Re: [seul-edu] Phase 1 Science Evaluation

["pixonet" <pixonet@pacoimaweb.org>]

I am not sure what are the requierements, for the apps testing.

Nevertheless, here is another point of view, not on specific apps, but
on some good points of apps at first perceived as useless in Charlie
comments.

I am not trying to put down Charlie comments, simply to present another
thought, or another way to see things.


First I agree apps that are missing parts or not working properly, need
improvement before being added into a cd targeted at young students.


For the past few weeks or months, I had the opportunity to observe my
daughter do her homework using a computer (part of the time). I prepared
her a P-133 MHz with 128 MB of RAM. She use it for some apps she did not
had on her Macintosh (7600).
Also to discover on her own, the "cool stuff" dad show her...
Some apps run slow (typically rotating a molecule), but she did not
noticed it.


She did try several "Periodic tables".
I put several of them to find out if she liked the same as I did, or
not. The result is interesting.

She prefered one because the colors are nicers.
I prefered one that I could ask her questions on it, then we clicked on
it to get the data (atomic weight,...).

She has a nice periodic table in her school book, but it is not the
same, school book remind her homework, on the computer, it is more like
a game.


> ...online only. Nothing to provide on a cdrom
> ...This is an online thing -- there's nothing to install. It is a "portal"

I feel nothing is wrong by having a portal.
Their is a chance it actually is one of the few apps:
- that are o.s. independant.
- Possibly also one of the most uptodated app available.

They could be at the end of an index in each subject, such as "more info
online".


> ...little balls and toothpicks is all you need.

A "digital" application can add some value to an "analog" one...


> ...If you're learning Chemistry, this sort of thing would be a distraction.

If an application seems a distraction, it may need to be supervised,
perhaps proposing the author for a modification, it might be all it need
to be acceptable. Meanwhile it can also be used when it is time to take
a break.

At time to take a break, I would prefer to see a child play with a
periodic table, or fascinated by the demo of rotating a molecule, than to
a game such
as Doom, Quake,...


> ...Unit conversion is not worthy of a computer program.

Well, I am amaze by the few number of people that can convert between
units of different systems. I agree with you, it may not be the best use
of a computer, I still think it is not a useless app as long as it present
the conversion parameters, so students can see them each time they use it,
after a while they will know them by heart.


> ...the whole purpose of paper lab notebooks is to not re-edit
your work.

Can't it be done fully on a computer, (from note taking to completion) ?


This is just another way of seeing things.
Depending the requirement, they may not apply.

     Eugene