaining as Phun. Molecular Workbench imposes a fixed environment while Phun was much more open-ended in this particular aspect. In Molecular Workbench, the user manipulates variables, such as positive and negative charges within the environment, to physically see the results of such changes.

Both Phun and Molecular Workbench provide valuable learning opportunities through technology in which users “learn by doing”. Both are engaging and interactive and will capture the attention of students who are eager to truly understand the sciences.

Sketch-up Design

POV-Ray Design

global_settings { assumed_gamma 1.0 }#default{ finish{ ambient 0.1 diffuse 0.9 }} //--------------------------------------------------------------------------#include "colors.inc"#include "textures.inc"#include "glass.inc"#include "metals.inc"#include "golds.inc"#include "stones.inc"#include "woods.inc"#include "shapes.inc"#include "shapes2.inc"#include "functions.inc"#include "math.inc"#include "transforms.inc"//--------------------------------------------------------------------------// camera ------------------------------------------------------------------#declare Camera_0 = camera {/*ultra_wide_angle*/ angle 75 // front view location <0.0> right x*image_width/image_height look_at <0.0>}#declare Camera_1 = camera {/*ultra_wide_angle*/ angle 90 // diagonal view location <2.0> right x*image_width/image_height look_at <0.0>}#declare Camera_2 = camera {/*ultra_wide_angle*/ angle 90 // right side view location <3.0> right x*image_width/image_height look_at <0.0>}#declare Camera_3 = camera {/*ultra_wide_angle*/ angle 90 // top view location <0.0> right x*image_width/image_height look_at <0.0>}camera{Camera_0}// sun ---------------------------------------------------------------------light_source{<1500,2500,-2500> color White}
// sky ---------------------------------------------------------------#include "skies.inc"sky_sphere {S_Cloud4 // 1 - 5 scale 1 } //end of skysphere// fog ---------------------------------------------------------------------fog{fog_type 2 distance 50 color White*0.5 fog_offset 0.1 fog_alt 2.0 turbulence 0.8}
// ground ------------------------------------------------------------plane { <0,1,0>, 0 texture{ pigment{ color rgb<0.35,0.65,0.0>*0.72} normal { bumps 0.75 scale 0.015} finish { phong 0.1} } // end of texture } // end of plane


sphere { <0,0,0>, 0.3
texture{ pigment{ hexagon color White color Gray color Black } finish { diffuse 1 phong .5 } rotate<0,0,0> scale .035 translate<0,-.5,0> } // end of texture
scale<1,1,1> rotate<0,0,0> translate<0,.5,0> } // end of sphere ----------------------------------- object{ // Justification: either Align_Left, Align_Right, or Align_Center /* Circle_Text( Font, Text, LetterSize, LetterSpacing, Deepth, Radius, Inverted, Justification, Angle )*/ Circle_Text("arial.ttf", "GOAAALLLL!!!!!!!", 0.2 , 0.025, 15.00, 1.25, 1, Align_Center, 275) texture{ Polished_Chrome normal { bumps 0.1 scale 0.3} finish { diffuse 0.8 specular 1 reflection 0.25} } // end of texture rotate<10,0,0> scale<1,1,1> translate<0.3,2.8,-1> } // end of Circle_Text object -------------------------------------------
isosurface { //------------------------------------------------------------- function{ f_mesh1( x,y,z, 0.45, // distance between neighboring threads in the x direction, 0.30, // distance between neighboring threads in the z direction, 0.15, // relative thickness in the x and z directions, 0.05, // amplitude of the weaving effect, 0.25 // relative thickness in the y direction ) } contained_by {box {<-1,-1,-1>,<1,1,1>}} threshold 0.01 max_gradient 8 texture{ pigment{ color rgb <0.65,0.45,0.25>} normal { bumps 0.15 scale 0.015} finish { diffuse 0.9 specular 0.2 phong 0.7 } } rotate<-45,10,0> scale 1.5 translate<>} // end of isosurface ------------------------------------------------------- isosurface { //------------------------------------------------------------- function{ f_mesh1( x,y,z, 0.45, // distance between neighboring threads in the x direction, 0.30, // distance between neighboring threads in the z direction, 0.15, // relative thickness in the x and z directions, 0.05, // amplitude of the weaving effect, 0.25 // relative thickness in the y direction ) } contained_by {box {<-1,-1,-1>,<1,1,1>}} threshold 0.01 max_gradient 8 texture{ pigment{ color rgb <0.65,0.45,0.25>} normal { bumps 0.15 scale 0.015} finish { diffuse 0.9 specular 0.2 phong 0.7 } } rotate<0,0,0> scale 1.3 translate<>} // end of isosurface -------------------------------------------------------

