Dave Stone, University Laboratory High School, Urbana, IL

Activity 1d, C&I 335, Summer, 1998

A number of excellent, regularly updated biology-based web sites can be found on the web. Additionally, CD-ROM technology allows users (and education product developers) to go well beyond the limitations of traditional floppy disk-based biology learning materials. CD-ROMs (often abbreviated in coversation to "CDs") are equally well suited for class presentations and self-paced individual learning and review. The better quality biology-related CD-ROMs typically integrate short videos, animations and micrographs with text-based information. Below, you will find several web sites and CDs that I've examined closely over the past few days and consider noteworthy. I've adopted my own temporary standards for judging, based in part on the Guardian Education: Software Review series of online education software evaluations. My scoring is as follows: 1= poor, 2 = satisfactory, 3 = good, 4 = very good, 5 = excellent.

Web Sites

I've become quite partial to biological/medical web sites students which are updated daily, making clear the continual strides occurring in those areas and reinforcing how those areas impact each other.

Access Excellence is an excellent site for biology teachers. Classroom and lab activities, interviews with prominent biologists and research updates are just a few of the things you will encounter at this site. Updated weekly, it is divided into six main sections: 1) What's News - science updates, 2) Activities Exchange - an area for practicing teachers to post favorite activities, 3) About Biotech - applications, issues and ethics, 4) Let's Collaborate - online projects, online mentoring and seminars, 5) Teaching Communities - AP Bio and Biotech Partnerships and 6) Classrooms of the 21st Century - technology in the classroom and science education reform. Produced by Genentech, a major biotechnology company, this web site is always current, well written and beautifully presented.

HMS BEAGLE is the online BioMedNet Magazine. Updated daily, it includes a myriad of articles and book reviews. Most useful, though is the hyperlinked "Research News," a listing of prominent, new online articles/web sites in the areas of 1) Biological Science, 2) Medicine/Health and 3) Biotech/Pharmaceutical. Biology teachers should consider pasting this site's URL into their Home Page Preferences section of their browser - it's like getting a free daily biology newspaper.

Internet Resources for Agriculture is a well designed, visually appealing site which deals specifically with applied aspects of the sciences. From the home page one can pursue diverse areas including 1) Agricultural and Applied Economics, 2) Entomology, 3) Food Science and Technology, 4) Animal, Dairy and Poultry Sciences, 5) Biochemistry, 6) Biological Systems Engineering and 7) Plant, Soil and Environmental Sciences. From each initial topic area link, one moves to individual page made up of hyperlinks to pertinent associations and societies, electronic journals, quality subject specific sites, home pages of other universities with departments in those fields and pertinent Usenet newsgroups.

Web Site	Access Excellence	HMS BEAGLE	Internet Resources for Agriculture
Ease of Installation	NA	NA	NA
Ease of Navigation	5	5	5
Quality of Graphics	5	4	4
Effectiveness of Presentation	5	5	5
Relevance to My Existing Curriculum	5	5	4
Overall Usefulness	5	5	4

CD-ROMs

Biology-related CD-ROMs are becoming more common on a daily basis. The quality of the presentation and use of CD-ROMs multimedia capabilities have improved significantly over the past few years. A listing of some of the best that I've encountered follows:

Genetics is produced by Animated Biomedical Productions, an Australian company which specializes in producing customized animation for various medical, pharmaceutical and scientific industries. It is divided into four major areas: 1) Basic Science, 2) History of Genetics, 3) Clinical Aspects and 4) Ethical Issues. My genetics students enjoyed the CD-ROM, pointing out it its ease of use, simple navigation and quality of animations/presentation. I suspect that its high cost (approximately $240) and limited topic coverage (relative to the three part video series produced by the same company) will limit its widescale usage. I suggest interested parties contact their Regional Office of Education about purchasing a copy and trying it out in their classroom, prior to commiting a portion of their budget to purchase of this CD-ROM.

Cells and Genes, produced the Mona Group LLC, includes over 1000 topics, more than 600 illustrations and electron micrographs and 17 minicourses encompassing areas including organelles, cell structure and function, mitosis, meiosis and cancer. Well prepared and easily navigated, its $21.95 price tag is quite reasonable. In combination with a fast CD-ROM drive and a higher end projector, this CD-ROM has outstanding potential as a large group resource.

CD-ROM	Genetics	Cells and Genes
Ease of Installation	5	5
Ease of Navigation	4	4
Quality of Graphics	5	3
Effectiveness of Presentation	4	4
Relevance to My Existing Curriculum	5	5
Value	3	5
Likelihood of School Being Able to Purchase Multiple CDs for Multiple Users	1	5
Overall Usefulness	5	5

Return to Dave Stone's e-Portfolio

Return to C&I 335 Home Page

Last updated on June 16, 1998