Lesson 7: Educational Software

           There are so many different types of educational software available to today’s educators, the task of selecting which ones are relevant and which are just plain bad can be a daunting task. Luckily, our school district, like many others these days,  employs full-time time technical support people and curriculum coaches to help us in selecting software that both meets our curriculum standards, student needs, and budget.

          Last year I used virtual dissection software with my 6^th grade science students. Being the first time that most of them had ever experienced dissection, I thought it was a good idea to let them go through a “dry run” before the actual “live” dissection (the students are live, the frogs are dead). I accessed the software via my computer in the classroom and used an LCD projector to present it to the class. The software guided the user through the steps of dissection: how to place the frog in the tray, how to pin it, where and how to make the appropriate cuts in the frog, etc. Short videos showed the students what to do, and then they followed through by making the incisions to the frog themselves. I had students take turns doing the dissection on my computer, while the others watched on the screen.

          It was a good introduction and allowed me to get a good idea of who I should assign and not assign as lab partners. Somebody has to actually cut the real frog! The students that volunteered to virtually dissect really enjoyed it, but the students who were grossed out did not. I felt that it was important that all the students follow the dissection on the screen, even if they were squeamish, to better prepare them for the actual event. On the screen they did not have to deal with the smell, textures, and sounds of the actual dissection, but they would learn much of the same anatomy and physiology of the frog that they would be required to know.

Eventually, I would like to actually purchase a class license to use in the computer lab so that all of the students could do the virtual dissection, instead of using only one copy on my computer. Budgets being what they are and considering that I only do this once a year, I don’t think that that will happen, however.

          This year, as I prepare to do dissection again with my students, I am going to try to find software (freeware) that is easy to use, of good quality, and appropriate grade level for my 6^th grade students. There are many options out there that meet these needs. I just need to do my research.