TQ#7: My Gapminder Experience

Gapminder is an amazing web-based tool that transforms raw statistical data from the United Nation’s 2005 Human Development Report into colorful, interactive displays. The user chooses the information for the x- and y-axes to be graphed over a period of time on the coordinate plane. The data is manipulated as the user scrolls through the years, at the user’s determined rate of speed. A colorful and specific-sized dot represents each country, depending on its global location and population size. The user has the option of isolating a particular country to determine longitudinal trends.

Aside from the great mathematical applications of Gapminder, it allows for even deeper insight into societal discrepancies and global inequity. Users have the ability to visualize the movement of the dots across the coordinate plane and to physically see that the average life span in the United States in 1975 was seventy-three years old, but in Cambodia, it was only thirty-five. Or, the income per person in 1896 in the United Arab Emirates was $29,225, but in Ethiopia was only $531. Why is this? What allows some countries to excel and others to lag behind? Is this a form of cultural bias or is it due to a lack of medical professionals or technology or democracy?

Users will see trends emerge which most likely relate to historical events, allowing from an interconnectivity of all subjects or even an interdisciplinary unit utilizing the Gapminder data and a history textbook. Imagine the possibilities as students seek to understand which countries have major advantages over others and examine why!

I feel that Gapminder is an outstanding, innovative data display tool with some data that is relevant and age-appropriate for middle school students. Part of the data, however, is a bit too complex and more suitable for high school or college students, such as the trade, aid, and investment categories. There is also a separate section for advanced users. Unfortunately, my district has blocks Gapminder so my students will not have the opportunity to experience it in the classroom. I wonder if other districts likewise block Gapminder, and I plan to investigate why this is the case in my school.

TQ#6: Elluminate Live...really illuminating!

My teammates and I met on Elluminate Live! prior to our February 26, 2009 class. We chose Elluminate because we felt it would be most beneficial for us to learn its workings should another one of our Lehigh courses use this program for instruction. Corinne and I logged in a bit early at 7:30pm (probably because we were both first-timers and unsure of how our session would transpire!) and were able to view each other on the video window as well as hear each other surprisingly clear. We tried some of the functions such as the drawing tools and writing back and forth in the chat window. Corinne and I decided to then take a short break before our official meeting time of 8pm.

At 8pm, Cindy logged in. As soon as her video window appeared, Corinne was knocked off line. She tried for several minutes to restart her video feed, but was unable to do so. She eventually gave up on the video feed and focused solely on audio. Corinne’s audio was not nearly as clear as it was in our earlier meeting. It actually sounded like mice running around and squeaking. It was difficult to listen to and actually hurt my ears. She tried to disconnect as well re-run the audio set-up, but nothing seemed to help. (We all wore headphones, so this was not the issue.)

Since we were first-timers, we did not know that the fact that having all three of our microphones active simultaneously was the issue. In our class with Dr. Garrigan on the following evening, we learned that audio is much better in Elluminate when only one microphone is utilized at any given time. Furthermore, we later learned that Cindy and I should have deactivated our videos so that the amount of memory that videos require would have been freed up, thus making the session run more smoothly.

All in all, our team meeting on Elluminate was frustrating because we could not successfully work out the kinks. None of us was knowledgeable enough in Elluminate to lead the others in the experience. Our meeting taught us a valuable lesson: Training is a key component in learning new technologies. Elluminate can be used to empower both students and teachers both in the present and future as long as appropriate training is implemented prior to a session. If not, time is wasted when no one is proficient is use of the technology and feelings of irritation emerge instead of a sense of wonder at its capabilities. I felt much more confident in using Elluminate following our class session with Dr. Garrigan. He instructed us and gave us helpful tips along the way so that the class experience was a positive and productive one.

In addition to the Elluminate meeting, I created a podcast using Audacity. I was surprised at the ease at which I was able to create it. I recorded myself making a pancake batter recipe. I made mistakes along the way and discarded several recordings until I felt comfortable with this one: ..\..\pancake batter recipe podcast.aup