Edhead’s Website Review

Website Title:  Edheads: Activate Your Mind!

Publisher: Eric Bort and Gail Wheatley

Curriculum Area: Science, Math, Reading

Copyright or Last Updated Date: 2000-2009

 Grade-Level Span:   3rd – 9th

Reviewer: Jennifer Peltier

Website URL: http://www.edheads.org

 

1.      DESCRIPTION OF THE WEBSITE   

     Edhead’s is an interactive science website! Here students can explore and learn through seven different simulated activities. In crash scene students help the highway patrol recreate a deadly crash by examining the evidence and calculating forces. In virtual hip resurfacing, hip replacement, and knee surgery students follow the steps to a simulated surgery. The odd machine and simple machine simulation is great for lower elementary students as well as the weather activity. Each activity comes with a teacher’s guide that provides the recommended grade level, tips for using the site, printable activities, and state (Ohio) and national science standards. These helpful tips can be viewed online or can be downloaded as a PDF file to print or save for years to come. Edhead’s has also been recognized by major awards on the web for their excellent educational content. One downfall that the site has is the advertisements. This is a free site and they are currently trying to raise money so free advertisements make it somewhat less appealing.

 

2.      DISCUSS THE INTERFACE AND INTERACTIONS OF THE WEBSITE   

      All Edhead activities are launched with a flash player making them excellent interactive sites. Each interactive lesson includes amazing graphics and sound. It is very user friendly and provides the closest thing to real life in certain activities like virtual surgeries. Once the activity is selected a new internet window will open and the site uses the flash player to view the simulation. The learner simply follows step by step verbal and written instructions. Each step is read to them and also provided at the bottom. The site is interactive meaning the student is asked several questions while they work. They must not only listen but use general math and science skills they already know. Each simulation provides links at the top of the page allowing the participant to visit any part of the program at any time. They even provide some real life photos for some of the activities. These can be very graphic and are not recommended for smaller children.

 

3. HOW MIGHT YOU USE THIS WEB SITE IN YOUR OWN CLASSROOM?

     The site is very to use in the classroom and can be worked as a class or as an individual. This would depend mainly on the activity you are participating in and the age level. I have used this in my 5th grade class and each student participated in the virtual knee surgery. Unit 2 of the 5th grade GLECS requires students to understand many important systems of the human body.  Here they learn how some of these systems are connected. It also helps relate to real life because knee surgeries are a common thing these days. A lot of students found it interesting to see what when on when a knee injury happened. Anytime we can take our in the classroom learning and push it farther we are doing everything we can.

 

4. WHAT NETS*S STANDARDS COULD YOUR STUDENTS and TEACHERS DEMONSTRATE BY USING THIS SOFTWARE? EXPLAIN WHY.

 

Students

Standard 3: Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information

  • .Using this site the student must listen therefore gather the information and use it in the simulation.

 

Standard 4: Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.

  • Not all the information is provided for students. They will need to apply critical thinking skills to come up with the appropriate answers to puzzling questions. They will need to make informed decisions with the tools they are provided.

 

Teacher

Standard 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessment.

  • This standard is met by introduction to the website. An assessment can be made after the site experience.

Standard 3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

  • The site is a new way for students to learn. It helps get rid of the text book and provides the learning of a hand on topic hand on. The simulation puts student right there in the middle of the action.