K12 Virtual Labs Earth Science
In science courses, laboratory activities are implemented to develop and reinforce knowledge and skills that support mastery of lesson objectives. During lab investigations, students apply the scientific method, responding to questions by formulating hypotheses, gathering necessary materials, following procedures, using tools and equipment, gathering and analyzing data, and drawing conclusions. In online courses, the lab experience includes hands-on activities as well as virtual experiences in a laboratory-like setting. A virtual lab provides the student with a virtual experience that engages him/her in a realistic manner while maintaining the integrity of a similar hands-on lab activity.
Features of K12 Virtual Labs
- Data are available to students in ways similar to a hands-on lab scenario. Data uncertainties, sometimes random, are introduced into the programming to provide a realistic data collection experience. For example, these data may be based on known characteristics of equipment, such as the internal resistance of a battery.
- A virtual lab has the look and feel of a hands-on lab. Content and design factors are carefully considered, in order to achieve a high degree of verisimilitude, the quality of realism, in every virtual lab K12 creates.
- A virtual lab is part of a lesson. It is used as a tool for observation and data collection, immersed in instructional content with relevant concepts and other learning objects such as videos and animations.
Sample Virtual Labs: Earth Science
Earth Science: Rocks and Minerals
Background
In this lab, students perform common mineral identification tests on selected mineral samples.
Learning Objectives
Perform tests for hardness, color, streak, and special properties on mineral samples. Use the results of these tests to identify several mineral samples.
Presentation
In a virtual setting, students conduct standard scientific tests on a collection of minerals. This provides procedural practice and reinforces concepts related to mineral identification. The exploration is nonlinear, so that students can investigate minerals of their own choosing in any order.
Prior to the virtual lab, several screens review mineral identification procedures. In these screens, images connect activities in the virtual lab with photos of real minerals. These instructional materials are included: student guide, lab procedure, teacher guide. The assessment is a series of questions about the lab lesson, including creation of a data table and higher level questions about lab content.
View this Virtual Lab: Rocks and Minerals
If the link above doesn't work for you, copy and paste this URL into your browser:
http://k12.http.internapcdn.net/k12_vitalstream_com/CURRICULUM/318507/CURRENT_RELEASE/ERT_VL_Rocks_and_Minerals.html
Earth Science: Ocean Floor Sediments
Background
In this lab students observe how microorganisms produce biodegradable waste and affect the organisms in an aquatic environment. They explore the relationship between biodegradable waste, dissolved oxygen in water-based ecosystems, and eutrophication, the process by which an ecosystem becomes contaminated with chemical nutrients. High levels of nutrients may lead to excessive growth of plant matter (such as algae), which may make the water unsuitable for other aquatic life. This lab demonstrates those effects.
Learning Objectives
Observe the impact of elevated levels of biodegradable waste on an aquatic environment.
Compare the growth of organisms with the presence and growth of microorganisms (e.g., yeast) in the water.
Infer how an excessive amount of nutrients can make the water unsuitable for other aquatic life.
Presentation
First, a tutorial describes procedures for determining the amount of dissolved oxygen in a water sample. This is accomplished with a titration. This lab reinforces a set of procedures used in other science courses and scientific field work.
Prior to the virtual lab, several screens are provided that review the concept of eutrophication. Images connect the virtual lab with what happens in the real-world. These instructional materials are included: student guide, lab procedure, teacher guide. The assessment is a series of questions about the lab lesson, including construction of a data table and higher level questions about lab content.
View this Virtual Lab: Ocean Floor Sediments
If the link above doesn't work for you, copy and paste this URL into your browser:
http://k12.http.internapcdn.net/k12_vitalstream_com/CURRICULUM/329466/CURRENT_RELEASE/K12_VL_Dissolved_Oxygen_20100727.html
