Dryden Webb Science App Review Oct,18th ,2016
Define:When we were studying the periodic table in Science 9 it was hard for me to remember the elements. I didn’t know much information other than how many protons, neutrons and electrons each element had. I felt if I knew more about each of the individual elements I would have a better understanding of the periodic table.
Dream:But how was I going to be able to find this information? I could look up each element in google individually, but that would take a long time. I could look up the information at the library in science books, but that would take even longer. On you-tube I could search videos on science, but that would be a lot of work and endless time watching science videos about elements. I could also go out to UBC and see if the chemistry department could give me a hand. Maybe and app could help me.
Deliver: The app I decided on was called Elements: The Periodic Table. I think this app will be beneficial to students studying Science 9. I think this app would help students develop a better understanding about each individual element.
The first page of the app shows the full periodic table. Compared to the periodic table of elements that we were given in class this one is colour coded, and has the group and period numbers labelled. The app also gives you the option of changing the colour of the main-screen. This makes the different elemental groups stand out. One major disadvantage of this wonderful app is found on page one. The name, atomic mass and the ion charges are not listed on the table to look at, at a glance. The only other disadvantage I found was that you had to pay money for the extra features of this app.
As you move your mouse over the periodic table a brief description of the element appears on the first page. The name of the element including the atomic mass, the year discovered, the melting point, and the electron configuration information is listed. I used the element sulfur to display the features of this app.
When you click on the individual element you go to a page loaded with information about the element. The information that the page shows includes general properties, physical properties, electrons on the Bohr Diagram, history, atomic properties, an image of the element, main uses for the element, and handy links to other sources of information about the element. This page also gives interesting facts about the element. I learned that penicillin is a sulfur based antibiotic. Unfortunately, this antibiotic gives me a very bad rash when I take it.
One last feature of this app was that you could compare two different elements side by side. I compared the element sulfur to the other element selenium for this review. It was interesting to compare the two elements.
Debrief: I enjoyed learning about apps for this project. I think my app has a lot of great features that I could’ve more thoroughly explained. The app could have been more playful and engaging for the user. A periodic table game would have been fun. It would be educational as well as entertaining. I enjoyed working on this project. I got to try out a new app that would help me in science 9 this year. I think elements are very interesting and this app provided me with a lot of information in an organized format. I’m happy with the app I chose, as well as, how this project turned out.