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TEACHING RESOURCES INFORMATION

TITLE OF TEACHING RESOURCE
Chemistry Experiment Simulations and Conceptual Computer Animations
IMAGE
NAME OF AUTHOR(S)
Tom Greenbowe (Iowa State University)
TYPE OF PRODUCT
Downloadable software
LEVEL OF CHEMISTRY KNOWLEDGE
Medium, Advanced
PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH
Modelling, Experiential learning
SUBJECT AREA
Fundamental Chemistry
TARGET GROUP LEVEL
Lower Secondary School, Upper Secondary School
LANGUAGE/S OF TEACHING RESOURCES
English
TUTORIAL SUPPORT
Yes
DESCRIPTION
The website presents a collection of Chemistry Experiment Simulations and Conceptual Computer Animations that can be used by university and upper secondary school students.
This downloadable material covers ten different chemistry topics:
- Electrochemistry (reactions of metals and metal ions experiment; electrochemical cell experiment; concentration cells electrochemical cell experiment; electrolysis electrochemical cell experiment).
- Redox titration (redox titration experiment).
- Gas laws (Boyle's law; Charles' law; manometer experiment; crush the can).
- Thermochemistry (heat of neutralization experiment; heat of solution experiments; heat transfer between metals and water experiment; particulate nature of matter view of a metal at different temperatures; particulate nature of matter view of dissolving a solid salt, NaCl, in water).
- Solutions (conductivity simulation; using a spec-20 to determine the concentration of solutions; boiling-point elevation and freezing-point depression experiment; vapor pressure experiment; sodium chloride dissolving in water).
- Acid-base equilibria (pH measurements of acids & bases; pH measurements: salts & buffers; acid-base ph titration simulation).
- General equilibria (bromine liquid-gas equilibrium animation; cobalt chloride equilibrium animation; NO2 N2O4 equilibrium animation).
- Stoichiometry (empirical formula of a compound; amount of moles and atoms in metals; combustion reactions of hydrocarbons with excess oxygen; combustion reactions of hydrocarbons (with oxygen gas) - limiting reagent present; acid-base titration).
- Measurement (functions and variables associated with stretching springs).
- Kinetics (method of initial rates simulation; method of initial rates at the molecular level; rate of a chemical reaction; Arrhenius equation: temperature, rate constants, and activation energy experiment) .
- Predicting the products of chemical reactions (periodic trends in electronegativity; chemical bonds using Spartan electron density maps; hydrogen bonding between water molecules; SN2 reactions using Spartan electron density maps).

The simulations and animations can be used to illustrate and support several concepts, given in the classroom. Many of the simulations reproduce laboratory experiments and have an associated tutorial. This document provides a script on how to use the software and proposes a set of experiments and related questions to students.
COMMENTS
This software was developed by Professor Tom Greenbowe from the Chemical Education Research Group, Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University, USA. It can be downloaded and used offline. The experiments are easy to use and reproduce in a realistic manner some laboratory equipment.
Unfortunately, it is only available in English.
NAME OF THE REVIEWING ORGANISATION
Instituto Politécnico de Bragança

Comments about this Publication

Your comments are welcome


Date: 2014.07.02

Posted by A.F. Sousa (Portugal)

Message: This review is focused on the simulation “Reactions of Metals and Metal Ions Experiment”, included in the ELECTROCHEMISTRY section of the Chemistry Experiment Simulations and Conceptual Computer Animations.

Is the teaching resource described useful for you? Why?
The resource is very useful to concretize a topic requiring a high degree of abstraction as the transfer of electrons is not observable; students can view the result of a redox reaction, but they don\'t always understand what\'s happening at a microscopic level. By providing the possibility to observe the phenomenon at the molecular scale, students can understand better how these reactions are processed.

Which learning objectives can be reached by using the resource?
The students can understand better the concepts of oxidation and reduction, oxidizing and reducing power, as well as how to sort metals according to these characteristics. They can also identify the metals that are attacked by acids.

