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Comments about this Publication
Date: 2012.10.04
Posted by Özlem AFACAN (Turkey)
Message: "Chemistry For Life" is a site in which emphasis is placed on the importance of chemistry in different fields of human activities.Everybody can get beneficial works or studies for their life from this website.Because containing the applicable experiments part shows that we can do this experiments easily with our childs or with collegues.But on the other hand puting some videos could be more useful for the chemistry researchers and students. This resource can also be useful for the teachers, who could use this site as a reference point for the development of various classroom discussions highlighting the importance of chemistry in our daily life.
The proposed experiments can actually bring chemistry at home and motivate people to engage themselves in behaving as little scientists. This teaching resource is designed in a user-friendly manner in order to make chemistry more appealing to the average student.
Date: 2012.10.03
Posted by Elif Tuğçe KARACA (Turkey)
Message:
First of all I think it’s not useful for primary school students, the web site an attractive design but it is complex for studens in primary school and also lower secondary school students. The web site has a good background for the experimental chemistry but when the topic is experiment, I think the best way is doing it in labrotories with the other students and the teacher. The idea of the web site is very creative and the content is powerful but I think it can not match the children age range.
The web site can not increase the students interest because I think students will find this site unnecessary, because there are too much things, it seems that the site lost its focus and add whatever they find related to the content.
In these days computer games and web site designs are very attractive, but this web site is not interesting for children. After all this can not be an innovative approach, but it can be a good online or published source for secondary students except the lower secondary ones.
Date: 2012.09.27
Posted by Grace Kenny (Ireland)
Message: Is the teaching resource described useful for you?
Why?
The website Chemistry for Life is not really suitable for use at primary level. The content and concepts are quite advanced and do not fall within the strands of the primary school science curriculum. I can see that some parts of website could be used by secondary school teachers – the virtual experiments were nice. They were cartoon clips that talked through the various steps of some interesting experiments. Unfortunately there were only eight of these in total.
The remainder of the website was disappointing. There were articles and videos that were difficult to access or not available, and the virtual gallery section consisted only of some poor photographs of science centre and museum exhibitions and some information, but it was in no way interactive and did not differ greatly for reading an up to date textbook.
Do you think it can increase the students’ interest toward chemistry?
Why?
While the virtual experiments could be used in the classroom, I do not think the remainder of the website would work to increase student’s motivation towards chemistry. I felt the website was dull and uninteresting, and it was not interactive. While the topics presented in the virtual gallery were interesting, they were not presented in a way that would be attractive for young science students – poor photographs, and a lack of colour and interactivity.
Do you think it can help the students to understand better and faster?
Why?
I failed to see how this website would help students to understand better or faster. While the virtual experiments were nice, they could all be performed at some level within the secondary school science lab, and this be far better than just watching them on the website.
Do you think it propose an innovative didactical approach?
Why?
I do not think that the website proposed an innovative didactical approach. Rather it in some ways was similar to reading content in a textbook, the only difference being that the content reflected what was happening in science centres and museums. So assuming that the displays and exhibitions changed regularly, and this change was updated in the website, then the content was based on up to date advances in chemistry. Unfortunately while this information could be used to make modern chemistry attractive and fun, the website did not present the content in a fun or interactive way, thus in my opinion, failing to achieve its goal to attract young people to the science of chemistry.
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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