Educational Technology Usage Within a Classroom: Educator Perspective
The Periodic Table website is an interactive site that allows students to explore, learn, and gain a better holistic understanding of chemistry. When the user first enters the site, they will encounter a standard periodic table and six different tabs, ranging from “History” to “Podcast” to “Video.” While all six tabs are helpful, the home page and the three that I mentioned previously are likely what students will use the most. In the history section of the periodic table, students can click on an element and then be directed to a page that provides information on the element itself, its discovery, and general details about its historical significance. Next, the video section will feature the same layout as the history section. However, this time, when the user clicks on an element, it will redirect them to a video explaining that aspect through a visual format. Likewise, in the podcast section, the format remains the same, but this time, it is presented through a podcast, typically averaging around 5 minutes.
Overall, this website would be most useful to an educator teaching a general chemistry class or any class that requires access to the periodic table. The website is easy to use, straightforward, and interactive. Each subtopic on the website follows a consistent pattern, allowing students to click and learn about an element from a new perspective.
Usefulness in a School Library
Typically, collaborations between STEM classes in a library setting have a negative stigma associated with them, as they are perceived as not being able to integrate into a library setting. It is essential to note that this idea is incorrect, and the website further highlights the fallacy in that point. The periodic table website is entirely interactive, providing the user with the ability to view it through a holistic lens that encourages students to adopt interdisciplinary approaches to the periodic table. This is incredibly useful in the library as it gives the librarian and science teacher the ability to creatively collaborate and design lessons that integrate the library and science curriculum. This website would work best for high school students (typically within the age range when students start taking explicit chemistry classes).
Implications
Overall, after reviewing the website, I didn’t find any explicit implications. The website is straightforward to navigate. The features are highly interactive, and every part of the website loads well. For what it is meant to do, it does a good job. It would be interesting to see how the creators of the website expand its use in the future (adding features for educators, and other new interactive features).
Accessibility
The website is highly accessible, offering a free resource that anyone can use. There are no requirements to create an account, and all links to the website function properly. While it is sometimes helpful to have a multifaceted website, I enjoy the simplicity and the straightforward nature of the design, which creates a more user-friendly interface.
Overall
The website is primarily designed for older high school students and beyond, particularly those studying chemistry or who need access to the periodic table. This is a highly beneficial tool in the library setting, as it enables interdisciplinary lessons and offers students a broader perspective on chemistry.