Presented by: Willie McTiernan
A hands on workshop looking at three examples of Computational Science.
1. Racing Academy is a serious game prototype. Its subject matter is the Science behind automotive technology. It covers aspects of Newton’s Second law, interpretation of graphs, friction gear and velocity ratios and scientific inquiry. Students select components to build a racing car as part of a computer game. Students then race the car against an A1 racer. This underlying game engine has the capacity to allow users to manipulate over 1,000 parameters of their vehicles. Students have to build and maintain their vehicles in order to enter and compete in races, monitoring and analysing their performance using data from a variety of telemetry outputs. During the workshop participants will be introduced to the game and the ways that it can be used as a tool for learning. The game will be made available as a free download to workshop participants.
2. Interactivate: Interactivate consists of a series of web based java resources that can be used to explore aspects of Science and Maths using an inquiry based approach.
3. A look at ExploreLearning’s library of Gizmos which contain some highly visual dynamic models and simulations of scientific concepts that can actively engage students in inquiry based Learning.
Presenter Biography:
Willie McTiernan is a former Science Teacher and has been working with the Centre for Workplace Learning and the DCU IBSE Pathway team on the “The Pathway to Inquiry Based Science Education (IBSE) EU 7th Framework Project: Discovering and Promoting Inquiry in the Sciences”.