EFFECTIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGIES TO PROMOTE SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE
Chapter 4 - Integrating tools in sciences education
4.2 How to use ICT tools in science laboratories
While the use of ICT has already penetrated in Inquiry Based Teaching, we have yet to create and implement STEM lesson plans that promote the development of methodological skills and competencies, investigation through experimentation, teamwork and communication among students through collaborative activities.
There are various types of virtual laboratory environment. Simulations imitate operating systems via computers. They are cheaper, faster, less risky and more affordable than the real process. Network applets are experimental devices in small virtual laboratories. They are small in size and easily transported. Virtual labs simulate a virtual operating system, exploiting the potential offered by modern media technology for technical interaction and direct and plausible manipulation of objects and parameters. Virtual Reality Laboratories (VRL) workshops are computer based and highly interactive. The user becomes a participant in a “virtually real” world, in an artificial three-dimensional optical environment. Laboratories Controlled by Distance (Remote Labs) are workshops controlled remotely; they include real experiments conducted from a distance with the use of telecommunications.
Most of the virtual laboratory software consists on computing applications running on the local user’s computer. They can be operated remotely.
Virtual labs can be useful in the teaching of science because real experiments can take too long or present a risk to the students. They can also provide modelling. They support IBSL by offering detailed observations and fostering communication students and teachers, who participate actively in the learning process: asking questions, trying to find answers, organizing procedures and commenting on them, helping in formulating conclusions, understanding their mistakes and highlighting any misconceptions. Virtual labs help overcome limitations of space or time. Their use makes students acquire better computer skills. The use of these technologies also bring together different STEM subjects and provides with great resources for more inclusive workshops.
While their efficiency to improve school results is debated, tablets are finding their way into classrooms and offer the opportunity to rethink learning, methods and practices in relation to digital tools. Teachers need to be trained for that use to be efficient. The resources must also be chosen carefully and be integrated in a pedagogical scenario created by the teacher.
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