9455585 Bunge This project will develop interactive Multimedia tutorials for introductory physics . They will be distributed on CD-ROMs that can be used by students at school or elsewhere on equipment that will be available to most students upon completion of the project. This project will make use of new technologies and findings in physics educational research to provide a computer based learning environment that will facilitate students actively constructing the conceptual framework of Newtonian mechanics. Students will be introduced to basic concepts through short video clips of actual events. Many of these will involve confrontations with common misconceptions. Computer animations and graphics will help illustrate various interpretations and develop the principles involved. Students will interact with simulations and physical representations such as vectors, diagrams, graphs, with appropriate feedback and help, enabling them to compare predictions made from their conceptual models with those of the Newtonian model and the real world. After learning the concepts, students will be introduced to appropriate mathematical models, which can be adapted to the students background and ability. This will allow the programs to be used in courses of different mathematical levels. Most of the video clips will be taken from the extensive collection produced at Valencia Community College in Orlando FL. Video editing, additional production, and animation will be done at a local high school which has a nationally recognized electronics arts program that has received extensive support from Silicon Valley companies. Simulations will be provided by an Interactive Physics player, licensed from Knowledge Revolution.