Do you think it can increase students’ interest toward chemistry? Why?
Yes, chemistry is a science that often requires a high degree of abstraction. This resource allows concepts concretization and is usually attractive for youth, who have generally a high appetence for digital media. In this way, the useful – study chemistry – is joined with pleasure – do it autonomously, in a ludic and non-conventional way.
Do you think it can help students to understand better and faster? Why?
Yes. The experimental part is not always very easy to implement and very often students get disappointed with the results. There is still the idea that all the experiments made in the laboratory are visually spectacular leading immediately to the expected results. The reality is quite different and very often the results are quite diverse from the expected, for various reasons. In the case of oxidation-reduction reactions, their observation and conclusions drawn are not always very easy. With this simulation, the results can be properly presented and explained, leading to the rapid assimilation of concepts. As so, it will help students to better understand the results when performing the experimental part, as well as to seek for explanations when results diverge from the predicted.

Do you think it proposes an innovative didactic approach? Why?
Yes. This approach meets the recommendations of experts regarding how science must be learned: instead of a learning/teaching process centered in the teacher, leaving students with a passive role, a simulation like this can motivate students to actively think about the issues and seek for answers autonomously. The teacher will have thus a guiding role, orientating student argumentation towards the desired answers.

Concerning my experience, I think I still have a lot to learn. About this particular resource, I think I have all the conditions to apply it properly: I have already studied it and my school is equipped with classrooms prepared for this type of activities. It may be a little more difficult gathering the laboratory conditions to perform the experimental part so satisfactorily.

Date: 2014.05.05

Posted by Lília Braz (Portugal)

Message: This review is focused on the simulation “Reactions of Metals and Metal Ions Experiment”, included in the ELECTROCHEMISTRY section of the Chemistry Experiment Simulations and Conceptual Computer Animations.

The digital resource \"Reactions of Metals and Metal Ions Experiment\" is an excellent tool. It is a resource very rich in contents related to oxidation-reduction (one of the chemistry themes, lectured in the 11th grade), with high interactivity and easy to use. It has become very useful for me, either in a perspective of contents presentation either for knowledge consolidation, for my students.
The presentation of the resource in the classroom, allows observing the behavior of different metals when placed in various aqueous solutions, in a fast and easy way, which sometimes it’s not possible to do in the laboratory. The animation of the reactions at molecular level helps students to understand better what really happens in this type of chemical reactions. The exercise allows students to apply the concepts learned and to make their learning assessment regarding this topic.
As it is a very interactive tool, it stimulates the learning process of chemistry and, in particular, increases students’ interest in the subject.

Date: 2013.06.16

Posted by João Paulo Matos (Portugal)

Message: Digital resources are very useful as a complement to our teaching activity. Essentially, I see these resources as a tool to demonstrate concepts that cannot be demonstrated experimentally. The choice of the resources that I use relies mostly on their degree of interactivity and graphical aspects. The reason for these criteria is to try to motivate students and the need for students to experiment, by changing the relevant variables for a given problem and, then, distinguish the most meaningful ones.
When concepts are more abstract, digital simulations reveal an extraordinary usefulness. The age group of my students, from lower and upper secondary school, needs to “see”, and has some difficulties to understand more theoretical space models.
Amongst the many simulations included in this resource I have used, for example, the reduction of copper by zinc. At first, the graphical design captivates students’ attention and their predisposition for understanding the concepts of oxidation and reduction increases. The representation of particles through the use of spheres is very clear to explain the electrons transfer and the transformation of particles associated to this transfer.
As a final user of these resources, I have the necessary conditions for their application in the classroom context. However, I do not have the informatics knowledge that would allow me to make improvements in order to adjust the resource to each particular situation. Though I know that small changes require a large amount of work, there are situations in which the lack of interactivity decreases tremendously the potential of the resource. Therefore, I find relevant in-service training in this area so that I can adapt the material that others generously produce and I could contribute more to the school community.

Date: 2013.06.14

Posted by Adília Tavares Silva (Portugal)

Message: The simulations and animations available on this website are very useful because they allow teachers to explain various chemistry contents that students find difficult to understand.
In secondary school, I have used some of these resources combined with laboratory practice. I have noticed that by implementing a mixed methodology, i.e., experimental work and computer simulations, students become more motivated, improve autonomy, questioning and hypotheses formulation. During the exploration of these simulations the students are able to understand better chemical transformations that are not visible at macroscopic level.
The methodology implemented by myself (interactive simulations and laboratory work) was favoured by the fact that my school was recently subjected to a deep technological modernization, according to the Technological Plan for Education, adopted by Portugal in 2007. This plan, in addition to computer equipment, also promoted teachers’ training in ICT focused on its pedagogical use in the classroom. In conclusion, a scientific and technological education environment motivates teachers to adopt innovative didactical approaches and students to develop a more effective learning.

