Science Supplier Launches High School Flex Kits
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 09/09/20
School
science supplier Carolina
Biological
has introduced a new line of products intended to help teachers
deliver science instruction whether the students are in the classroom
or learning from home. The Carolina
Kits 3D Flex
cover a year of high school biology
or chemistry
and include all of the digital and physical components for the
lessons.
Components
in the kits include safety googles, plasticware and home-safe
chemicals for performing science experiments. The kits also provide
access to 120 digital elements, such as instructional videos and
online labs. Those resources are also available in an all-digital
"Flex Lite" version. The program is designed for both
synchronous and asynchronous learning.
The
biology program has 16 experiments covering four areas: molecules to
organisms, ecosystems, heredity, and biological evolution. The
chemistry program contains 17 investigations in four areas: structure
and property of matter, chemical and nuclear reactions, reaction
rates and equilibrium, and energy in chemical processes. Both
programs have correlations to major textbooks.
The
hands-on activities include wet labs plus manipulative activities.
Students directly observe phenomena and are guided through the
process of using evidence and prior knowledge to make sense of it.
According to the company, the digital student investigations give
learners opportunities to collect data, make observations and do
sense-making for experiments after watching videos of labs that are
difficult to conduct remotely. These videos offer multiple trials and
experimental variables that require students to collaborate remotely
as part of enhancing and deepening understanding.
Teachers
get lesson plans, background materials and student worksheets. The
teachers control the digital resources, for example, by providing
commentary, and assign them as the lesson plan suggests or as the
student progresses.
Prices
for either program start at $125 per student. The Flex Lite version
is available for teachers under a licensing agreement per student and
teacher.
"When
safety was an issue or expensive lab equipment was required, we
switched from a traditional hands-on, wet lab to a teacher-led
digital demonstration or digital student investigation," said
Mark Meszaros, vice president of core product management and
innovation, in a press release. "The digital demonstrations and
investigations contain multiple high-quality, close-up videos of
actual demonstrations or hands-on labs. Some labs contain both a
hands-on portion and a digital portion for a true blended-learning
experience. In all labs, students must make their own observations
and begin the process of sense-making at their own pace."
About the Author
Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.