ERIC Number: EJ1253352
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Jul
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0031-9120
EISSN: N/A
Teaching with Physlets
Christian, Wolfgang; Belloni, Mario; Sokolowska, Dagmara; Cox, Anne; Dancy, Melissa
Physics Education, v55 n4 Article 045008 Jul 2020
Over the past 25 years, the Davidson College Physics Department has developed small computer programs called Physlets. These programs were written in Java and distributed as Java applets embedded in HTML pages. Physics teachers from around the world used Physlets to author interactive computer-based curricular materials for the teaching of introductory and advanced physics courses in multiple languages. Unfortunately, the Java plugin that enabled Java applets, including our original Physlets, to run was removed from browsers in 2018, Removing applet support, though critical for security reasons, was a major setback for physics education, since there had been thousands of applet-based HTML pages developed for physics and mathematics. To address this problem, we have converted Physlets to JavaScript so that they are compatible with all devices, inducing mobile platforms. This paper describes how these JavaScript Physlets can be used to improve teaching.
Descriptors: Science Instruction, Physics, Teaching Methods, Computer Oriented Programs, Educational Technology, Technology Uses in Education, Computer Simulation, Scientific Concepts, Concept Formation, College Science, Peer Teaching, Demonstrations (Educational), Workshops, Faculty Development, Foreign Countries, Secondary School Science, Elementary School Science
IOP Publishing. 190 North Independence Mall West Suite 601, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 215-627-0880; Fax: 215-627-0879; e-mail: ped@ioppublishing.org; Web site: https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/0031-9120
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Secondary Education; Elementary Education
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Poland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A