Hypercosm for Education
Over time, more and more academic instructional materials will be delivered to students electronically. While there is a definite place for physical textbooks and educational labs and we don’t see them going away entirely, there are many distinct advantages to electronic distribution of “virtual textbooks” and "virtual laboratories".
The virtual laboratory brings computer
simulation techniques that are familiar to researchers into the
classroom. Traditionally, these techniques have been the most useful
for the "hard" sciences: physics, chemistry, astronomy,
mathematics biology etc. In time, we will see these techniques branch
out into "soft" areas of study such as history and archeology
and economics.
Educational Applications
The following is a list of a few educational applications of Hypercosm:
- Virtual interactive textbooks
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Projectile Motion Simulation
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Ray Tracing Simulation Showing Newton's Famous Prism Experiment
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Bar Code Scanner Simulation Showing "How Stuff Works"
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To put it mildly, traditional textbooks are not known for their level of excitement. Virtual, electronic textbooks with interactive 3D simulations are more effective at keeping kids engaged. In addition, the web based delivery of virtual textbooks makes it easier to keep them maintaned and up to date. Electronic materials tend to be extremely malleable and therefore easier to update and maintain. Electronic text and hyperlinks can be easily changed. Bookbindings and pages cannot.
- Virtual laboratories
Virtual labs allow kids to play around and to experiment. By encouraging experimentation, we are also encouraging more effective and memorable learning. Virtual labs can be used in a variety of ways. In some cases, they can replace physical labs and expensive laboratory equipment that can be lost, broken, or stolen. In other cases, they can be used to better prepare the student for the physical laboratory in way that's safe and inexpensive. Web based virtual labs have the additional benfit over physicsal labs that they can be made available 24 /7 and they allow the student to learn at their own pace. Virtual labs can make concepts easier to see and understand than their real world counterparts. In some cases, such as in the field of astronomy, virtual labs allow you to perform experiments that could never be done in any physical lab.
- Visual teaching aids
3D simulations make great training aids because they are so visually and dynamically captivating. While no teaching aids can replace a great teacher, a great teacher can be even more effective with the aid of effective and captivating demonstrations.
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