Friday, November 30, 2007 12:11 AM CST
MHS chemistry classes integrate computer sims with hands-on lab work
By NATHANIEL WEST, Staff Writer
nwest@jg-tc.com
MATTOON — Jill Wetzel and Gwen Hackman slowly added an unknown liquid to the solid, milky substance collected at the bottom of a test tube.
The two Mattoon High School juniors then placed the tube under an open flame.
The white material vaporized almost instantly.
“Whoops,” said Wetzel.
“That was slightly unexpected,” chimed in Hackman.
Fortunately, goof-ups with this sort of simulated experiment do not jeopardize expensive laboratory materials or the chemistry students’ safety. And correcting errors is accomplished simply by refreshing a Web page.
Thanks in part to a MHS teacher’s participation in a statewide program at the University of Illinois, chemistry classes at MHS are mixing traditional lab experiments with potent Web-based simulations and computer analysis tools, theoretically resulting in a deeper understanding by students of science concepts.
The virtual dry-runs for chemistry experiments and subsequent get-out-of-jail-free provisions are bonuses.
“They can make a mistake on the computer (simulation) and not ruin the whole experiment,” said MHS chemistry teacher Jim Sparks.
“The simulation gives them a feel for what it’s like.”
For two weeks last summer, he and 50 other chemistry teachers from across the state converged at the U of I in as part of the National Science Foundation-funded Institute for Chemistry Literacy through Computational Science, lovingly dubbed “Icicle” by participants.
Working in teams, the educators were tasked with integrating computer technologies and hands-on lab projects.
“Our chemistry students know how to do the math, (but) they don’t have a good conceptual knowledge,” said Sparks, explaining the need for this fusion of old and new ideas.
“They (now) will understand it so much better, and we’ll do a lot better job teaching chemistry.”
His team located an Internet simulation and developed computer spreadsheets and even a YouTube video (www.youtube.com/watch?v=l11hOI_2g_4) to accompany an experiment in which students produce and measure hydrogen in large plastic syringes.
The team presented its findings both to the Illinois Association of Chemistry Teachers in October and the Illinois Science Teachers Association earlier this month.
Also as a result of the institute, Sparks now is networked with 50 other chemistry teachers. “It fits in so well with what we’re trying to do at MHS with collaboration,” he said.
But the proverbial rubber really met the road in Sparks’ classroom at MHS.
For about five years, the lab has been equipped with a dozen Macintosh PowerBook G4 laptop computers, funded by a grant from the Mattoon Foundation for Academic Excellence.
While the laptops were employed frequently to record and calculate data, their use skyrocketed this year following Sparks’ involvement with the U of I program.
This week, for example, Chemistry II students tackled an experiment in which they identified the presence of lead, mercury and silver in what appeared to be clear water. Prior to breaking out the actual test tubes, Bunsen burners and decanters, Sparks ran through the entire experiment via a simulation on a science education Web site. The students also rehearsed with this simulation on their Mac notebooks.
Junior Coleman Covington said he learned more than if he had merely completed the actual experiment and filled in a typical lab report. “I think it’s more interesting,” he said.
His lab partner, junior Geoff Zuhone, said he liked practicing the experiment in a consequence-free setting. “You can mess up all you want,” he said.
“And when you really have to do it, you know what to do.”
Contact Nathaniel West at nwest@jg-tc.com or 238-6860.
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