Heather Schilling
EDTEC 655
October 1, 2005
Inquiry Review #2
This fun web site, www.kineticcity.com, not only allows children to have an interactive session with various science topics, but it also promotes critical thinking and provides students with additional information about the scientific ideas as well. Players are greeted by clever graphics and sounds as they select from a variety of “mind games,” such as Touch of Class, Power Up, Slush Rush, and Gravity Launch to name a few. In Gravity Launch, the player must launch a ship to dock with one or two stations. Using thrust and angle, children launch the ship to the dock, hoping to hit the station. In Power Up, children have a budget and must choose the right combination of power sources (solar, wind, coal, natural gas, and nuclear) to power the community without going broke or destroying the environment. Using their critical thinking and problem solving strategies, students must create the best combination. In this particular game, students can find out more information about the various energy sources and the impact the source has on the environment. Teachers can also purchase a Kinetic City curriculum, which provides 30 lessons and materials to create the science experiments and activities, as well as tips for starting their own Kinetic City club. While this web site does not replace the standard science curriculum, teachers can use it to enhance the learning environment, using it as a free time activity or enrichment activity. In several cases, it can reinforce important scientific concepts.
Some of the key terms covered throughout the web site are typical scientific terms such as energy, thrust, balance, environment, and others, but several of the “mind games” use the word “model,” a word that has a variety of meanings. In light of the web site, the word model refers to a design, or something that represents an idea. In at least three of the activities, children were to consider the model of something or create a model. Both of these ideas ask children to think critically and to envision abstract concepts.
Inquiry-based learning allows children a hands-on approach to learning. The teachers act as facilitators while the children are in control of their learning. Kinetic City does not appear to be what one might consider an inquiry-based web site on the surface, but when a teacher uses this site in conjunction with the lessons/activities provided by joining the organization (a link is provided), a teacher can create inquiry-based activities based on the ideas found throughout the web site. The games provide a fun way to reinforce or check students’ understanding of the content. The web site also provides activities that students and their parents or teachers can perform with few materials as well as poses questions that require the students to apply critical thinking skills.
By using www.kineticcity.com in their classrooms, teachers will ensure implementation of standard 3, inclusion of methods and strategies that apply technology to maximize student learning. Students why play the “mind games” on Kinetic City or who use the additional information provided will reinforce the ideas of the curriculum. Because many of the activities do require students to think with higher levels of Bloom’s, teachers are covering the 3rd NET standard ( C ) by developing students’ higher order skills and creativity. It also covers the 2nd standard by using technology resources within the context of learning activities and creating a technology-rich learning environment.
While Kinetic City is an interactive game, it steps away from the basic drilling methodology that many web sites use. Kinetic City does not replace inquiry-based activities created by the classroom teacher, but elementary teachers can easily use this web site to reinforce key ideas. Parents can also have their children play the games in order to review topics they know have been covered in their children’s classrooms or to simply help develop critical thinking skills.