Biology classrooms have technology related issues similar to most. We always have a “plan B” if the internet is down, the projector won’t fire up, a student forgets her iPad at home, or assignments cannot be accessed because of no home connectivity. We also struggle with teacher tech knowledge and how well trained they are on applications. Those are givens, and the teachers, along with the IT/ET team, work together to mitigate those problems. The science classroom has its own obstacles, which that team has recognized and are working to minimize.
Our school has adopted a 1:1 iPad program for students this year. Although initially a bit skeptical, teachers and the tech team have found several quality apps students can use that mimic hands-on activities, making technology a valuable tool to augment student learning. This presents our obstacle:how often and when do teachers substitute actual labs with virtual labs?
My reading finds that there are some common issues with virtual labs. One is the inability to provide students with timely, specific feedback. In an actual lab, students and teachers can interact and address questions on the spot. In virtual labs, the teacher can provide feedback - but more likely after the lab has been completed. Secondly, some virtual labs cannot differentiate instruction to varying learning styles and disabilities our students possess.
Virtual labs have many benefits - they are cost-efficient, allow for "any time" completion, provide absent students an opportunity to do it, and can be revisited to refresh learning. They provide flexibility for the project-based learning classroom, where a number of different labs can take place at the same time. Actual labs allow for tactile manipulation of the lab supplies, the ability to better understand and respect supplies (e.g., chemicals used for testing), timely feedback from classmates and instructors, and greater attentiveness to results. So how do biology teachers know when a virtual lab is more appropriate to an actual lab? Teachers first need to know what they want to accomplish in the lab. What are the higher order skills and larger learning they want their students to achieve? Possibly the most efficient way to get there (considering costs and availability of supplies) is a virtual lab.
As with most things in teaching, there is no easy answer, and the direction to take truly depends upon the particular learning needs described the standards to be covered, and the focus and methods the teacher identifies to teach those standards. As we have learned often, the answer to using tech or not is, "it depends." What is clear is that the technology approach should not lead this discussion. It's one tool in the teacher - and student - toolbelt, and needs to be used when it's advantageous to do so, and not used (or de-emphasized) when student learning can be maximized some other way.
References
Cyberlearning. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://circlcenter.org/giving-students-feedback-complex-tasks-virtual-biology-labs/.
Turkman, H. (2006) Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED501461.pdf .
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