I'm currently looking for science software appropriate for
elementary/middle school kids. Here's what I've found so far:
Boxer (diSessa's simulation)
Cocoa
Agentsheets
Star Logo (not science software per se, but -- like Cocoa, Boxer, and
Agentsheets -- useful for building simulations)
Interactive Physics
Various commercial games: Castle/Island of Dr. Brain, Paper Plane Pilot,
Gizmos and Gadgets, the Incredible Machine. (Some of the commercial
software is pretty good, but most is just OK.)
So, is there anything that anyone would care to add? I've done lots of
web-searching, but without much luck.
Just to set up the context, the elementary and middle school kids work on
the software in pairs -- with the additional help of an undergraduate in
elementary education/human development. At the moment, the kids are
limited to one hour a week for this activity -- although this severe time
limit may be lengthened in the future.
Thanks for any and all suggestions,
Cody Sandifer
Center for Research in Math and Science Education
San Diego, CA