Date: 2013.02.02

Posted by Zuzana Haláková (Slovakia)

Message: A great web page which consists of 10 various topics from chemistry which are focused at advanced students of chemistry. A draft of the web page helps to understand and explain terms difficult for high abstraction, it allows us to visualize given topics at microscopic basis which would be understood much more difficult without using computer snimations or stimulations. Each topic consists of relatively complete experimental protocols, animations and simulations and in addition to theoretical explanations there are also exercises at different levels of difficulty. I do not want to mention all 10 topics but there are for example: electrochemistry (reactions of metals and metallic ions – exercise; electrochemical cell – exercise; concentration of electrochemical cells; cell experiment; electrolysis as an exercise), gas laws (Boyl’s rule, Karl’s rule, experiment with manometer, thermochemistry (heat of neutralization test, transfer of heat between metals and water – exercise; nature of particles of a matter; look at a metal in various temperatures, nature of particles of matter with respect to dissolving of salt in water)), simulation of conductivity by using a spectrometer-20 for designation of concentration of solutions, boiling point and freezing point; vapor pressure – exercise; sodium chloride dissolved in water); kinetics (method of initial rates – simulation, method of initial rates at molecular basis; speed of a chemical reaction and etc.). This teaching resource has a very good structure and represents a good help for intermediate and high level of learning chemistry.

Date: 2013.01.25

Posted by Iwona Krawczyk - Kłys (Poland)

Message: Chemistry Experiment Simulations and Conceptual Computer Animations is a very useful website with interactive and highly interesting content in the field of chemical experiments and simulations. It is coordinated and run by Tom Greenbowe ([email protected]) Professor of Chemistry and Coordinator of General Chemistry
Iowa State University.
The website contains interactive simulations available in zipped files to be downloaded for the classroom of home use. All the simulations and experiments are categorised e.g. kinetics,STOICHIOMETRY, ACID-BASE EQUILIBRIA,solutions, gas laws, electrochemistry etc.each of the animated simulation is accompanied by a tutorial containing detailed explanations of the eperiments.

Date: 2012.12.04

Posted by Silvino Rodrigues (Portugal)

Message: This resource is very useful; sometimes it helps to explain complex concepts demanding high abstraction, and enables to visualize things at microscopic level, which without the use of computer animations or simulations would be much harder to explain and to understand.
This resource improves students’ interest in chemistry. The students understand the concepts more quickly and with fewer questions and do not lose the interest in the discipline. From the student’s point of view, not understanding the concepts motivates a loss of interest.
As previously referred this resource enables a better and fast understanding of concepts, taking advantage of the presented animations and simulations reproducing phenomena hard to visualise in another way.
In conclusion, I consider that this educational resource is innovative. Though the included animations and simulations are not recent, it covers a huge number of subjects taught in chemistry disciplines.

Date: 2012.12.03

Posted by Noélia Vilas Boas (Portugal)

Message: This web resource is fabulous. It presents 10 fundamental subjects of advanced chemistry taught at secondary and university levels (electrochemistry, oxidation-reduction chemistry, stereochemistry, thermochemistry, gases law, solutions, and measures in chemistry). Each of these subjects includes quite complete experimental protocols, animations and simulations, in addition to theoretical explanations and exercises of various complexity levels.
I consider this web resource very useful, both from pedagogical and didactical point of view, not only for students but also for teachers. It allows students to review concepts enabling learning consolidation.
Nevertheless it is not an innovative resource; it is well structured representing, undoubtedly, an important compilation for the secondary and university levels.

Date: 2012.11.26

Posted by BRAJKOVIC DIVNA (HELMo-Inforef) (Belgium)

Message:  Is the teaching resource described useful for you?
Why?

