Science Program Reviews

"The science CDs: Physics, Chemistry and Biology, have a very professional look and feel. We found the navigation easy to use and intuitive. It was simple to move systematically through a particular topic or theme, but at the same time the CDs encourage random flicking through the various components just for general interest reading.

The graphics and animations are excellent. Teachers will find these very useful in presenting information and concepts to students in a manner that is far more stimulating than traditional texts and overheads.

There was a large amount of material on the CDs which would be of specific use to students studying the science course in years 7-10 as well as Biology, Physics and Chemistry Year 11 & 12 courses for the HSC.

The attractive layout of the presented material will encourage students to simply browse through them, broadening their general subject knowledge as well as allowing them to access useful information specific to the courses.

It is pleasing to see material of this quality being produced. Your CDs would be a valuable resource for any school moving to incorporate effective multimedia material into science learning programs.

Students having the CDs at home would have immediate access to stimulating and useful material for their science studies.

Congratulations on an excellent product."

Layout of screen was user friendly. Navigation through was simple (once the layout was interpreted). Package will require some basic instructions on the screen layout and navigation- tutorial program?

The graphics presentation was clear and complemented the text. The text was at an average reading age for the intended course stage. The audio was clear (both male & female voices) with pronunciation of language precise.

The information was concise and supported by the graphics. Concepts were explained in a logical and structured format. Additional information was accessible through "pop up" windows.

This additional information enriched the core content.

The menu at the top right of the screen contained useful data relating to the core content. The biographies menu gave concise information on scientist in the context of the content. Different discs then had menus relevant to the topic. The tables menu gave support to the numerical content on the Physics discs. The 3D molecular model menu supported the Chemistry content. The Periodic Table supported the Physics and Chemistry discs.

The "Remember" option gave a summary of the content in a clear and concise format. Audio repetition of these summaries reinforced the core content and gave pronunciation of subject terminology.

The activities are graduated from basic to more complex. Students are to check their progress and work through questions until they are able to score 100%. Questions included multiple choice, matching exercises, completing sentences, compiling data tables and graphs. There was, therefore, a broad range of question types that included activities that would develop skills relevant to the science courses.

The content of the discs covers the majority of Syllabus content, including the Prescibed Focus Areas and Skills content. Some content on the discs went beyond the NSW Syllabus content but was presented in such way that this material could be used for extension purposes. The classification of the content into small, concise and clearly identifiable categories made the linking of the content mandated in the various syllabi to the disc content simple.

The package would assist those students with a reasonable grasp of computer software in developing deeper understanding of the course concepts.

"As a software package eduROM's Curriculum Server Physics is unique. It is not just a simulation package that substitutes for lab work, nor just a database of questions and exercises, nor just reference material but rather a combination of all these and more. Students and teachers should find it easy and enjoyable to use, and it would be a valuable resource to have in any school to be used alongside other traditional materials for enrichment and revision of physics.

The entry for the term 'space' in Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe read 'Space is big. Really big. You won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to space.' If the guide was still updating its entries, then the same description would be used for YDP's eduROM Curriculum Server Physics software. It is a vast resource, spanning 15CDs and about 21 GB of interactive pages, video, animation, lessons, exercises, tests, and reference material!

At its simplest the package provides an engaging electronic version of a traditional physics text, but in reality it provides far more than book based reference series that are most often used in classrooms. It can be used in a variety of ways either by the teacher enhancing their lessons on a stand alone machine with a multimedia projector (or other data display), by groups of students working together in a computer lab or by individual students in a library setting for revision or extension.

The information is accurate, extensive and presented in small, simple to understand units. Animated 3d simulations and videos of young people demonstrating complex physics principles in everyday situations allow students to see the relevance of the physics that they are studying in a way that a traditional text could never do. Embedded into each chapter are interactive activities that will inform the students if they complete them correctly. Tests also follow each section and chapter, allowing students and their teachers to monitor their progress.

Included in the package are the traditional tools that you would expect from a current software package ie a search facility, instant access to reference material such as charts, formula, biographies, a dictionary and periodic table, a basic note taking facility, book marking etc�E�E

Due to the rich variety of content the package is easily adapted any other curriculum."

Reviewed by: Richard Meagher, Mt Lawley Senior High School, Mt Lawley WA

My oldest has just commenced yr 8 hence the purchase of science power. My son has found the program interesting and is pleased ...it has maintained his willingness to do the extra study. So far he has found it invaluable in his studies particularly the menu facility where he can easily access the topic that he is currently studying in class and skip to it as needed.

Interestingly, the younger children were excited by the science program particularly the film clips and they have become very keen and interested in science, requesting to be allowed to 'look' at the disks.

We have definately seen amazing results with mathspower, all 3 children are top in their maths, winning awards last year. Prior to purchase, 2 children were struggling with concepts and lack of interest, now all three find and comment on maths being fun and interesting.

Regards

Julie
WA