Thursday, July 7, 2011
Sunday, April 25, 2010
BP9_201004253_Web2.0Blog3DynamicPeriodicTable
Web 2.0 Blog: Dynamic Periodic Table of the Elements
I learned something during this week's exploration of Web 2.0 tools. I found out that they are not merely collaborative tools used for group projects. Instead I learned that the types of tools in that category could be included there for other reasons. Other characteristics of Web 2.0 tools include: they are web-based, they have user-centered design, and they have interoperability.
Dynamic Periodic Table is incredible. It is a Web 2.0 tool that can be found at www.ptable.com and can be used like no other periodic table. Using this interactive application makes the user feel like they are in control of all the elements in the periodic table. With a slide bar on the table, the temperature can be raised to temperatures found in the sun and lowered to temperatures found in the darkest, remotest sections of space. As the user slides this bar from ridiculously cold to ridiculously hot, all the elements on the periodic table react by changing their form from solid to liquid and finally to gas. Using this interactive tool, I learned that Carbon is the last element to succumb to the heat and transform into gas.
Dynamic Periodic Table also allows users to manipulate the elements so you can see why they are grouped like they are in the Table. The Inert Gases and Noble Gases are highlighted and described as you roll the curser over them. Metals and Non-Metals are also contrasted in the table. In many project based learning activities students need to locate their own information. A tool like this would make discovery learning more effective and easier for the students to understand (Colley, 2008).
This Web 2.0 tool is an ideal teaching application for any teacher trying to explain the Periodic Table of the Elements and the reason it is set up like it is.
Colley, K. (2008). Project-Based Science Instruction: A Primer--An Introduction and
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