The teaching resource contains a great number of simulations and animations.
Using such animations makes transition to abstraction easier. Indeed, these animations allow making a link between the symbolic level of a chemical phenomenon (the chemical equation) and its modelling at the microscopic level. They highlight the cocks between molecules and thus the dynamics of a chemical reaction.

 Do you think it can increase the students’ interest toward chemistry?
Why?

These animations help better understand chemical phenomena and can only increase students’ motivation. Often students are discouraged by the complexity of the chemical phenomena. Abstraction is really an obstacle to learning. If the student has some attractive visual supports to better imagine the phenomena studied, the interest will be increased.

 Do you think it can help the students to understand better and faster?
Why?
Learning difficulties often appear during knowledge structuration, particularly during the equation of a chemical phenomenon.
Animations are indispensable visual supports to ease the transition from the macroscopic level (phenomenon observed in the laboratory) to symbolic writing.
These animations are interesting for various reasons. They make possible a dynamic modelling of the microscopic level taking into account the chocks between ions/molecules or molecules/molecules (or others). Moreover, for the reactions that are limited to an equilibrium state, the animation highlights the phenomenon dynamics (competition between two opposite phenomena). However, several animations (such as electrochemical cells) superimpose the diagram of the macroscopic level and the dynamic modelling of the microscopic level.
The freeze frame options and frame by frame displays make it possible to view the phenomenon progressively, which favours a gradation in the learning.
This type of animations can be used in several ways: during a session in a multimedia room, in the classroom with a video projector or at home while studying.

Date: 2012.10.03

Posted by Valter Bennucci (Italy)

Message: The website presents a collection of Chemistry Experiment Simulations and Computer Animations that can be used by secondary school students.
This downloadable material covers ten different chemistry topics:
- Electrochemistry (reactions of metals and metal ions experiment; electrochemical cell experiment; concentration cells electrochemical cell experiment; electrolysis electrochemical cell experiment).
- Redox titration (redox titration experiment).
- Gas laws (Boyle's law; Charles' law; manometer experiment; crush the can).
- Thermochemistry (heat of neutralization experiment; heat of solution experiments; heat transfer between metals and water experiment; particulate nature of matter view of a metal at different temperatures; particulate nature of matter view of dissolving a solid salt, NaCl, in water).
- Solutions (conductivity simulation; using a spec-20 to determine the concentration of solutions; boiling-point elevation and freezing-point depression experiment; vapor pressure experiment; sodium chloride dissolving in water).
- Acid-base equilibria (pH measurements of acids & bases; pH measurements: salts & buffers; acid-base ph titration simulation).
- General equilibria (bromine liquid-gas equilibrium animation; cobalt chloride equilibrium animation; NO2 N2O4 equilibrium animation).
- Stoichiometry (empirical formula of a compound; amount of moles and atoms in metals; combustion reactions of hydrocarbons with excess oxygen; combustion reactions of hydrocarbons (with oxygen gas) - limiting reagent present; acid-base titration).
- Measurement (functions and variables associated with stretching springs).
- Kinetics (method of initial rates simulation; method of initial rates at the molecular level; rate of a chemical reaction; Arrhenius equation: temperature, rate constants, and activation energy experiment) .
- Predicting the products of chemical reactions (periodic trends in electronegativity; chemical bonds; hydrogen bonding between water molecules; molecular shape and chemical reactions).
The simulations and animations can be used to illustrate and support several concepts, given in the classroom. Many of the simulations reproduce laboratory experiments and have an associated tutorial. This document provides a script on how to use the software and proposes a set of experiments and related questions to students.
I think that this site can be used to improve and make a more interesting teaching. It can be used during a lesson or a lab. It can be used by students and it is very simple. Unfortunately it is only in English. The experiments are computer simulations but student can interact with them building their own experiment. The limit of these simulations is that they are quite simple and are related to basic chemistry. The graphic is very simple.
The site works in this way:
1) You push a button that refers to a subject
2) In this way you download an html file that can be opened
3) You can interact with the simulation that appears
Problem: Some simulation can be opened by different plug in software that are not common used (Shockwave)

National Reports on successful experiences to promote lifelong learning for chemistry The national reports on chemistry successful experiences to promote lifelong learning for chemistry are now available on the related section of the project portal. The reports presents examples of successful experiences in the partner countries and the results of testing of ICT resources with science teachers.

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