Education Technology

Physion is free Physics simulation software that can be used by educators to create physics simulations for their class or by students to create physics simulations to explore concepts or as part of a project. The teacher can even create experiments for the students to use in class (virtual labs).

You use the included tools to create physical objects, including gears, and joints (springs and pulleys) that obey the laws of the Physics. It is similar to software I used as an engineer.

Below is a video that shows how it works. It's easy to use and fun. Students can use it to explore all kinds of concepts on their own, as well as using teacher created simulations. It can be used on Windows and Linux OS's. A Mac OS version is in development.





Here is a video showing some of the complex simulations you can create using it:



This is a great resource for physics teachers to create virtual labs and investigations, as well as a tool for students to explore physics concepts and create their own labs. There are also scenes that others have created that you can download and use.

The site has a Wiki and Forums to find help and ideas.

Physion: http://physion.net/


Related:

PhET - excellent, free, virtual labs and simulations for science

BioLogica is a site that has interactive labs and learning activities on biology that help students learn concepts. Students work through the activities, get feedback and hints and create a portfolio of their work.


BioLogica runs on Windows and Mac's. It doesn't just help students learn concepts in Biology, it also helps them make connections between different concepts and ideas. It focuses on genetics, including helping students to learn the parts, processes, and mechanisms of genetics.

The activities pose a problem for the students and then lets them solve it. The software will have the students explain their reasoning, help them with hints and eve suggest additional resources and material to help them. Teachers can monitor student performance and collect the student work into electronic portfolios.

There are also 3D interactive models of the cell on the site. These are great for helping students learn about the cell.


There are demos of the activities on the site and you can download a free copy of the prototype version of the software.  http://biologica.concord.org/index.html

Orbiter is a free Space Flight Simulator for Windows. It is not a web app, but must be downloaded and installed on your computer.

With Orbiter, you can launch and fly the space shuttle. It launches from Kennedy Space Center and then you fly it to rendezvous with the International Space Stations. You can also fly Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Vostok and other spacecraft, including your own design or designs others have made.

The simulator is very realistic and allows you to fly spacecraft, design your own craft, plan interplanetary missions, and learn about space flight and orbital mechanics in a fun way.

This is a great resource for science classes, especially Physical Science, Astronomy, and Physics.

Here are some screen shots from Orbiter:


     

I plan on using this with my Physics classes as part of their end-of-the year rockets project.